Shipping golf clubs

Supplies

• Boxes. Golf club tube boxes (about 48–50" long, triangular or square) for single clubs and sets. Many pro shops and club fitters will give you one from a delivery. Large bike-style boxes work for complete sets with a bag.
• Bubble wrap, small-bubble for shafts and heads; packing paper or air pillows for void fill.
• Pipe insulation (foam tubes from a hardware store) slipped over shafts: cheap, light, and the single best upgrade.
• Packing tape, zip ties or rubber bands for bundling, and a marker.

Packing by club type

Drivers, woods, hybrids

Headcover on. Wrap the head in bubble wrap over the headcover so it can’t rotate. Slide the shaft into foam pipe insulation or wrap it in two layers of bubble. Tape the grip end so it can’t slide. Fill the box so the club can’t move an inch; shake it, nothing should shift.

Adjustable drivers

Ship with the head attached at the setting the buyer expects, and include the wrench. If you remove the head, wrap it separately and tape the hosel adapter so the screw can’t back out.

Iron sets

Bundle shafts with rubber bands at the grip and halfway down, alternating heads up and down so faces don’t clash. Wrap each head (or put a sock on it), wrap the bundle, then wrap the shaft ends. Sets are heavy: use a sturdy tube box and plenty of paper at both ends. Two boxes are better than one bulging one.

Wedges

Same as irons. Raw-finish wedges should be dry and in a plastic bag so they don’t stain the packing paper (or your buyer’s hands).

Putters

Headcover on, head wrapped so the face and sole are padded and it can’t pivot on the shaft. Mallets with alignment wings need extra padding over the wings. Milled faces scratch easily: never let bare metal touch bare metal.

Complete sets and bags

Clubs packed as above inside the bag, bag in a large box or travel cover with void fill. Remove and bag loose items (rangefinder, balls, towel) so they can’t rattle around and dent heads.

Shafts only

Tube box, foam insulation, tape both ends to the box so the shaft is suspended. Tip-trimmed shafts must be labeled with the trim amount.

Balls, shoes, apparel

Ordinary boxes or poly mailers. Shoes in their box inside a mailer; don’t tape the shoebox itself.

Labeling and insurance

• Print the label; handwritten addresses get mis-sorted. Put a copy of the address inside the box.
• Insure for the sale price. Carrier insurance is a few dollars on a $300 club and it is the only thing that makes a crushed box someone else’s problem. Declare the real value.
• Mark “FRAGILE” on long boxes; it mostly helps at the delivery end.
• Tracking is required on every Downswing order. Add the number from the order page the same day you ship.

Carriers and costs

Long boxes attract “oversize” or “additional handling” surcharges with most carriers; compare prices before you set shipping on a listing. Shipping is paid by the buyer and passed to you; see fees.

When it arrives damaged

Ask the buyer to photograph the box and the damage before anything is thrown away, then open the carrier claim with your receipt and insurance. The buyer is refunded under buyer protection; the claim makes you whole.