All about iheartburners on eBay

Fake or Real Issue by "jwgolfstop"

2012-01-19T11:30:00.001+08:00

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!

Titleist

2012-01-04T14:51:00.001+08:00

I would love a birthday cake like that!......but in Taylormade instead! LOL

The story:

Titleist loyalist John P. celebrated his birthday recently with this fully-equipped cake... Happy Birthday, John! Thanks for sharing.

I almost forgot about my blog!

2011-07-30T00:54:00.000+08:00

Hi all

I can't believe it has been more than 2 months since I last posted a new blog entry.
So much has happened over the last 2 months.

The most amazing thing was, I managed to meet up with 2 of my long lost friends. We used to be BFFs and drifted apart. Life turns out to be pretty amazing sometimes...after 10 years we meet again.
This newfound 'excitement' has taken a lot of my time. Theres so much to catch up on what we have been missing out for the last decade,
So much so that I almost forgot about updating this blog.

I will be more active in my postings here.
There are of course new equipment coming out soon....R11 460 I heard...stay tuned

Love

Been so long!

2011-05-13T03:41:00.000+08:00

It's been so long since I wrote.
Was going through some shit so not in the mood to write I guess...but things have taken a turn now, for the better..
I'm Back

May.....this time of the year its so boring I can almost doze off. Hardly any new equipment coming out. Guess it will be this way until Sept where the new models will start coming out

Hang tight! Will find more stuff to write on

Thanks to those who stuck by bad times and offered encouragement. Really touched!

An introduction to vWorker.com

2011-05-02T23:56:00.000+08:00

I recently found out about vWorker.com and I think it's so awesome. I'd like to share with you guys what this is about. It will be especially useful for both employers and workers looking for freelance work. When I say employers, I'm not just referring to big time monthly salary paying employers...it can be simple projects that you do have have time to do, like updating a blog, or listing your eBay items...

I was having a cup of tea with an old friend recently and she asked me 'how's things?'. I told her I am very busy and there seems like so much on the table, and not having enough time...seriously, even the simple things like re listing an item on eBay, I am finding it hard to do. There just seem to be so much to juggle and I think I cam getting disorganized. It's like I know in order to make things better, I need to do so much, but I just can't find the time to breakout of my normal daily routine to do it.

So she told me about vworker.com
It's like eBay for work. You can outsource projects on that website, and lots of people around the world will bid for the project. At the end of the day, you look through all bids and make a decision who do you want to give the job to. Factors like budget, experience can determine your choice. The good thing is, it's your choice, its like you get to go through so many applicants and choose.
You need not worry about paying for the project and then not getting the work done, as the site guarantees it. Its like, you pay the site first. Then, once the project is completed and deemed acceptable by you, the site will pay the bidder for the work done. If no job was done or not completed by the dateline, or if the job was not acceptable, the site will refund you. Everything can be done via paypal!
This is co cool as I can now find help in simple things like updating my blog, my website, my eBay page. The good news is, it's not expensive at all. Some people bid for projects like $4-$10! LOL

My friend had to design 120pcs of ply cards and when she went to a company in Singapore to get a quotation, the quoted her $1900 for the work. When she posted this project on vworker.com she chose a candidate from India with a bid of USD80! That's a huge difference.
The good thing about this site is you get people from around the world. People in developing countries like India are experts in IT and internet marketing/programming and design, and because their currency is so weak, USD80 is a lot to them!
If you need to filter out certain requirements (eg. workers from USA only), you can do so on the site too. So I find this way cool! It has certainly helped me manage my stuff without burning a hole in my pocket.

If you are looking for freelance work, you can browse the numerous projects available and bid for it too!
I'm just so excited about this.

To check it out, click on the logo below:

Difficult times

2011-04-26T01:24:00.000+08:00

I know I have not been updating, or close friends who communicate frequently with me would notice that I am less 'chatty'.

I am going through a bit of a rough patch...some uncertainty and problems with at home. It has been sucking a lot of my energy and it seems like things will continue to be gloomy for a while.
I am learning to adapt, learning to accept and learning to deal. Slowly. In search of my new 'normal'.

Please accept my apologies if I do not talk as much, if I respond slower than usual. I am trying to deal.

I promise business wise I will still strive to uphold fantastic service.

If you are someone who pray, kindly include me and my family in your prayers.

Appreciate it and cheers to better times ahead!

R11 FCT Sleeve Adapter: Fakes

2011-04-08T03:29:00.002+08:00

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

An encouraging email I've received

2011-04-06T01:13:00.001+08:00

click to enlarge

Received an encouraging email a few days ago; made my day
Although I have long forgotten about the golfwrx saga (LOL), it's nice to get such emails from time to time.

