Yes I ordered it from Lem Tow Guan (Andrew) from Malaysia. I've had a good experience with him so far.
racquet_sports on ebay Hi , see another thread regarding racquet_sports on ebay I too had good experiences and return to buy more then excuses came from him that no stock from his supplier but I already paid through paypal. 1 month gone .. 2 months gone.. he replied he can't get the models that I wanted because supplier do not have stock and APACS change colours etc I still wait then nothing for a long time & summer holidays I went away.. came back still no parcel try to contact him.. he does not reply at all try him on personal email, Ebay etc still do not want to reply.. He own me usd$140 & I ordered the tantrum 200 & other items. I can see that he had a tantrum 200 on sell in Ebay Why he scam me...? so be careful when you order large amount... that was April 2009 when I paid him.. todate 16th Oct he still does not reply nor I get any rackets.. SO my advise is to stay clear.. 1 or 2 rackets from ebay.. you can have come back but large amount.. nothing you can do. If you do not belive me.. ask him to explain to you why he collected my money but still do not sent me my rackets and items I ordered?ask him to explain to all in public. I too order for my children and friends and junior club members. ask him to reply me or give me back my money if do not wish to trade with me... NO reply is not a good sign of reliable businessman especially once collected money
get money back fr. Paypal hi Skanbuzz, You can file a dispute with Paypal. Paypal with hold the money for you till the dispute resolved. You may try apacshk.com or apacs-sports.co.uk We may sell racket higher but we provide warranty and support on what we are selling. Apacs has a lot of models, we need to cover the mass markets in Malaysia and Indonesia. That's why you will find cheaper rackets in Malaysia. Export version will be introduced in some high-end models. eg, Lethal 70(UK) and Lethal 70(NA north america). They have tighter QC standard and will not be available in Malaysia market. Be aware, as reported from Apacs Malaysia. FAKE Apacs racket do exist in Malaysia. They are cheap for a reason. Cheers
I am not sure if my Apac Nano Pro6000 and Apac Tantrum Power 130 are fake or real....but the 130 which I am using is darn good and is good enough for me to take back my words that I once said "I will use my 3 1988 Cab20 till I quit the game and go fishing' If my Apacs cost C$50 each (come with string, grip and bag) are fake, I wonder how much better the real ones would be and at what price? Bottom line is doing business in Canada is expensive, overheads are high, and as long as buyers are willing to fork out the dough why not sell high? We are talking of people I know that are willing to pay C$500 a month for coaching lessions for their kids plus birdie cost, court cost and competition costs extra. And the game most probably will never pay their investment back. If a good racket is sold at a low price, people may not even buy...High price racket like Yonex 9900 or Arc give the impression that the higher cost the racket the better they are which may be true but not by heck of a lot.
Are you kiddin'??.. ..if the racket is good, genuine (not fake) and sold at a much lower price, of course people will flock to buy it. I, for one, will. But then, there aren't many good, genuine rackets sold @ low prices..
I never said all rackets from Malaysia are FAKE. Tantrum 130 good in your hand is nice. That does not mean a more expensive racket can make you better. I think you understand too well. The reason Malaysian can sell them cheap is mainly due to their living standard. Average Income in Malaysia is around US$20K. Very comparable to China. That's why fake can exist. The way dealing with them take a lot of patient. Not even talk about how many errors they will make. I'm very caution on models that I selected. I even have to correct their spec. We stand behind our products. If you have any concern on the workmanship, we do replace them right away or money refund. I will rather lose money on 1 racket than lose a customer. Totally agree... Every Brand should have rackets that fit for anyone. Just take time and money to try. Apacs rackets are cheaper to try. Cheers
Of course I would too, that is why even though the Apac 130 is 'economical', I like it because of what it can deliver for me. A pair of jeans minus the designer label or a basketball shoe minus the MJ label, even if they are good may not appeal to kiddos who go for name recognition. No name brand or obscure brand are like pariahs. Genuine good racket sold at low prices, you can get on mail order or buy them when you are out of the country in MAS, CHN, INA, etc. Only luxury items like TV, cars, are cheaper in North America than in Asia. Rackets, I would disagree with Apac Canada, that MAS does not offer as good or if not better than Canada, cos' if the Apacs are lousy over there, it wouldn't sell and got killed by the competition, lousy rackets just occupy shelf spaces and become redundant inventory
When the price for good quality rackets is already that low (as compared to the likes of Yonex, Li Ning, etc.) and the brand name recognition for APACS is not high, I'm really not sure to what extent people will actually go into duplicating APACS rackets. I think Malaysia's income per capita has nothing to do with the pricing of rackets in general. High end Yonex rackets are still expensive. If you convert its national currency of Ringgit into either CAD or USD, the difference ain't too high. In fact, I've seen cheaper high end rackets in Canada. Furthermore, with more and more people flocking to the internet to buy goods, one doesn't have to buy locally. One can still get a good deal from sellers from other countries. I've dealt with racquet_sports on eBay a few times and services had been good. Replies had been fast. Shipping was commendable. Not sure what happened to Skanbuzz there. But still, I'm a fan of APACS and will look to buy more new models from racquet_sports maybe till the day I got screwed by that fella. On a side note, Malaysia's income per capita is never close to USD 20k. If China were to be that close, it'll officially be the #1 economic powerhouse in the world.
