Whether you’re upgrading to a new set, simply have an old set lying around, or won’t be playing golf anymore, we all occasionally have some golf clubs to sell. But with so many dodgy schemes and chancers around, how can you sell them safely? We ranked the best places to sell golf clubs:
If you want to sell your old golf clubs, the best places (both near you and online) are:
- Friends and family
- Facebook (Groups or Marketplace)
- Online Marketplaces
- 2nd Swing Golf
- Golf club brokers
- Your local country club or driving range
- Pawn shops
- Sporting goods stores
- Yard sales
- Donate them
1. Friends and Family
This list wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention the obvious choice of selling your golf clubs to a friend or someone in your family.
You may even hear a colleague saying that they are considering taking up golf, which might also be a good choice. It takes most of the effort out of selling your golf clubs, so there are definite benefits and potential pitfalls.
Benefits of Selling Golf Clubs to Friends and Family
You can let your friends and family know you have golf club sets for sale. Maybe they’re not interested, but they might know someone who is. There are numerous advantages to this approach:
- You don’t have to advertise too much. If you know someone who plays golf or wants to, simply tell them. Or send a text to everyone you know to let them know you have golf clubs for sale. It’s quick and easy.
- You know where to find them. You can get your golf clubs back if they don’t pay.
- You have a better idea of who will appreciate and take care of the clubs. With strangers, you never know if the clubs will be in good hands. No, they’re not pets, but we golfers can get very attached to our clubs and would prefer to sell them to someone who will appreciate them.
- The trust relationship is already there. You don’t have to take a chance to meet someone you don’t know to conclude a business transaction.
Disadvantages of Selling Clubs to Someone You Know
As much as it pains us to admit it, there are some disadvantages to this approach, too:
- People may want to take advantage. All families and friend circles have a few members that will try to get a family discount, repayment terms, or even get them for free. This could place you in an awkward situation.
- It might lead to contention within the circle. For example, if two people want your golf clubs, and you choose one over the other, the resulting awkwardness and possible resentment could be a hassle. Only you will know if your family and friends will react like this.
2. Facebook
If you take extra care, Facebook is an easy way to sell anything you own. There are two ways to sell golf clubs on Facebook, and they both have pros and cons.
Facebook Marketplace
The obvious choice for selling anything on Facebook is Facebook Marketplace. It’s quick and easy – just upload some photos, share a few details, and wait for inquiries. You can make good money on Facebook Marketplace if you know what you’re doing.
Unfortunately, there are also risks involved.
Facebook Marketplace is full of fly-by-night scammers and chancers, but then again, which online marketplace isn’t? To protect yourself, here are some pointers:
- Always ask for cash only, and don’t accept electronic payments from anyone. It’s effortless to fake electronic payments or to reverse them after you’ve made them, and you end up without money in your bank account.
- Look at the prospective buyer’s rating on Marketplace. See how long they’ve been active on Facebook and how other sellers have rated them. This should give you an idea of their reliability.
- See if you and the buyer have any friends in common, and if you have, reach out to them and find out how they know the buyer and if they are reliable.
Facebook Groups
There are plenty of Facebook groups for golf fanatics, and they can be an excellent place to advertise the clubs you have for sale. If you just search Facebook for the word “golf,” you will find many such groups that operate in and around your area. Just read the terms of the page carefully since not all of them allow people to advertise personal items for sale.
When you get an offer, follow the same guidelines as when you sell items on Facebook Marketplace since there may also be dishonest opportunists on the groups.
3. Online Marketplaces
Online marketplaces like Craigslist and eBay are great places to sell golf clubs. These are often the first places people will look for used items, so if you can place a detailed and eye-catching ad, you should get potential buyers in no time.
The exact process will depend on which marketplace you choose. Since eBay and Craigslist are the most well-known, they are often the best places to start.
Want proof? Simply type “sell golf clubs near me” into your browser.
Unfortunately, Craigslist has a reputation for being a bit dodgy. It’s not the best-looking website, almost like some remnant of the 90s, and many scammers and shady characters use Craigslist to do their “work,” but that’s because it’s effective.
You may think you should steer away from eBay since it’s an auction website rather than a classifieds board, but you can create an eBay listing and set your starting bid to “Buy It Now” to charge a fixed price. Furthermore, eBay owns PayPal, so getting your money is effortless.
Another potential downside with eBay is that you have to pay to get your listing up, after which the company also takes a percentage of the profits. These problems don’t exist on Craigslist, where you only pay if you want the website to promote your listing.
Some Tips For Selling Through Online Marketplaces
Depending on which marketplace you choose, these tips may differ slightly, but some things apply to all:
- As with Facebook Marketplace, be careful. Scammers are everywhere these days.
