Buying new clubs is not always the right decision especially if you are a millennial golfer on a budget or someone who is new to the game.
Recently, I was cleaning out my garage and decided to sell some of my old golf clubs online and was amazed to see the number of places where you can buy and sell used clubs. I thought the list below could be helpful to anyone who is looking to buy or sell golf clubs in the future.
1. 2nd Swing – This is one of the clear-cut favorites for buying and selling used golf clubs. 2nd Swing has almost 150,000 used clubs in its inventory, ranging from drivers with just a couple of hits to decades old iron sets . . . and more. Their trade-in program is excellent and you can put the value of your old clubs toward a new set, too.
2. Craigslist – I would not recommend Craigslist if you are searching for specific clubs given the limited selection, however, there are people selling (typically older) sets of golf clubs inexpensively on here. It may be worth checking out before other sites on the chance you get lucky and find someone who is moving and looking to sell a decent set. For example, I came across someone selling Ping irons for $100!
3. CallawayGolfPreowned.com - Did you know that you can buy refurbished clubs direct from Callaway Golf? The Callaway Preowned store even sells clubs from other major brands.
3. GlobalGolf.com – A solid resource for clubs. Their inventory is pretty good, claiming to have 125,000 golf clubs for sale. They also have a flat rate on shipping, which is very nice. However, the look and feel of the website is a little "clunky" and seems as though they get a lot of older models direct from the manufacturer-- not necessarily used clubs for the best price.
4. Local public golf courses – Many public golf courses have old sets laying around that they are looking to sell. If a golf course has a driving range or does club repairs, the chances of the course having some old sets for sale is much higher. Doing a quick Google search on 'public golf courses near me' should provide you with a few good courses to choose from. To save time, I would recommend calling the course and ask the local PGA Professional if they sell used golf clubs or are willing to buy clubs before going to the course.
5. eBay – This may be a pretty obvious one given eBay is the largest marketplace to buy and sell... well, pretty much anything. The downside of eBay are the fees associated with buying and selling clubs; plus, there are often high shipping costs. eBay is clearly not a golf company, but with over 400,000 used golf clubs for sale there ought to be something that will fit your needs.
6. Dick's Sporting Goods, PGA Tour Superstore or any local golf retailer – There aren't many golf retailers left, but for those still in business you can find used golf clubs for sale. Many of the used golf clubs at retail stores are “demo clubs” which have been used by consumers in the store as test clubs. There is nothing wrong with buying a demo club or set. Sometimes retailers will give you trade-in money for your old clubs in hopes that you will buy a new set of clubs. Don’t fall for the tricks of the retailers telling you that you will need to buy new!
7. PlayItAgain Sports - I thought this company was out of business? Although there may not be as many PlayitAgain franchises out there locally in the market now, this company still exists and has a pretty good online site to find used golf clubs.
8. Facebook Marketplace – I’m fairly new to the Facebook Marketplace, but I gotta say I’ve sold two non-golf items on there and the number of hits you get from people looking to buy and sell is crazy! I do not think you will find much inventory on Facebook Marketplace, but perhaps you can find a wife looking to sell her husband’s golf clubs for cheap.
10. Sideline Swap - This company is a relatively new player in the used golf club market and I think of them as an ebay specifically for sporting equipment. I have not used the service or website, but it seems like an interesting concept which has a really nice looking customer experience on their website.