Some people are more outspoken, some prefer to keep it anonymous (I'd understand)....such emails are most welcomed and certainly makes my day. Especially so because I seem to be on a bad streak lately...stars not aligning well? HAHA

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

2011-03-24T05:29:00.000+08:00

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

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!!!!!!
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.

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

Weird copy R11 ferrule

2011-03-24T05:10:00.000+08:00

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!

Back in action!

2011-03-22T04:32:00.000+08:00

Hello friends!

I'm back in action after taking a much deserved break! :)
Will be listing on eBay again and updating this blog...lots of happenings lately, can't wait to share with you guys.

Catch you soon!

Taking a break

2011-03-08T14:47:00.000+08:00

I will be taking a short break from selling
That explains why my ebay store is practically empty

Will be back in action next week :)

At the mean time you can always email me for any urgent orders.

LOL!

2011-02-22T17:25:00.002+08:00

Just something interesting I read:
Source: http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/02/21/are-singaporean-women-marriage-material/

Are Singaporean women marriage material?

By Alicia Wong – February 21st, 2011

Email Facebook Twitter Print

Are Singaporean women ideal candidates for marriage? (Photo: AFP)

An international dating agency believes Singaporean women are “most ideal” for marriage, according to aLianhe Wanbao report.

The agency, which was not named but was apparently quoted by Time magazine and BBC news, said Singaporean women were ranked based on qualities such as beauty, loyalty, adherence to tradition, initiative and fluency in English.

The report surveyed 1,000 men and women across five Asian countries. They were Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.

A poll on straitstimes.com, however, showed that respondents do not agree with the agency’s assessment. Nearly three-quarters of the 1,685 voters disagreed with the agency. Half of all the voters were Singaporean male.

Wen Wei wrote on Facebook: “The report should be written as: Are Singaporean women the most pampered?” In agreement, Massi Rites wrote: “Materialistic I must say. Majority of Singapore women seek men with cars. Public transport is a no-no”, the paper quoted.

Peter, a 36-year old IT executive, told Yahoo! Singapore he is also in the ‘no’ camp. He says: “A few traits come to my mind that highlights the ‘strengths’ or ‘characteristics’ of our highly valued Singapore women: self-centred, self-opinionated, inconsiderate, demanding and, last but not least, materialistic.”

Executive Rachel Lim, 25, said, “I think we are opinonated but not inconsiderate. I wouldn’t say it’s only the women, men in Singapore have these traits too. It’s the outcome of an aggressively competitive, pragmatic society like Singapore. ”

“Singaporean women are increasingly progressive. I feel more women here are also getting much more independent and some are not even subscribing to the notion of marriage,” she said, adding that women in Thailand or Vietnam might make for more “virtuous wives”.

Fake Titleist 910?

2011-02-01T04:12:00.001+08:00

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

Titleist

2011-01-30T23:56:00.000+08:00

So there's talks Acushnet company is going to be sold? To whom?
This is sad!

The first thing that came to my mind is, will the employees face the axe? That will be sad! I hope they all get to keep their jobs.

Yes I am slightly mad about them pulling off ferrule advertisements...ferrules *roll my eyes*
but I heart people...we're talking jobs, we're talking livelihood. Besides, those brand managers that pull listings off eBay are merely doing their jobs. They are paid to do what they have to do - even if it makes sense or not. That's cos they are employees.
So I really hope no jobs or not a lot of jobs are lost during the impending acquisition.
I'm in HR....its my job. LOL

2011 Taylormade R11 FCT Sleeves

2011-01-30T04:12:00.001+08:00

Final complete versions of the Taylormade R11 FCT sleeves with ferrule

there's another hybrid sleeve for the Rescue '11 club... will write about that another day

Pictures (left = .350) (right = TP .335)

Number '3' on .350 and number '7' on TP .335

Taylormade 2011 Tour Putters - what's used on tour now

2011-01-30T03:58:00.000+08:00

This Ghost Tour series putter will be a hit!
Not sure when is the official retail launch date...

It's like a kiama-ghost marriage putter, if you know what I mean, LOL!

Things to love:
ghosted image (check)
adjustable weight ports (check)
smooth inserts (check)
range of models/designs (check)
nice looks (check)

We have a winner already!

So far I have only managed to get 3 models:
TM110 (Daytona style)
TM770 (Fontana style)
TM880 (Maranello style)
Looks like Taylormade is doing away with style names....they are into style numbers now! LOL!

Pictures...
Extreme left will be TM110, center will be TM770 and extreme right will be TM880

TM110 has 6 weight ports at the back of the putter

TM770 has 4 weight ports. 2 at the toe, 2 at the heel

TM880 has 4 weight ports. 2 at the toe, 2 at the heel

New 2011 pure roll insert by Taylormade

dealermatch on eBAY / golfstiffy

2011-01-30T02:55:00.002+08:00

Today I wanna write a post about (dealermatch) on eBay or Golfstiffy (www.golfstiffy.com)

I was just doing some market research online and chanced upon his 'items for sale'.
I looked at every one of his items and description.
I must say I was, and am still a little annoyed at what he writes on his item description.