- Try to select the most prominent city near you. Craigslist requires this, and some others may do the same. Choosing a large city ensures that more people will see your placement, increasing the chances of interested parties seeing it.
- Try not to meet with the buyer if possible. Especially after the pandemic, most people are open to remote transactions. Getting payment into your PayPal or bank account and sending the golf clubs via courier is perfectly acceptable. Just ensure that the money has cleared on your side before sending the clubs.
- If it’s impossible to conclude the transaction remotely, meet in a public area, preferably during daylight hours.
- Cash is king if it’s an in-person sale since it minimizes the possibility that people will try to scam you.
- Decide if you’re open to the possibility of selling your clubs separately. You might get offers from people who only want one or two of the clubs since they already own others. It’s up to you, but many people find they can sell their clubs more quickly and possibly get more money by selling them separately.
4. 2nd Swing Golf
2nd Swing Golf has an excellent trade-in program that makes it incredibly easy to sell golf clubs. The company strives to give golfers the best possible value for their used clubs, even offering higher than market value. All major brands are welcome, as well as high-end and rare clubs.
Of course, 2nd Swing Golf does this in the hope that you will want to buy new clubs from them, but it’s not a requirement. You can get paid in 2nd Swing Golf credits, their preferred option, or via PayPal or check, so you don’t have to buy from 2nd Swing if you don’t want to.
To sell your golf clubs to 2nd Swing, go to the website and look up the trade value of your clubs. Once this is done, you will receive a reference number which you can use to ship your clubs to 2nd Swing. This will be followed by an inspection of the clubs to determine their condition and actual value, after which 2nd Swing will make you an offer.
If you accept 2nd Swing’s offer, they will immediately make payment in the way that you choose.
There are many advantages to this option:
- You don’t have to go looking for a buyer. You deal with one golf club trader from start to finish.
- There are none of the problems commonly associated with online marketplaces like scammers and chancers.
- You never meet the buyer in person, eliminating potential risks and ensuring your safety throughout the transaction.
But there are also some disadvantages to 2nd Swing to be aware of:
- As much as 2nd Swing insists they offer you more than market value, they also have to make a profit, which means you might get more by selling your golf clubs directly to a private buyer.
- It’s risky to send your clubs through a courier company. Ideally, get insurance on the shipment.
- There have been complaints that 2nd Swing’s service isn’t always up to scratch, so there might be delays on their side.
- Some users also claim that they did not receive payment for all the clubs they sent, while 2nd Swing says they did not receive all the clubs. The critical point is to be clear about everything you’re sending through and confirm that they received all of it.
5. Golf Club Brokers
Another excellent dedicated online option is Golf Club Brokers. Though they seem similar in approach to 2nd Swing, they operate quite differently.
Golf Club Brokers is a company with an online store and a retail store in Marble Hill, Georgia. Apart from these two platforms, they have also been selling on eBay since 2006, where they are a top-rated seller with a 99.9% feedback rating. With this amount of retail background, you know the company is reliable and experienced.
The process of selling your golf clubs involves these steps:
- Go to the Golf Club Brokers website and complete an online form stating the type of club, the make, and the model.
- Receive an instant online quote from Golf Club Brokers.
- If you accept the quote, you can ship your clubs to them. If the quote was over $100, shipping is free.
- Golf Club Brokers will examine your clubs and confirm that they are what you specified in the quote application.
- You will receive full payment within one business day.
Golf Club Brokers has a few great benefits:
- The amount on the quote is guaranteed, so you will get what they promised.
- It’s quick. They send your payment within one business day of receiving your clubs.
- They can pay through PayPal or a business check, and for an extra fee, they can send the check through Next Day Air.
- The company has an excellent reputation in the marketplace.
- They do price matching, within reason. If you get a higher offer somewhere else, they will try to match it.
- It’s probably the fastest and easiest way to sell golf clubs unless you already know someone who wants to buy them.
- They won’t try to convince you to take in-store credit rather than a cash payment.
There aren’t many negative things to say about Golf Club Brokers, except:
- They are a retail company that must turn a profit. Because of this, you might get offered more if you sell the clubs directly.
- It can be a pain if you have many clubs to sell since the online form only provides for one club at a time. But you can contact Golf Club Brokers directly to request a quote for more than one club.
6. Your Local Country Club Or Driving Range
Word spreads quickly on the golf course and even faster in the clubhouse. Tell people you have golf clubs for sale or ask if they know anyone interested in buying a pre-loved set of clubs. It may not necessarily give you immediate results, but the word will spread, and you might soon get an offer.
