If you’re like most golfers, you have a few clubs sitting around in your garage or, as we like to refer to them, “dust collectors.” But did you know some of these dust collectors could actually be worth quite a bit of money? Money that could be well spent in helping you to offset the cost of your next shiny new driver.
Golf is incredibly expensive, and the costs can add up even when you do everything in your power to play within a budget. I must admit, my wife has a very tight cap on my budget, so I’ve had to devise some pretty ingenious ways of keeping my golfing addiction alive and kicking.
Green fees, annual membership fees, shoes, clothing, balls, and golf clubs start to add up very quickly, and we haven’t even begun to talk about the odd beer or two and club sandwich after each round; oh, and after each practice session, but let’s keep that between you and me.
All the big brands like Callaway, Ping, Taylor Made, and Titleist are constantly bringing out new and improved equipment, and for us golfing addicts, it can be hard for us to ignore. But not every golfer is made of money, most of us have families and other responsibilities to take care of.
Selling your old clubs is one of the best and easiest ways to offset the price of your new golfing equipment. There’s a heap of options, too, not just the main ones like eBay and Craiglist.
Let’s get started!
How to Sell Your Old Golf Clubs
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I can remember selling my first second-hand club to a friend of mine when I was in the last year of high school, and since then, I’ve sold numerous sets of clubs over the past 25 years, both in-person and online.
When I first started selling online, the internet was only in its infancy, and the vast majority of people didn’t understand how to navigate it, let alone sell golf clubs. eBay, though, was around back in the day, and trying to think back, I’m sure most of the sales were on their platform; to be honest, they still are today.
During high school, I worked part-time at a golf practice range that my best friend’s father owned. It was a great job that allowed me to hit as many golf balls as I wanted and, more importantly, try and “chat” golfers out of selling their clubs; it turned out to be a great side-hustle in more ways than one.
I used to take photos of the clubs or equipment, post them online with a snazzy description and hope that someone would buy them. I always shipped the clubs in the condition I promised, and even back then, at a young age, I knew the importance of having integrity when it came to sales.
My friend and I sold golf clubs, bags, and tons of used golf balls; when I say tons, I literally mean tons. The driving range also had a nine-hole par 3 course with plenty of water hazards, and after our shifts, we spent our Saturdays and Sundays fishing out the balls from the bottom of the lake; from memory, we sold bags of 20 and 50.
So with my little trip down memory lane out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the best and most straightforward ways to sell your golfing equipment. We’ll start with the original O.G; eBay.
How To Sell Your Golf Clubs On eBay
eBay Inc. is a US multinational e-commerce company based out of San Jose, California. eBay promotes consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its online website and app. eBay was established by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and has since evolved into a remarkable success story that came out of the depths of the dot-com bubble.
- eBay now owns PayPal, too, so selling your clubs online has never been easier. I must give credit where credit is due; eBay has done an outstanding job at continuing to make its platform user-friendly for both seller and buyer.
- Make sure that you choose the “buy now” option because this guarantees that you at least get the minimum price for the golf clubs that you’re selling. Choosing “auction” can be risky and if you don’t want to sell your clubs for a pittance, definitely go with the buy now option.
- eBay does charge you a small fee to list your golfing equipment, and while it’s minimal, you still need to factor it into your business transaction. Commissions also take a bite out of your profits, and again while it’s pretty small, it needs to be factored in.
- Next up is ensuring that you’re familiar with the shipping procedures and the different methods. If you make a mistake or send your package too late, you may be subjected to some negative reviews. This doesn’t seem like much, but negative reviews can harm your reputation and hinder your ability to sell in the future.
- The last factor you need to consider is PayPal. For users in some countries, it’s much more challenging to use to sell goods on eBay than for residents of the US. If you already have a PayPal account, you should be good to go, but if you haven’t, you should check before listing your golf clubs on eBay.
Step-by-step instructions on how to sell on eBay.
- Start by logging on to ebay.com, or if you have an existing account, simply log into that
- At the top of the screen, click the “sell” button or enter some keywords which will help make the selling procedure even easier
- Now you can either “create” a listing or “select a listing” that is similar to the item that you’re looking to sell
- During the next stage, you can upload as many as 12 photos of your golfing item; this stage of the process also allows you to write a nice description and choose your price and shipping method.
- When it comes to pricing, you can choose “auction” or “buy it now.”
- You’re nearly done; simply hit “list,” and hopefully, the messages start rolling in.
- Be sure to always leave positive feedback after the transaction has been completed.
How To Sell Your Golf Clubs On Craigslist
If you ask most people about wanting to sell goods online, then you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t put Craigslist at the top of their list; pun intended. Craigslist is well-known, but I hate to say it, the site does have a pretty dodgy reputation.
- The website itself looks like something that was created before they even knew there was such a thing called “design” but that being said, the functionality of the site is good, and it’s pretty user-friendly.
- The obvious reason that Craigslist is so popular is that it’s free to list your items, meaning you get to keep more of your profits to put towards your new clubs.
- Craigslist also doesn’t take any commissions like other sites such as eBay; this is another reason the site is so popular; no fees are also the reason that it attracts “shady” or “dodgy” customers.
