How Serious is the Counterfeiting Problem in the US – HUGE!
How Serious is the Counterfeiting Problem in the US – HUGE!
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We all know the saying, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!” If you see a set of New top brand clubs online at a meager price, it’s probably fake. Counterfeiting is a huge problem, not only in the USA but throughout the world. China is the biggest culprit, where people produce clubs that look like the real thing but are made up of inferior materials. It is a very lucrative business because they pay very little for the materials, produce the ‘copy’ in small shops, and sell them to an unsuspecting public.
The problem for the consumers is that, after purchase, when the clubs break, shafts shatter, or heads tear, there is no recourse.
You are out of pocket and out of luck! Above is a screenshot of a website that is tracking down and closing counterfeit websites. The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group is an organization dedicated to stopping the production, distribution, and sale of counterfeit or “fake” golf equipment across the globe.
Formed in 2004, the group is made of five of the most well-known golf manufacturers in the world –Callaway-Odyssey; TaylorMade-Adidas Golf whose brands include TaylorMade, Adidas Golf, Adams and Ashworth; PING; Srixon, Cleveland Golf and XXIO; and Acushnet Company, whose brands are Titleist, FootJoy, and Scotty Cameron. These manufacturers came together to protect the game’s integrity and protect the consumers they’ve served for so many years.
Source: http://www.keepgolfreal.com/
The bottom line here is – buy your golf equipment from legitimate sources, either online or at a golf store. Stay informed!
Thanks to Mike Stachura of Golf Digest Stix for printing such an important story! Read on!
There’s good news about the problem of counterfeit golf clubs: Progress is happening. Steve Gingrich, vice president of global legal enforcement for Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO, notes fewer instances of counterfeit clubs being harder to find in stores and golf shops in the past couple of years.
“However,” he said, “investigations have revealed that many shops have access to counterfeit products and will try to accommodate a sale if the customer presses for a copy product.” Of course, the market still thrives below the surface, especially through direct-to-consumer websites.
The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group has worked with international law enforcement to seize more than a million fake clubs since 2004 and shut down dozens of websites dealing with counterfeit products. According to Jason Rocker, the group’s spokesman, 90 percent of the more than two million fake products sold each year are made in China and sold online and in small shops there.
Source: Golf Digest Stix Mike Stachura The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group
Pictures: Golf Digest Stix The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group
Thanks for watching – How Serious is the Counterfeiting Problem in the US – HUGE!
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Consumers all around the world have been duped into purchasing so called “authentic and brand new” golf clubs that are sold at an extremely low price on eBay and other online retail stores.