Another option is a bulletin board. Check if your local country club or driving range (or both) has bulletin boards, either at the clubhouse or online, then post an advertisem*nt there. That way, you can reach even more people and, best of all, they are in your area.
The advantages of selling your golf clubs this way are:
- It’s easy. Likely, you’re already going to the country club or driving range often, so you don’t have to go out of your way to sell the clubs.
- You are selling them to local golfers. It’s easy to arrange a meeting and complete the sale, perhaps even at the clubhouse.
- Many people there already know you and have seen you playing with those clubs, which adds credibility to your sale.
- The buyer will be more likely to be reputable. If it’s not someone who regularly plays golf there, it will probably be someone they know and refer.
- You are likely to get more money than through any of the online options, though this is not guaranteed.
The only real disadvantage is that it might not be a quick sale. Depending on how quickly word spreads or how many people look at the bulletin boards, it could take some time to find a buyer.
Of course, remember that this method doesn’t have to involve a country club or driving range. The same principle applies to any club or organization you’re a member of, so don’t ignore any options. You never know who might be interested in playing golf.
7. Pawn Shops
How can we talk about selling second-hand goods without mentioning the trusty old pawn shop? It’s the logical go-to for most people who have something to sell. Pawn shops don’t always have the best reputation, thanks partly to Hollywood. But many people go there to look for good second-hand items, including golf clubs.
A pawn shop could be a quick sale, as you can walk in with your golf clubs and walk out again a few minutes later with cash in your pocket. But there are a few essential things to keep in mind.
- Not all pawn shops buy golf clubs. Pawn shop operators purchase the items that are in demand in that particular area. So it’s a good idea to identify a few different pawn shops around you and call them first to check if they will be interested.
- Pawn shops are in the bargain-hunting business, so you are likely to get a lot less money for your golf clubs than you would through other means. Search online to find second-hand prices for the type of clubs you have. You can safely assume that a pawn shop will offer you half of that or less.
- Find an “upmarket” pawn shop. These are the ones in middle-class neighborhoods where people are most likely to take up golf and look for pre-loved golf clubs.
8. Sporting Goods Stores
Sporting goods stores aren’t the best option on this list, but they can be a good fit for someone who wants to upgrade their clubs. Many sports retailers have excellent trade-in programs where you can get in-store credit for your old clubs to buy new ones. Just some of the most well-known ones include:
- Global Golf
- TaylorMade Golf
- The official PGA Tour Superstore
- Golf USA
- Dick’s Sporting Goods
It’s worth checking with your local sporting goods stores to see if they can trade in your old golf clubs for credit.
It’s worth mentioning that this might be one of the lowest-value options on this list. These stores don’t usually offer much credit, though some offer more than others. But it’s hard to find a more convenient option than walking into a sports store with old clubs and out again with new ones.
If you are selling because you want to upgrade your clubs or if you already have an in-store credit or a gift card for the store, it might be an option that’s worth looking into.
9. Yard Sales
Because of all the online marketplaces and apps that allow people to sell items, yard sales aren’t what they used to be. Many communities have stopped them entirely, which is a pity. But a yard sale can be an excellent opportunity to sell your old golf clubs.
If you have a lot of old stuff you want to get rid of along with your golf clubs, why not have a yard sale, if possible, within your community? Or if you know someone organizing a yard sale, why not ask them if you can try to sell your golf clubs there and perhaps give them a commission if it’s sold?
Of course, yard sales are notorious for low prices, so you must understand that you will probably get a fraction of the money the clubs are worth. With that in mind, a yard sale is only viable if you want to clear out space and you’re not too concerned about the money.
10. Bonus Option: Donate Your Golf Clubs
If you’re not selling your golf clubs because you want or need money, there is another viable option:
Donation.
There are charitable organizations that either support people through golf or that can sell donated golf clubs for cash to help others. Some notable examples include:
- First Tee: An organization that helps kids learn life lessons through golf.
- Tee It Up for the Troops: An organization that sells donated golf clubs to support veterans.
- The TGR Foundation: Helping underprivileged kids through golf.
You can always contact any of your local charities to find out if they will accept your golf clubs as donations. Many of them have thrift stores where they sell these goods to make money to support their cause.
Conclusion: How & Where to Sell Golf Clubs Near You and Online
It’s easy to find a place to sell golf clubs, though the selling part is not always easy. The simplest ways are dedicated platforms like 2nd Swing and Golf Club Brokers, but selling them to a direct buyer is the best way to get more money.
Don’t underestimate any of these options, though, and you may be surprised by what people will offer for your golf clubs.
