[BigNick]

Greetings from the deep south. I'm an old newbey(old as in body, young beyond my years). I'm watching ebay for a "real" fly rod. No more of this Wally world stuff for me. Hey, you only go around once, right? My round is coming round. So I figure what the heck, I can't take it with me anyway, might as well spend it on some good fishing tackle. Ok,OK, here's my question-- Some of the quality rods, such as Winston, that I see for sale on ebay don't come with warranty cards. Is this a problem? Will people like Winston and Sage honor their warranty if you don't have the rod registered in your name?
Thanks for your help,
Nick

[OldMan]

I'm sorry but Winston won't. Even if the rod has a warranty card it won't be honored by Winston if you can't prove you bought it from an authorized dealer.

Sometimes you'll find a Winston on ebay that is new from a dealer at a good price. It could have been used for a demo, or maybe they just want to move it out. In that case it could have a warranty, but they usually bring top dollar.

[BigNick]

Hey, thats what I needed to know. By the way, do you know if Scott or Sage will honor theirs? What if I buy a used Scott, if it breaks can I get Scott to repair it? I realize you may not be able to answer this but I had to ask.
Thanks again,
Nick

[ab4usa]

I was in the same boat this spring. I cose to buy St. Croix since, on their better lines, they will offer warranty to non original users at a slightly higher cost ($50).

[OldMan]

Originally Posted by BigNick

Hey, thats what I needed to know. By the way, do you know if Scott or Sage will honor theirs? What if I buy a used Scott, if it breaks can I get Scott to repair it? I realize you may not be able to answer this but I had to ask.
Thanks again,
Nick

Scott and Sage say they only offer the warranty to the original buyer, but i've heard stories that sometimes they will. I've never heard Winston doing it.

They will all repair the rods for a fee.

[Joe D]

Nick,

Instead of speculating on warranty coverage, it's best to just go ask the companies directly.


R.L Winston Rod Company
500 South Main Street, P.O. Box 411
Twin Bridges, Montana 59754

Telephone: 406.684.5674
Fax: 406.684.5533

Winston Rods - The Finest Fly Fishing Rods in the World
email: info@winstonrods.com

Sage Manufacturing
8500 Northeast Day Road
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

(800) 533-3004

Sage

The Scott Fly Rod Co.
2355 Air Park Way
Montrose, CO 81401

800-728-7208

Scott High Performance Fly Rods, Telluride Colorado

[Joni]

I agree with Joe D. I bought a DEMO LT from a dealer. The ferrule wore out and I sent it back....I went through allot of crap to get it covered, and the store had to show a receipt that I did buy it (at not that big of a discount).
They finally did it, but at that time for an extra $75. I had them throw in another tip section so I now have a back up.

Most companies WON'T cover e-bay stuff.

If you call the companies, ask them if they will repair for a certain price.

[MBWCC]

You might wish to look at G.Loomis rods. Their warranty is about as good as it gets in the fly rod industry and their product has the same excellent stature. Within the G.Loomis warranty you have three choices: 1. Ship it back and ask to have it repaired or replaced after inspection ($20 + shipping to Washington); 2. $50 gets you a new rod shipped tomorrow via standard shipping, no questions asked; 3. $65 gets you a new rod shipped tomorrow, 2nd day air, no questions asked. Return to factory shipping of the broken rod pre-paid under either choice #2 or #3. Neither time that I've damaged rod to the point of needing replacement has G.Loomis asked if I was the original owner, nor did they ask for any warranty card or toss proof of purchase hassles in front of me. All G.Loomis asked was my name, shipping address, preferred shipping method, and credit card #.

[OldMan]

Companies will warranty ebay sales, as long as the seller is an authorized dealer, and the rod has never been sold before. Companies don't care how you advertise. Ebay is no different than using a web site.

Demos are a bit different. If it was sold to the dealer as a demo, then no warranty. However, a lot of dealers take normal rods that they didn't buy as demos and use them as demos. Those rods will have warranties.

What you have to look out for is a rod with someones name on it. That will never have a warranty except to the person with their name on the rod. It could be a customer who had it done, but more than likely it's an owner/employee/sponsored person who got the rod at a huge discount, and isn't meant for them to turn around and sell it at a profit.

[Joni]

That makes sense, but most people or I should say me, look at e-bay for a good deal. The big name rod dealers can only sell for what the company tells them they can, and no different than a shop, right?
I look at those as ADS, but look at used for DEALS, so my reference to no warranty on e-bay items is such.