With Great Opportunity Comes Great Fraud; Sellers Beware of the Pickleball Black Market

Your first thought when you read this headline is probably, "this is a joke, right?" Sadly, this is not a joke. The black market for pickleball paddles is real, and while it may be more of a quick flip on the street, it is happening daily.

Oftentimes, and usually, when a retail item becomes a high demand item in the marketplace AND is an easy item to resell on internet marketplaces, this is the outcome. Due to an explosion in order volume, product value and demand, pickleball paddles are the latest "hot ticket items".

Over the past few months, the number of fraudulent orders from scammers has skyrocketed. In many cases, we know what to look for and flag / stop the orders prior to shipping. However, even after taking the effort to call and verify orders by phone, we can be scammed by experienced fraudsters who answer our questions and make us feel secure enough to process and ship the order. After the fact, we get a chargeback from the credit card holder who's credit card was used for the fraudulent purchase.  The recipient of the goods can easily flip the paddle for drug money or whatever it is they do, and we, as the seller are stuck with the ultimate loss. We lose the product, the credit card fees charged for the fraudulent transaction, and all shipping fees it cost us to get the product into the hands of the scammer.

It sounds silly, but any item of value on the street can become a criminal's next scam. Pickleball paddles are no exception. Frustrating as it is, all we can do is press on, exercising diligence in reviewing orders and cancelling anything that raises suspicion.  If you are a seller of pickleball paddles, prepare yourself for the road ahead. What is just beginning is sure to become more and more of a problem in the coming months.

When in doubt, cancel the customer's order and avoid the risk and potential loss to your bottom line!