Fake or Real Issue by "jwgolfstop"

Reference: http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/572625-fake-or-real-issue/

Poor guy from TN selling golf components on eBay got 'rude stomped' on eBay. What's new?
I find JW really cute. If given the opportunity I'd like to be his virtual friend. Why?
Number 1: Because finally someone has the balls to rant about these nonsense messages that almost all ebay sellers get in their inbox
Number 2: He indirectly brought publicity to me

Dear JW,
Almost all, even the most reputable sellers (tour or non tour) get rude ebay messages from time to time. More so if you are selling no serial components. There are 2 options. To stop selling, or to suck it up. I would think that you would choose the later, because hell, you are not doing any illicit business here. There will always be 'over zealous golfers' patrolling the virtual world. Some are genuine buyers who are being extra careful, while some are just on purpose trying to irritate you.
I believe you would already have known, based on your seniority on eBay as compared to mine, that this is part and parcel of online selling. What we can do is rant, then pull up our socks and move on. I once heard someone saying "to sell components on eBay you gotta have huge balls to survive the torment". I agree. Literally.
Even if you are selling genuine products, (I know you do having looked through your stuff)....the questions will keep coming.

Back when I was actively selling on ebay, just the sleeves with small value of less than $50, I get more than 5 messages a day, bulk of it questioning authenticity. It gets frustrating and tiring but as a seller it is my responsibility to answer them politely in a timely fashion. It's what I signed up for when I decided to list my items on eBay. Being based in Singapore did not make anything any easier as it is generally perceived that 'what comes from asia is all fake'.
I've built a reputation for myself over that year. People who know me know me; trust me, and I thank you. For people who doubt, that's fine too.
I don't know where did you read that I sold counterfeit stuff. I havent sold clubs on eBay for a long long time. Only once when I first started on ebay in 2008, I sold a consigned Taylormade Clubhead that I received, turned out it was fake. I was green back then and had no idea. Still did the right thing by refunding and accepting the shot.
I'm not making excuses for myself here. It was disgraceful to have sold a fake club without knowing. Truth is, no one cares if you know of not. As a seller, the shit falls on you. But i do believe that if the seller has the integrity to make it right with the buyer, he or she deserves a little credit for that.
I'm not speaking for myself, but to the hundreds of sellers out there who might have been blind-sided from time to time. Think back at the Supertri Ti Wood saga (http://iheartburners.blogspot.com/2010/10/taylormade-r9-supertri-ti-fairway-wood.html)
Even top sellers fell for it. Did I clap my hands and LOL at the fact that my competitors got 'burnt' and I was the 'heroin'? No!  I took pity to the sellers and buyers who fell for it because fraud like this is as real as it gets. So if you unfortunately bought a fake club, sort it out and assess it on a case by case basis with your seller. If he seems remorseful and makes things right, cut him some slack. Shit happens, really! I've even seen fake clubs on the racks of golfsmith's 'pre-owned' section.

All these stupid messages sellers get on eBay are common. I just hope sometimes qhen people ask questions, they can be more polite. Looking at the message JW received, it was like a threatening message. No one owes you a living dude. It is not wonder you rant about it JW....and I don't blame you. Please go on ranting! LOL You should totally out him in fact. There are petitions to protect buyers....how about protecting sellers for once?


This is one good reason why I totally laid off eBay. It started last Aug when I took a trip back to California, so I stopped my eBay listings, I told many customers I'll relist when I'm back. I never did even until today. I have never ever enjoyed so much peace and quiet while on eBay. Its like a battlefield. Theres always people waiting to attack you with your listings. Such a breadth of fresh air now.

While I still sell, I'm happy just supplying to a few regulars. My mind gets to breathe more....I guess I will live longer as a result. :)

All the best JW, keep holding on!....and thanks for mentioning me! (although it didn't sound very positive I'd still take it). As you can see I have abandoned my blog for some time. You gave me a reason to write again...and in the process made me realize how much I missed writing here.

As long as you know what you are selling is legit, and your customers trust you, nothing else matters!