This guy flat out disses overseas sellers and claims that overseas sellers sells cheap knock offs that will even cause damage to golf clubs. I mean, that's quite a sweeping statement isn't it? It's like saying all Muslims are terrorists?

Part of doing well in sales is to sell yourself well and give yourself credit. I get that, I totally do. On the flip side, do not cheapen yourself by discrediting your competitors.

What's more controversial is that I know who is his supplier - from overseas. All his sleeves, ferrules, parts, club heads.
All his statements such as 'this is not an overseas import', 'this is made in the USA', 'be cautious of overseas sellers'....seems to be a man biting his own tongue.

Play the game gracefully.
Think like this: It's like, why $#%@ the guy who clothed you?

Taylormade R11 ASP...different versions

2011-01-29T03:00:00.004+08:00

There will be 4 versions of ASP plates...I may be wrong; there may be more than 4, but as far as I know, I am only made aware of 4 versions now:

Red 8

Red 9

Gold 8

Gold 9

The gold plates are exclusive to Japanese R11s only...but if you wanna pimp your driver, you can get a gold plate from me. You can have a look at how the gold plate looks on the head here

So it leaves us to the question, what's the difference between 8 and 9?

However, upon closer examination, seems like I could spot a difference:

On the 9, there is another 'inner circle'

What does the 'inner circle' do?

I remember reading on golfsmith that the TP R11 has a lower CG. So there must be some kind of a difference

I have had a friend who told me:

- The '8' plates are found in retail heads. They adjust 2 degree closed and 2 degree open

- The '9' plates are tour issue plates. They adjust 1 degree closed and 1 degree open

There will be 4 different plates adjustable in 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 degrees respectively.

Thanks for the info buddy! The info is from my buddy Scott T.

I have previously discussed about 'questionable' number 8 plates: Link 1 Link 2

I will continue to work on this 'project' and find the other asp plates!

30 Jan 2011 update:

Heard from my supplier that an ASP plate with number 5 has been discovered! That must be the 0.5 or 1.5 degree version! Keep in the loop! :)

I heart this project!

Interested to buy gold/red ASP plates? Contact me

Taylormade R11 ASP

2011-01-29T02:20:00.001+08:00

I've taken these pictures like so long ago, I think 3 months ago, LOL

Since I'm in the mood to blog... but do not know what to write about, I'm digging this up to write for fun

So back a while back there were talks of fake ASP plates...or AST plates whatever we used to call it. Non adjustable plates. Remour was that people 'made' these copy plates to match it up with fake R11 heads to sell even months before the retail release date.

Some argue that they are prototype versions, which the white number 8 printed behind

Truth be told, today there are genuine number 8 ASP plates. They will be shipped with the R11s come 2nd Feb. I will later write in another post on the number 8 and number 9 plates.

I guess it was just the white printed number, and nerdy fonts on the plates that raised eyebrows.

Just some comparisons... (the left one with the number 8 is the questionable plate whereas the right one is the confirmed genuine version)

The workmanship is clearly better on the right plate yeah?

Oh I hate the nerdy fonts on the left plate

Workmanship

Weight of the 'real' one: 4.2g

Weight of the questionable plate: 3.8g

Anyways, I don't think there will still be a lot of these 'weird' plates floating around

Link to another post regarding this here

Different versions of ASP here

Cookies I made

2011-01-29T01:36:00.000+08:00

Let me show off my wonderful cookies that I made myself!

Perhaps I can sell cookies too? ahahahaha
Ship them over internationally!

Have a good weekend friends!

156 miles per hour

2011-01-28T23:08:00.000+08:00

That's Jamie Sadlowski at the 2011 PGA Tour Show
156 miles per hour! Unreal!!!

Brought tears to my eyes

2011-01-28T00:53:00.000+08:00

Did you guys watch American Idol last night?
Check out the story of this guy - Chris Medina

Jeez!

I was just so stunned...I mean, speechless and tearful me!
Its like a gentle reminder not to take each even min we have for granted

2011 Taylormade Drivers

2011-01-27T16:55:00.001+08:00

I think for 2011 Taylormade has launched the sexist clubs - hands down!
That piece of Burner Superfast 2.0 will be going into my bag - based on functionality
The Gold R11 is my favourite judging from the looks department but based on hitting it well (for me) ... that club on the extreme right will get a space in my bag :)

2011 Taylormade R11 Driver

2011-01-27T16:50:00.001+08:00

Which one do you prefer? I personally like the Gold Japanese version

Gold digger I am! haha