Buyer Beware (Golfworld)

By E. Michael Johnson

Counterfeit equipment is more available and increasingly harder to detect. What you need to know to avoid getting burned by this $240 million international scam

Jay Weibel was browsing eBay, searching for an Odyssey Marxman putter. Finding one for $118 -- an attractive price, but not so cheap it aroused suspicion -- the 4-handicapper from East Brady, Pa., made a bid and eventually won the auction. When the putter arrived, Weibel noticed that while it looked identical to other Marxman putters he had tried, the insert felt decidedly firmer. After two days comparing the putter with photos of other Marxman putters, he discovered it is not always "better when you win." He had bought a counterfeit.

read complete article at GolfWorld