R11 FCT Sleeve Adapter: Fakes

After the original R9 FCT sleeve (1st generation), it's been pretty difficult to tell (genuine or fakes), as these people who makes them sleeves puts in extra effort to perfect them. Fake FCT sleeves that are reproduced by counterfeiters are no longer straight bore; they are now able to adjust. So its not as easy to tell them apart anymore.
You may get a sleeve that is not straight bore and you go "oh I bought the real deal". THINK TWICE

Just a couple of weeks back my friend Nick was asking me: "Why are there china sellers on eBay selling the R11 FCT sleeves at rock bottom price? They can't be real can they?"
I replied "I am not 100% sure if its the real deal, but hey, this guy is selling over 130pcs in less than a month....compared to my pathetic 1 a day. However, I can't compete with the china sellers' prices. It would be below cost for me"
Nick was puzzled and decided to do some digging on his own. Obviously, his sales are equally as affected as mine.

My friend Nick decided to buy a sleeve from a china seller; to have a look.
When he received it, he told me there were differences. He then shipped the 'china guy' sleeve to me.
Kudos to Nick for the effort.

The first thing I looked out for were the basics:
Number printed above (production number)   CHECK
Slanted and not a straight bore sleeve             CHECK
Ok, so at first look, its decent. A casual person would be happy with this purchase.

I looked deeper into it. The differences I see are very fine. You'd need a seasoned eye to look out for it. Which proves the improvement of counterfeit technology and equipment. LOL

To look out for these: (click on pictures to enlarge)

1) The fonts were different

 Fonts are slightly different, the line is slightly thicker on the china guy sleeve

2) The color on the china guy sleeve is chili red; the real sleeve is like a glossy red
3) The china guy sleeve is slightly longer
4) The base depth line on the china guy sleeve is longer

As above, you can see that the real sleeve has more 'slant' compared to that of the china guy's

The slant determines the adjustments of the club

5) The lines on the teeth are more significant on the real sleeve and seems more 'natural and consistent

6) The top part of the FCT sleeve where it forms a curves:

The real one is deeper; china guy's sleeve is quite shallow and not as deep 

The real FCT sleeve forms a curve nicely downwards; china guy's is flat straight

 You can see that on the top part of the Real FCT sleeve where it curves, it curves downwards too; the china guy's sleeve curved surface is flat

7) I measured the depth of the sleeve (How deep your shaft goes into the sleeve)

Real sleeve: 6.957 inch

China Guy: 7.031 inch

Hope this is helpful as the old guides to spotting fake FCT sleeves from the 1st generation R9 series are no longer helpful with spotting them for the R11. The fakes are so nicely done now.

So china folks selling them at rock bottom price? Think again...and again. Unless you don't mind that 2 degrees become 1 degree. LOL!

Shoutout to Nick; thanks for your initiative on this

*After consulting a few friends, they told me that the china guy's sleeves are counterfeits.
Part of the mould of the sleeves were stolen and they tried to do their own copies. That is why although their sleeves has slant, it is minimal and not 100% accurate

Fake R11 Fairway Woods, Fake Rescue 11 ... sold as genuine

There are R11 FW Woods and Rescue 11 clubs being sold as genuine when in fact, they are actually fakes. AAA fakes for sure! Looks so identical you can't tell the difference, you can only tell the difference after you put the club into play! LOL!

As usual; click on pics to enlarge

1.  Paint. I must say a lot of improvements these days. Compared to the last time, where at first look, you'd think that the clubheads are painted by 5 year olds. However, they will always leave a 'trace' : Smudgy paint that nobody bothers to 'fix'. Also, this shade of silver is too shiny.....it's not some kinda lip gloss they use is it? LOL!!!!!!
2. Both the Rescue 11 and R11 clubheads goes through a process...its called 'electrolysis' or something......I can't remember what I was told....it was 'electro' something.....this process locks in the exterior look of the club. Its like applying powder after foundation to your face to 'set' it.....ok that example might be too girly! Yeah, so that process is something the copycats cannot duplicate; you'd see that it's not smooth all over.

1. Same smudgy and paint color thingy
2. It just looks weird right? The loft part.....like some kinda expired watermark sticker was used! LOL!
3. The same electro something process.....its not a flawless finishing without it

Weird copy R11 ferrule

Check this out......why is it that when people try to copy something, even as small a matter as a ferrule, they can't get it right?
LOL!

Fake Titleist 910?

I was just snooping around wrx forum....I know I know, despite all the 'whoo haa', I still visit that site.

Well I'm not a loser just being nosy LOL! Besides, it's one of the best forums to talk bout golf,..well I don't talk there now. Just read.

Anyway I heart wrx!

This guy says he thinks he bought a fake 910F wood. OMG!

So fast and there are fake 910F woods? This is scary but I do agree it looks super fake....How do you tell it is fake? Or rather, how do I tell?

look around the screws (weight) screw it looks so poorly done up. Also notice the little screw to hold the sleeve? It's got 2 lines...fake Titleist screws out there has 2 lines, the real Titleist screws have only 1 line.

