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Virtual club re-sale: How it may make sense...

• BobbyDerek 23 Posts

  Sat, Jul 21 2012 6:58 PM

  A few thoughts as to how WGT could make the re-sale of virtual clubs viable between players without compromising sales of new clubs.

  • Set up a used clubs "market" where members would be free to offer used clubs to tier/level-eligible players. Allow the sellers determine their offer price they and the buyers the price at which they would be prepared to purchase; in other words, it would be competitive and self-regulating as far as pricing was concerned. WGT could set conditions where transactions would only be made in WGT credits and further take an "agency fee", let's say 10% of the sale price on each transaction, to ensure they see a direct financial benefit from each re-sale.
  • Automatically (and visibly) degrade the club's performance by 5%. To take one example, the average driving distance of the level 88 TaylorMade R11 driver would be degraded from 282 yds to approximately 268 yds. The other performance characteristics would likewise be degraded by 5%, although this would be less noticeable. This would apply to all subsequent re-sales of the club. To use the  TaylorMade R11 driver example again, upon its second re-sale the average driving distance would degrade from 268 to 255, as would the performance characteristics. This downgrading would apply to irons, wedges and putters; although for putters it would be less noticeable as it would be the performance characteristics other than distance that would be affected. This would have the effect of players weighing up the value in terms of the performance upgrade of the club in question against the immediate and term value of the purchase. In some cases buying new would be the stronger value proposition. Certainly, the degraded performance would ensure that clubs, other than putters, would likely only be re-sold twice before their performance was too degraded to be sold on any further. Players would then either turn to the used club market again or would feel obliged to upgrade with new equipment.
  • WGT could leverage the ego of certain players. The re-sold clubs would be tagged as such in a player's inventory. Some players wouldn't mind or care, for others it wouldn't sit quite so easily and they would feel obliged to buy new. 

  Again, just a few thoughts. Feel free to add your 2 cents.

• TarheelsRule 5,605 Posts

  Sat, Jul 21 2012 9:44 PM

  I would say no.

  Currently the WGT has a trade in on used clubs, granted that the price sucks but it is a seamless transaction and I would think that having clubs that perform at a lower level would be a bear to program and keep track off.

  While I would like a little higher trade in value, I'm not for having used clubs in circulation and I don't believe it would help the bottom line of WGT so they wouldn't be for it either.

• piztaker 5,743 Posts

  Sat, Jul 21 2012 9:53 PM

  I agree with Tarheels. You can't have credits flying about, it would play into the hands of the less scrupulous.

• Slowwedge 143 Posts

  Sun, Jul 22 2012 4:51 AM

  Example:

  This is the math as it could be:

  A have an old 3 wood Rapture level 47.

  Value selling back = 97 Cr

  Cost for a new = 395 Cr

  B wants to have a Rapture level 47 and here's what could be possible:

  A get balls for 275 from the trading partner + 97Cr from WGT = 372 Cr

  A gifts a new Rapture level 47 to the partner for 395 Cr

  B pays 275 Cr and saves 120 Cr = 30.4 %

  A lose 23 Cr and  think that's ok for helping a buddy.

  On top of that WGT sell balls for 275 Cr and a club for 395 Cr =570 Cr in the box........

  This might work in CC's where members trust each other

   

   

• borntobesting 9,772 Posts

  Sun, Jul 22 2012 1:46 PM

  TarheelsRule:

  I would say no.

  Currently the WGT has a trade in on used clubs, granted that the price sucks but it is a seamless transaction and I would think that having clubs that perform at a lower level would be a bear to program and keep track off.

  While I would like a little higher trade in value, I'm not for having used clubs in circulation and I don't believe it would help the bottom line of WGT so they wouldn't be for it either.

  The trade in or sell back price might suck, but it is in line with what the real life pro shops and golf stores offer. Here it is 25% but in real life unless you sell it on E-Bay it is more like 17%. In 2008 I traded in my slightly less that 1 year old Taylor Made R7 Draw Driver on a Cobra LD M Speed Driver and got $50 for it in trade. 17% of the 300 I paid for it would have been $51. 

• SHRUDE 5,835 Posts

  Sun, Jul 22 2012 4:30 PM

  Personally I think this feature could be employed in one way or another.

   

  Perhaps sell to your Country Club 'pro shop', Hopefully for slightly more than WGT offer currently for refunds. 

  WGT still get a cut of the resale price.

  CC members can browse the pro shop and buy discounted clubs at a mark up from the refund sale.

  WGT get a cut TWICE, Club Members get to resell to the benefit of the club, club members are able to buy clubs at a cheaper price tag (perhaps 40%) than the WGT pro shop.

   

   

   

   

• Rohaley 35 Posts

  Wed, Aug 7 2013 11:26 PM

  hell no...don't degrade the club? WGT makes their money! I paod 25 dollars for my driver 22 for my irons. I shuld be allowed to sell them to any one who wants to buy them. Wgtgets a strait percent-like ONLY 10 %. A guideline could be set so clubs may only be sold twice...after two sales they can then sell them to WGT. WGT should buy back clubs at 50% period. These are not REAL? So they sell for 25 dollars and buy back for 12.50. If the player walks...oh well. They still made money and have created a reason for players to spend more. For example my level 48 R1 Driver was 25 dollars...I will NOT buy another one when I get 5.95 to sell it...therefore I am stuck with it forever. IF THEY gave me 12.50 I would buy the 30 dollar one. Now they got 42 out of me for a driver...they way they are doing it..they got 25? YOU do the math. WGT needs a real marketeer that knows how to cook with grease.

• ConfusionMaster 1,658 Posts

  Sat, Aug 10 2013 11:55 AM

  This really is opening a possible can of worms.

  Can you imagine what would happen if they implemented this 'downgrading of second hand clubs'?

  A big bright idea bulb would go ping above one of the money mens head.

  'Hey, now we can downgrade clubs performances, maybe we could do that with clubs in general. I mean in real life the longer you have and use your clubs they will be subject to wear and tear and there performance will get worse. So maybe we should add that extra bit of realism to the game.'

  Don't go giving them ideas. (yeah I know I have now just put the full idea into their heads)

   

   

   

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Sat, Aug 10 2013 7:55 PM

  Sorry but I think this is a total non starter, just read the terms and conditions:

  terms.aspx

   

  "You agree that you have no right or title in or to any such content, including the virtual items or WGT Credits appearing or originating in the games, or any other attributes associated with the Account or stored on the Site. WGT does not recognize any virtual property transfers executed outside of the games or the purported sale, gift or trade in the "real world" of anything related to the games. Accordingly, you may not sell virtual items for "real" money or otherwise exchange items for value outside of the games."

   

  In effect you cannot sell the virtual clubs in your virtual bag as you don't own them.