Golfmosis

So I’ve been looking into starting an eBay golf business as of late.  My apologies for not posting in a while but that’s why.  For the last week or so, I’ve been reading “Starting an eBay Business for Dummies”, surfing eBay for good deals on resale golf equipment and searching for wholesale distributors, auctions and liquidation companies.  I bought a downloadable document professing to reveal the secret for making money by buying on eBay and then turning around and selling on eBay for a profit.  Sounds kinda goofy, I know, but the tip actually had merit.  I’m not at liberty to divulge the tip in print but I can say that 10 years ago, armed with this knowledge, I might have become a millionaire.  It’s not so effective now.  Thankfully, included along with the tip, was a link to a PGA operated website that lists true market values on most of the name brand golf clubs manufactured since “let there be light”.  My opinion is that the values listed on this website are a little low, but still a good starting place.  The site compiles its statistics by using actual eBay sales figures to give you a high, medium and low value for each club.  My own research into eBay completed auctions indicates slightly higher average values across the board.  So, armed with Dummy information, $7.95 worth of downloadable info and the blessing of my wife and daughter, I began my trek to be my own boss, become independently wealthy and stick it to the “Man” while sitting on my ass in my guest bedroom.

My wife will cringe when she reads this as our agreement was for me to make a little money to support my golf addiction and have a new hobby.  I like those ideas too, but I can’t see them very clearly through all of these dad gummed dollar signs!  After all, I have what it takes, right?  I’m focused on success, working hard to find sellable inventory, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about my product, a pro on eBay (100% positive feedback!!!)….yada, yada, yada.  So why have I been doing this for a week with nothing to show for it?  Here’s why – IT’S HARD!  So far, I’ve been outbid on all of the merchandise while following the “buy on eBay” tip, I’ve nearly purchased a set of counterfeit Ping G10s from China, and found “to good to be true”  deals……with a slight catch……. SHIPPING CHARGES OF $100 OR MORE!! I’ve also flirted with buying a pallet of “lost and found” golf clubs off a dock in Jersey that somehow reminded me of an episode of the Sopranos.  After determining that I wasn’t going to get rich by relying on eBay as my supplier and I didn’t want to be in federal prison or “vacationing with the fishes” my thoughts turned to finding a good reliable (cheap) wholesaler.  So I did what any respectable Wal-Mart executive would do and set my sights on China.  Lots and lots of exporters out there from China.  Unbelievable deals are advertised on every website.  There seems to be an underlying reason for that.  After getting over my initial shock and awe at these bargain basement prices on name brand cutting edge stuff, I started looking deeper and deeper and I’m now convinced that EVERYTHING shipped out of China is counterfeit.  Hell, even their own products might be counterfeit just to stay consistent.  Now that little detail may not have derailed a lot of folks but my conscience told me to stay away.  That little characteristic of my psyche may ultimately prove to be my downfall.  Drat! Foiled again.  Not ready to give up the good fight just yet though.

So this last Saturday morning, I was reading the local e-edition of the newspaper and drinking coffee when I discovered that there was a garage sale in my neighborhood.  Hmm….I thought.  Most of the people around here are old and white.  What do old white men do?…..THEY PLAY GOLF!  So I threw my family in the car and off we went.  Now the sale was only about 3 blocks away, but I figured we best have the car if I found a few random sets of new Callaways and Taylor Mades for peanuts.  Not quite.  I did find an old TM Burner Bubble in good shape, a Callaway BB Fusion demo 6 iron and a couple of Tight Lies clones.  Paid a dollar a piece for them.  I can’t imagine that I won’t make several times that on eBay but we’ll see.  Obviously, I’m not going to make a living picking up old clubs here and there from yard sales but at least at this point, I should start this venture off in the black.  I’ll keep you updated.  Cheers!