Go check it out if you don't believe.....my hubby is a great Titleist fan since 10 years ago! LOL....he has two 910 drivers (yes I nagged at him...why do men need sooo many drivers?)...so I stare at his driver everyday while I clean the house! hahahahah

This FW wood looks 'off' at first glance. Gross!

Serial number is also wrong....its like laser printed or what? Font is wrong too....just gross

Titleist will be very interested to read into this. The buyer of this head should contact Lisa Rogan - brand manager of Acushnet.

Or if he bought the head online, he should tip off the website to the guys at Markmonitor.com they handle the online branding management for Acushnet....

Fakes are getting faster these days. Very scary.

You know, I bought a pair of Oakley frogskin last week on eBay, thought I could save $150 rather than buying it in a retail shop. When I received it, I realized it was fake! OMG!

Gross!

*clubhead picture courtesy of golfwrx.com

Fake R11; Visible signs

In no mood for small talk, so bang straight to the point:

It should not be pointed like this; it should be rounded

Not in line, LOL!!!

Inside the paint fill, there are many uneven dimples, ugly lines. Just not smooth like silk.

An important post to promote PEACE

Oh man, I had planned a perfect Sunday; wake up late, order some pasta and just laze around, but when I woke up and checked my emails, I got a surprise! An email from Max Kellner - Supermax_golf on ebay!

So I think the whole Supertri Ti Wood saga got to his nerves and he came to me...more like confronted me.
I will attach our conversation here, so you guys can see for yourself. I'd like to do that so you people can see what's the truth and the whole truth. Else, people may accuse me of giving only an account that sides myself. (click on image to enlarge)

My previous report on the fake supertri ti wood: Click to go to link

I might have raised some eyebrows. I might have pissed him off. I don't know. All I was trying to do was to state facts, according to my knowledge. I have contemplated hiding it at first, just keeping it to myself. I did not know if I should publicly voice out that the wood is fake, it's like opening a can of worms. If I voice out, there are consequences...people selling it will get pissed and find all ways to get at you, poke you.
I made an instant decision that I do not want to be a hypocrite. I said I want to share my knowledge with the community and that is a commitment I have made. Hence, I did it. I wrote about the fake wood and provoked a few: especially people selling it.
I mentioned names in the post. Maybe I should not have. Anyway I have deleted his name on that post...time to cut him some slack. It takes a lot for someone to come and send me a message, A LOT! So, go figure.

I just want to clarify that MAX did not cheat me at all! This did not happen. There might be some misunderstanding resuting in some of you thinking that way.
I had never dealt with Max monetarily.
Personally, I do not have a grudge against Max. If I see him on the streets, I would still smile and say "Goodaye Max". I DO NOT HATE HIM.
Having said that, it's not like I am very fond of him either...I mean other than the fact that I find him  quite a good looking chap, theres nothing more to it. I don't love him, I don't hate him. NEUTRAL ok?

However, I still do not regret having wrote the article about the fake supertri ti wood. If I know something, I will say it as it is. That's what people like about me and I'm not going to change that.

I'm not going to play dumb when I know something just so I can protect a few asses.
There are already very few people willing to come out on such issues (because of the repercussions). If I be one of them, where are the hundreds, or even thousands of unknowing buyers going to get an unadulterated opinion?

So moral of the story: MAX did not cheat me! Cut him some slack.


My take on Supertri Ti Wood still stands.
Also, when i know something, I'll still say it.
Only thing maybe I shouldn't mention names. Bad Idea.

Insider scoop: Fake Taylormade Supermax

- The fake paint is a giveaway. Especially the Red tone. Remember Taylormade has a special trademark Red tone!

- Followed by the ugly text/fonts especially "Supermax"...its crooked. ROFL

A dose of Insider Scoop as soon as I have it:

There are fake Supermax FW Woods being circulated now! At this very moment!

The main dish is, its counterfeited by the same scumbag who counterfeited the Supertri Ti FW Wood. - oh let me correct myself, he did not counterfeit the supertri FW wood...LOL! He self-designed it! AHAHAHA

Seems like this guy has a fetish for woods....and likes to counterfeit and claim Japanese market so that people will be less suspecting. Well, if you are in USA, UK, you don't have one of these in your local pro shops, so you can't compare side by side.....harder for you to detect it! Man....