- One final note about Craigslist that any new seller should be aware and conscious of. When meeting potential buyers, make sure you meet in a public space with plenty of people around you during the middle of the day. A shopping center is a perfect example of a safe meeting area.
Step-by-step instructions on how to sell on Craigslist
- Head over to the Craigslist website and find the biggest major city close to you
- From the menu bar on the top left-hand side of the screen, choose “create a posting” and select the location best suited to you
- Now select “sell by owner” and pick the appropriate category; in the case of golf equipment, you need to select “sporting goods.”
- Create your listing, and be sure to include details like the title of your ad, the description, the price, the location, and your email. Note on email: it’s hidden, so don’t worry.
- Finally, upload photos of your old golf clubs and confirm your email address; after that, your listing goes live
- From there, all of your communication is done via email with the prospective customers; it’s very easy, and you don’t need an app
Trade-In Program With Your Favorite Brand
Are you a golfer who will only wear or play with the same brand of clubs and clothing? I am. I’ve been a loyal Callaway customer for years now and can’t remember using any other brand of irons, to be honest. Now that being said, when it comes to putters, I’m a loyal Ping fan.
Many golfers don’t realize that most of their favorite brands now offer a “trade-in program.” As the name suggests, the program allows you to trade-in your old clubs of the same brand, of course, and receive a discount or a “rebate” when purchasing your new clubs.
How to use Trade-in Programs
- Head to the site of your favorite manufacturer and look for their trade-in program
- Now there should be a drop-down box where you need to enter the make, model, and brand of your golfing equipment
- The brand will give you an estimated value based on how good the condition of your clubs are
- Next, you must select the items you want to purchase and add them to your shopping cart. Some manufacturers will provide up to 150% of the total trade value, which is an excellent deal and allows you to offset the value of your new irons, driver, putter, wedges, clothing, and even golf balls
- Now just as you would with any online shopping purchase, confirm your order and print or screensave any emails and receipts
- Once your purchase is confirmed, your favorite brand will provide you with a pre-paid postage label that you use for your old clubs
- Generally speaking, your rebate is confirmed a couple of weeks after the brand has had sufficient time to inspect the condition of your clubs
Although this is an easy strategy to implement, the reality is that you’re probably not going to get as much money for your old clubs as if you take the time to sell them privately on sites like Craigslist and eBay. The upside is that you know you’re dealing with a reputable and world-famous brand.
How To Sell Your Clubs On Facebook
Now for the sake of honesty and transparency, I’m probably not the best person to ask when it comes to social media; however, I did sell my Callaway golf bag on Facebook Marketplace last year; I got a good price for it too.
- Facebook is an excellent place to start just because of the number of groups you can join with interested people. Golfing groups are abundant, and it’s pretty easy to join groups specializing in selling and buying.
- Once you’ve sold your golf product, you meet in person or ship to an agreed-upon address. All of the transactions are done outside of Facebook. As I mentioned earlier about meeting in a safe and secure public place for Craigslist, the same care should be taken when meeting potential buyers on Facebook.
- Once you’ve sold your golf clubs, don’t forget to sign back into your account and remove the listing; this way, you can avoid getting messages long after your clubs have been sold.
How to sell your golf clubs on Facebook marketplace
- Head over to Facebook and log into your account; I want even mention signing up for an account because I’m positive 99% of the population has a Facebook account
- You should see a little logo that looks like a shop at the top of your screen; click on it
- From the left-hand side of the drop-down menu, click on “create new listing”; (desktop version)
- Next, please choose “item for sale,” and you can start adding photos to your listing plus, don’t forget your title, description, price, and appropriate category. The last I checked, you could add up to 10 photos of your item
- Next, smash the “publishing” button, and before you know it, your listing will be live
- Once published, your listing will be automatically posted to Facebook, and not to mention that you can also send the link to anyone you like using Facebook messenger
- Finally, one of the best things about Facebook is that others can also share your post giving it even more reach and a better chance to sell your golf equipment.
Pawn Shops
Pawn shops are probably still one of the best ways to sell your golf clubs, and while they do have a “seedy” reputation, things have changed drastically over the last twenty years or so. You can find many reputable pawn shops if you look hard enough and who knows, you may even run into Rick and Corey from the world-famous Pawn Stars TV show on the History Channel.
All jokes aside, though, many higher-end pawn shops stock a lot of golfing equipment, so if you’re looking for a quick sale, the pawn shops are easily your best bet.
If you choose this method of selling your golf clubs, then call ahead to check if the shop deals in golfing equipment. There’s no use wasting your time driving out to a pawn shop only to find out they don’t sell golf clubs. If I had to choose between Craigslist and a pawn shop, I’m sorry to say I would have to go with the pawn shop as my preferred method of selling; it’s easier and legit.
The 18th Hole
So as you can see, there are many legit ways in which you can actually sell your clubs. In today’s day and age, with countless platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay, selling your golfing equipment has never been easier.
If you are going to meet potential buyers from these platforms, please make sure you take someone with you and meet in a public place like a shopping center. While I’m sure the chance of something “bad” happening is slight, you’re always better off being safe rather than sorry.
If you’re unsure about selling your golf clubs online, give it a go because it is really much easier than what most people think, even those who are not tech-savvy.
Happy golfing!