The badminton population in Malaysia is BIG if not HUGE. Can't compare with North America. With the income they have. YY may not affordable to them. There are some other brands in Malay that you never heard of. As long as it look like Yonex... it can sell. I did not say all rackets in MAS are lousy. In fact I never mention Lousy. As long as you are comfortable, you can buy from anywhere. Alrite .. should be about time wrap this topic up..
Agree with Apacs as demand and population go well beyond rackets. In my business customers buy from the states because even with applicable brokerage and taxes it still can be considerable cheaper. Reasoning from some suppliers is that Canada's population only amounts to that of the state of California. With a population almost 10x as great to them it makes more sense to focus on the US and give better discounts. So the old theory of supply and demand still holds true. Buying off ebay things do happen and if you think the reward is worth the risk then go for it. It just takes one bad thing to happen to make up what you saved on prior ones. To myself customer service and warranty has a value so I take that into consideration when deciding if things are a deal or not. On a seperate note the tantrum 11 is a over looked racket with good power, defence, and control. cheers
No, I don't imply you say Apac racket in MAS are all fake, and of course there are fakes everywhere, CHN especially. There are numerous stores in MAS, being a badminton country, but I only go to Racquet House whenever I go home to MAS. MAS national players like WCH, LCW, etc string their rackets there, in fact in 2006 when I was home, I saw 6 identical rackets hanging on the wall belonging to each player, name tag and all. So I assume this store is legit. And because I am a KL boy, once upon a long time ago, they treat me as local and I was given a huge discount on the price tag. I am the last person willing to try new products, and I love my Cab 20. But I am so impressed by the 130 that I intend to switch over. It is a excellent racket for me. As for average MAS making US$20K a year (i.e. almost RM80K), even for a family income of 4, that seems high, unless my MAS friends can confirm otherwise. I cannot see how CHN with a population of 1.3 billion could have an average income of US$20K (I assume it is annual). Unless you are alluding to average income for professionals, not the general population.
I have never buy anything from Ebay or mail orders or asking friends to buy for me when they are overseas, I find it hard to buy anything simply by looking at a glossy picture and not having seen the products beforehand. I like to hold the product, feel it and see the physical appearance before I buy. And I only do things one time, not try over and over again, like pissing money away. And if I like something, the price is not important so long as I can afford it. For instance in cars, I like Toyota Camry V6 and I buy the very top of the line, an XLE, here sells for C$38K plus tax. That is why I stick to Cab20 for 20+ years, I just cannot adapt to the isometric frame of the current new rackets until I try the Apac 130, an economical racket but tailor made for me, a very good racket.
One last call...Yonex NS9900 or Arcsaber at >RM900 is simply over the top for a lot of MAS, even for me, I am reluctant to pay the asking price, even after discount. I have tried both many times here, never like them. You are right that each racket is made for each individual. I bought a Prince Power + Speed (RM140, comes with string, grip and oversize bag) for my wife, and that was a good balance racket perfect for my wife and she loves the racket to this day, now she switching to Apac 6000. You did not say 'lousy racket in MAS', what I meant was if a racket is lousy in MAS, nobody will buy because serious MAS players are discriminating and knows the stuff, hard to screw them Cheers.
One of my friend came back from Vancouver, a shop called TADS (I think that is the name) and he got his son a NS9900 for C$240 or RM720, that is cheaper here than in MAS or close. As for Apac being economical, Apac does not have the overhead that LN and Yonex have to support SS, players endorsements, etc...those activities cost $$$ and someone has to pay, right...or els there will be no SS and winner cheques. If you are a good badminton player, go to a shop and hold several rackets from Apac to Yonex to LN to whatever, and then rank the Apac and you know what I meant. It is not the price for Apac 130 but really that is one heck of a racket, at least for me.