My 100% source is that this is fake. I mean there are fakes starting to circulate and I have a picture example of the fakes....of course there are the real ones and tourspecgolf has them! Peace of mind when you shop with them :)

HEADS UP! Hard Earned Money!!!!!

I wish Taylormade actually gives a shit. The supertri ti FW wood has been on ebay since how long? No one gives a shit and there are people getting cheated day by day.

May 2011 bring lots of laughter to your families and most importantly, a perfect bill of health!

Watch out for R11 heads with lousy paint jobs

Keeping it short and sweet here as I need to go wrap Xmas presents (LOL!)

Watch out for a batch of R11 heads now that are not 100% genuine stuff
Insider scoop is that there are a bunch of stolen heads = 'blanks' (heads that are raw metal...no paint, no inserts no nothing)

Smart alecs will then work on the blanks THEMSELVES!!!!! OMG!!!!! Like add on to it....so its 50% genuine probably. The giveaway: the paint job
Always also remember that Taylormade has a trademark red, white and yellow paint color tone. A sharp eye will catch it.

Merry Xmas!

Re: supertri ti fw wood

It's no surprise that many people have been surprised at this hoax.
Look: I am not trying to discredit Max. I do not know him, it's like, we have not even met, so I am in no position to judge.
So, whether he knows, and is deliberately selling it, OR NOT, I have really no idea. He seems like a handsome nice guy that's all!

Here's the thing, I state what I know, with integrity. There can be uproar, there can be unhappiness, there can be finger pointing.
However, at the end of the day, you know what's the great news? THE TRUTH WILL COME TO LIGHT

So some choose to think that it's fake, some choose to believe that it's real....you'll know sooner or later.
By the time you know, if it's too late, just take it as a lesson learnt. We all need that from time to time.

*Max, I am not trying to badmouth you. I am only interested in addressing the supertri ti wood issue, and you happen to be the one selling it on ebay. Whether you know it or not, it's not my business. That's really up to you. You have not done me wrong so all this, is not a personal attack towards you. Also, there is no need for you to report this blog to ebay, is there? I can't believe you did that. I mean, what's your point? Duh!

Taylormade R9 Supertri Ti Fairway wood

So, there has been hot news about this Taylormade Supertri TI Fairway wood. I had good friends asking me if I can get my hands on them. Thats how I came to know about this club! I was surprised, because my contacts never have a clue about this. One of my contacts even told me its a fake.....I did not want to believe it at first....I was 50-50. Part of me was thinking, maybe he can't get it, so he is doing the whole sour grapes thing by saying its fake.

Today, a close source (reputable, trustworthy) confirmed to me that it is a hoax. No such model be it Japan, Europe or US market. No such model now, no upcoming model like this.

So what? So...some sick guy (from china) basically 'produced' this. LOL! He think's he works for the R&D department for Taylormade or something? I mean come on, this is outrageous. To pirate a real club or clone is something, but to produce something that is not even a real model and to sell it like its some kind of ' tour issue pre-released' club? I think thats sick....there should be a special room in hell for a deed like this. Oh and I know how much he sells it for... the price he sells this stupid shit for, is even higher than the price of a genuine fairway wood that I sell....sick!

I know there has been a lot of interest in this on ebay and on popular forums like golf wrx. Most of my friends are frequent visitors on ebay and the forum. I just sincerely hope none of you are affected. If you are affected, I hope you get your money back.

I saw some sellers on ebay selling this and most of those sellers are reputable sellers. I am sad that they got cheated.

I am not trying to be gloat, but to those old fashioned people who always believed in this: "Never buy from overseas, only trust US based sellers or golf professionals" or "Coming from Singapore it must be fake".....2 words for you - TAKE THAT!

