Yonex VT80 4U (eBay)

[alphapeta]

There's a guy on eBay who claims he sells authentic Yonex rackets. I normally NEVER BUY from Ebay, but he says he has holographic sticker and serial no. WHat do people think - can these still be cheated??
Thanks

ps. I'm looking for a VT80 4U for around £115 if anyone has one new/could recommend!

[asianguy]

That sounds a little bit low for a voltric 80. General rule of thumb is that if the deal sounds too good to be true, it is.

Ebay is NEVER a good place to buy badminton rackets; too many counterfeits on there and you can never be sure if the seller is telling the truth or not. Best option is to buy from a reputable online badminton store such as badmintonalley instead.

[a|extan]

buy at yr own risk

unless u know the seller well..

[alphapeta]

Yes, I think you are correct, I'll opt for purchasing it from a reputable source I think. Anybody have any further advice with regards to 3U and 4U? I play with an AT900T 4U, I just want a bit more power and amconsidering the Vt80 4u (can't buy this in uk-would have to purchase fromChina). Thanks, P

[asianguy]

The VT80 is supposedly even more head-heavy than even the 900P, so if you're already finding the 4U 900T a little bit heavy, then 4U is definitely the way to go.

[Avenger]

the only ebay seller that I believe sells genuine racket is RKEP eric (Swuash_Mart on Ebay)
it seems Eric out of stock right now


how about mybadmintonstore (MBS)?

they sell genuine racket, VT80 with SP/IP code would be around £120.31

add shipping £8 + BG66 ultimax £11.11
that's around £140 in total (but you need to use USD to do the transaction)
that sould be £20 cheaper than directsports-eshop.com (which is also legit seller in UK)

http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/product_info.php?currency=USD&cPath=25_26_148&prod ucts_id=1085

[alphapeta]

I know him, I buy my RKEP grips from him.

I am also familiar with MBS and sohubuy.

There is another on eBay – 'ThaiExpert', he does sound like he knows
what he's talking about …

[Avenger]

can you give me the link?
maybe I can inspect it for you

[alphapeta]

Hi—
Annoyingly the racket was sold—but he has more; this was his feedback to me; does sounds genuine, but how can I be sure?!

He may read this post, so apologies if you are genuine thaiexpert!!


Hi Pete, most Yonex rackets are made in Japan and then coded with the country code they're destined to be exported to. Different countries purchase variations on weight and grip size, and that's the only difference. China has been known to produce copies (as they do) with the differences being no cover, shorter shaft, non holographic sticker and serial numbers on the shaft and cone which do not correspond with the manufacturer. Serial numbers can be verified by amateurs on www.badmintoncentral.com and holographic stickers can be verified with a "reader" as well as your eyes (my acquaintance, the Somerset County coach, has a reader).

I've been playing in Thailand for the last 6 years where the official Yonex shops can offer rackets (for club members) at about £25 saving over UK prices. Prices are lower in Asia for genuine rackets (and accessories) and prices are marked up in Europe in line with spending power, logistics and tax. However, most club players bypass the Yonex shops to purchase direct from the importer who has a separate business - buying them from Japan with the tax free trade agreement without outlet overheads. That's what I do. Singaporeans and Malaysians also come to Thailand to purchase better value rackets from Victor and Yonex. Sending one racket to UK by 4 day airmail would not make me any profit (cost is £20) so I pack them with my own business goods (fashion) to keep unit costs down. I have a 20kg box arriving every 2 weeks with fashion and some rackets so I'm able to make a small profit. I sold the Z-slash this way when it first came out and before it was sold on Centralsports and I only do it with the higher end rackets (cheaper rackets don't provide enough profit to make it worth it).

[demolidor]

Hi—
Annoyingly the racket was sold—but he has more; this was his feedback to me; does sounds genuine, but how can I be sure?!

He may read this post, so apologies if you are genuine thaiexpert!!


Hi Pete, most Yonex rackets are made in Japan and then coded with the country code they're destined to be exported to. Different countries purchase variations on weight and grip size, and that's the only difference. China has been known to produce copies (as they do) with the differences being no cover, shorter shaft, non holographic sticker and serial numbers on the shaft and cone which do not correspond with the manufacturer. Serial numbers can be verified by amateurs on www.badmintoncentral.com and holographic stickers can be verified with a "reader" as well as your eyes (my acquaintance, the Somerset County coach, has a reader).

I've been playing in Thailand for the last 6 years where the official Yonex shops can offer rackets (for club members) at about £25 saving over UK prices. Prices are lower in Asia for genuine rackets (and accessories) and prices are marked up in Europe in line with spending power, logistics and tax. However, most club players bypass the Yonex shops to purchase direct from the importer who has a separate business - buying them from Japan with the tax free trade agreement without outlet overheads. That's what I do. Singaporeans and Malaysians also come to Thailand to purchase better value rackets from Victor and Yonex. Sending one racket to UK by 4 day airmail would not make me any profit (cost is £20) so I pack them with my own business goods (fashion) to keep unit costs down. I have a 20kg box arriving every 2 weeks with fashion and some rackets so I'm able to make a small profit. I sold the Z-slash this way when it first came out and before it was sold on Centralsports and I only do it with the higher end rackets (cheaper rackets don't provide enough profit to make it worth it).

Oh I think he actually is a member here . Trying to sell of the VT80's at a premium for Thai imports compared to the local prices over there. They probably are genuine but are they cheaper than what you can get at Sohubuy for instance?? But at least if he ships from within UK and not straight from Thailand he's taking away the risk of added VAT.

[alphapeta]

Yes, I think so too. He did mention this site, so I presume he is.
I have to be sure. I purchased a Nanospeed 9900 a few years ago which was fake, so I'm just covering my tracks.

Thanks for your help guys.

Pete

[drifit]

thread title changed. origin title is misleading unless i have misunderstanding.
shall the OP need to change title or relocate to appropriate section, please let know.

[blableblibloblu]

the only ebay seller that I believe sells genuine racket is RKEP eric (Swuash_Mart on Ebay)
it seems Eric out of stock right now


how about mybadmintonstore (MBS)?

they sell genuine racket, VT80 with SP/IP code would be around £120.31

add shipping £8 + BG66 ultimax £11.11
that's around £140 in total (but you need to use USD to do the transaction)
that sould be £20 cheaper than directsports-eshop.com (which is also legit seller in UK)

http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/product_info.php?currency=USD&cPath=25_26_148&prod ucts_id=1085

this except sQuash_mart

[moomoo]

I'd reckon 120 squids is a reasonable amount to pay for an ori VT80. I've seen here in Malaysia around RM520 for 1st hand RM420 2nd hand VT80. (forex rate RM5 to a quid, used to be 7 a few years back)

why dont you as to meet the ebay vendor and inspect?

[Avenger]

this except sQuash_mart

yup, sorry, the "Q" is pretty close with "W" (on the keyboard)

[alphapeta]

He is the real deal I believe. I'll find out when I receive the racket, if it snaps at the handle first hit I'll know