Apac may be economical than LN or Yonex because it doesn't have the super high overheads and marketing costs associated with the former 2 makers. Yonex and LN are sponsors for SS, endorsing players, etc, well, who exactly is covering the expense, Yonex ain't gonna do it for free, it's a business after all. That is why Yonex has to keep inventing new models with technology claim that I don't even begin to understand what the heck makes a NS better than an Arc than a Ti than an Armotec. I have seen player using NS and then change to Arc, and still a crappy player afterall. To me an NS9900 is good, that is why I asked my wife to bring home 2, she didn't because of the price and brought 2 Apacs instead, and the rest of the story.... Yonex has to pray that players would want to keep changing their rackets as if a fashion statement of the day...someone has to pay through their nose for brand name recognition. Without prejudice on name brands, I would say try the Apac and then honestly compare to LN and Yonex, and explain the huge discrepancies in pricing. I can't.
For me, I have not had any real issues with racquet_sports on eBay. What you need to realize, though, is that sometimes the information on his eBay store is not fully up to date. It is best to contact him directly and ask if he has a certain model in stock, before paying him the money and ordering. I can't explain why he is not replying to your emails Skanbuzz, all I can say is that I don't think he is trying to actually scam you and steal your money. I've actually talked to him via Skype and he seems like a nice guy. With regards to whether the Apacs rackets coming out of Malaysia are fake, I can't say I would really know the difference between a real Apacs and a fake one. I don't exactly have any means of comparison, unless one of you actually shows me a fake one. However, what I do know is that these rackets I am buying from Malaysia are great quality. If they are fake, I don't care, since I have been able to string them multiple times to 30+lbs, including a few stringing jobs done on a two-support stringer, stringing from left to right. That, combined with slamming the racket on the ground trying to return a smash, and my rackets are STILL in as good condition as when I bought them. Not even any paint chips! I think it's entirely possible that the batch of rackets I received were just manufactured well, whereas some others are not. One thing you should know is that I am using the Apacs Nano 900 Power White, so it has a box frame and is much more solid than, say, a Nano 9900. I've had a Nano 9900 strung to 27x29lbs before and the stringer told me that was about as far as he was willing to go, since it did not feel as solid as when he strung my Nano 900 Power White. Then again, I've never had any issues with Yonex rackets either. I've never had any Yonex rackets break on me, nor any paint chips (either someone takes off a good chunk of my racket, or there's just a scratch). Personally, I'm wondering what everyone else is doing to their rackets
Thanks thejym, Obviously Racquet_sport treated you well & you get your goods so no reasons not to market for him too. I fell into that trap too. I leave positive feedback on ebay for him even thought I did not actually buy on ebay from him, just a virtual agreement. he sent me an email asking me to help leave him positive feedback on ebay to boost up his rating. if he post an item on and request payment from me but actually I do not have to pay and no transaction through ebay.. I contacted him personnally and bought outside ebay but paid with paypal. So you see I am a fool and well and truely scammed. BUT BUT that does not explain why he took my money and still do not give me my goods and no reply Actually now I would prefer he post his reasons on public forum and explain himself..if he dare or you can ask him to return my money "I can't explain why he is not replying to your emails Skanbuzz, all I can say is that I don't think he is trying to actually scam you and steal your money. I've actually talked to him via Skype and he seems like a nice guy." So how do you define scam or steal my money? BEcareful of him .. you can't find him if you are in USA and he is in Malaysia..just because you talk to him on Skype, you think you can trust him and know him wholly? Think again. you do not know what he looks like, where he live, what is his bank account, what is his background .. he could have a 20 years criminal record, child molesters and still speak nice and seems like a nice guy as far as you are concern. Malaysia already got bad reputation in some quarters and having people like him do not help...those who are innocent..get it too A bad cow with mud on his back will end up the whole herd having a wash down by the farmer!!! Maybe I am gutted you might say but lets look at the truth.. where are my goods if i already paid in April? Why he does not reply me and give me back my money Go on then you still speak to him on skype, then ask him to explain himself
hi Skanbuzz, After reading your PM, I think you are just too nice to him. At the moment, you can't do anything .... just file complain everywhere.... Take care ,..