Fakes are made to look more real, and now what is worse is that there are self-proclaimed R&D designers out there. The world is getting darker and darker my friends. I know who is behind this. I mean, I know the guy who designed this, I know his name (not his real name, he keeps his identity well protected), I know who he distributes to...and in turn these people sell to other countries like US, Europe etc....its basically like a supply chain. This guy knows about the golf industry. That is why he knows he should call it a Supertri Ti...Ti are mainly popular for Japanese models and he will say its 'japanese market pre-release' in response to questions like ' how come I never seen this model before'. How'd I know? Lets just summarize it to make things quick: In January 2010, I lost $5000USD to a scam similar to this. Painful at first, so damn painful....but soon I realize I had to come to accept the fact that I am never going to be able to get that money back. My fight for justice included police reports, hiring of lawyers and private investigators. I spent more than what I lost even though I knew I am never going to be able to recover my money. I did what I did because I simply could not take it lying down. Who likes to be cheated? Well cut the long story short....police were useless....lawyers were gold diggers, private investigators gave me the best leads. I traced it all the way to the mastermind. I had all reports and evidences....I told myself I will expose them on the web. I am going to put that name to shame, months passed and maybe my anger mellowed. That thought slowly evaporated from my mind....sometimes I still think of it, I think of revenge....but I tell myself revenge is bitter, forget it "Those who plot the destruction of others often perish in the attempt" -Thomas Moore. A part of me wanted to calm down, make peace as I ' did not want to find trouble'. Hey, look where it leads to. Did that guy 'repent'? No...he continues doing shit....he DESIGNED the supertri FW wood. My ex-boss used to tell me that I have a weakness, and that is I do not have the ability to make firm, strict decisions. He says I get angry for a while and then forgets about being angry. "You can't be everyone's friend, sometimes you need to pull the plug" he says.

I know one day I will let out the whole story I went through....about being cheated, about what I found out. When I am ready, when I have healed completely and when I can find time. I did, however, write to the brand managers with my findings and they assured me that they are working on it. The only reason why it takes so long, they tell me, is because when it involves 2 countries, it is always harder to deal with the law, but they assured me they are aware of their battle plan. Look, it was never my intention to announce that I was cheated before okay. That's a chapter I'd like to forget, but I need to share my story so that people will not fall into the same trap. This guy might have profited $5000 from me, but I don't want him to profit more from others. It must stop.

Oh in case you feel sad for me, don't be. One month later I won the lottery. I mean I am not a millionaire, but I won $4700 (Singapore dollars)....its not like I won back the USD5000 I lost, but at least I got back something. God is really good.

I guess the bottom line is as simple as finding someone you trust, and stick with this person. (I am not trying to make you say that the person should be me) AHAHAHAHAHAH!!

Seriously, its like finding a wife, husband, finding the one and stick with it. Try not to stray...

So, the purpose of my post is to warn you guys, to beware. That being said, if you bought it from anyone in the US, try not to blame that person, ok? The US guy probably also got cheated by the freaky mastermind. Let's go after the real culprit and bring him down.

It gets trickier, as we are not just dealing with fakes now, which you can compare side by side with the real one. We are dealing with self-proclaimed pre-released tour models. Its hard to distinguish, right? Its supposedly pre-released so you do not have a real one to compare it with....I guess the main point I can get out of seeing this happen is, one can never let their guard down.

Anyone have the supertri FW wood? I want to know if a magnet can stick onto the head? Oh and the paint looks funky too right? Taylormade uses a specific tone of yellow, red and white paint by the way. Erm, I also wonder if the weights are for real. Is 8G really 8 grams or what? Even that little dot on the 'T" on the club head is the stroke of a genius serial cheater. How does he sleep, seriously? Is life even worth it if you live a life like this?

I am not trying to act like a saint, but what I have is faith. I think faith is everything. With faith comes positivity, integrity, faithfulness, trust, maturity and what not. Faith keeps a person from cheating, from greed. That is why i think religion is important. Just my opinion.

Peace.....going to get some supper. Dinner was horrific and I'm hungry now. LOL!

*By the way a similar case like this happened before. The CGB Max era. Some guy designed his own CGB max hybrid. History repeats itself. (pic attached)

Take care people!

*Added 28 Dec 2010:
Another tell-tale sign:
This seller on eBay has loads of these heads! I don't wanna mention names but you know if you do your due diligence.
If its authentic how can he get so many?
There is NO WAY! Insider scoop, be it tour vans, staffs, factories or what-not, the major brands are now controlling very tightly regarding the leaking of Pre-released equipment. There is no way this dude can get his hands on so many heads - if they are real.

Well on the other hand, if they are counterfeits...he will have a whole container of heads! HAHA

I know, some people see these mentioned on tourspecgolf and assumed its legit. I wonder has anyone working inside tourspecgolf confirmed it?
All it was, was this simple - someone posted on the forum of tourspec golf. That's all I see. Did any tourspecgolf employees confirm or endorse it? I don't think so. I dont see them selling it either.

I have confirmed with my friends inside Taylormade...also confirmed with good friends who has inside contacts to Taylormade R&D in USA and UK....this 'model' is unheard of.

The mystery continues I guess

*Jan 2 2011: Edited- Removed eBay seller's (selling this wood) name because he emailed me and I thought I should cut him some slack.