Well there has been a lot said of the purchase of cricket bats on ebay. So as a seller of a large number of cricket bats on ebay over the past few seasons, I feel I can add some advice on the positives and negatives of buying a bat here online.

Firstly let me say that as a cricketer of 30 years, I have used a number of different models of most of the brand name cricket bats available and for those who take the time to look, I sell many different brands and models, but they all have one thing in common, they are all Indian made.

Most brands and models are available on ebay, but from my experiences, unless you buy them from an Australian seller, be very wary. I have many emails from buyers over the years saying they bought a genuine Kookaburra from Pakistan, but it is only a average bat with fake stickers!!

So, you want to buy a cricket bat on ebay. Firstly know your budget. Once you have an idea of what you want to spend then look at what brand you prefer. Once you have the brand then the model. You need to take into account lots of things, size, is it a mens size? short handle? what type of willow is it? is it Kashmir willow or is it English willow? does it come with a cover? is it knocked and oiled and ready to play?

Once these questions have been answered, then you need to find out postage costs, where is the bat located, there are sellers who claim to be in Australia, but either are not, or the item is not. Ask the seller if you can call them or pick the bat up, this will then answer the question on location. Aslo check delivery time.

A word of warning, ALL cricket bats coming into Australia are subject to customs and quarantine inspection. All cricket bats coming into Australia are inspected, no exceptions. A seller that says there are no extra fees when they send from overseas are not being honest, while most get through ok, there has been anumber of buyers who have had to pay hundreds of dollars on top of their purchase price to get their bats. UPDATE 9-10-2007 PLEASE NOTE CUSTOMS AND QUARANTINE HAVE CRACKED DOWN ON ALL BATS COMING INTO AUSTRALIA CHECK OVERSEAS SELLERS FEEDBACK TO SEE PROOF.

Kashmir versus English willow, same tree grown in a different country, fact. The majority of Indian cricketers use kashmir willow, apart from test cricketers. I have used kashmir willow for over 3 years now. In fact I prefer it, I find it has better ping, bigger sweet spot and last longer. Dont be deceived by people who claim english willow is the only wood for a cricket bat, this is simply not true. There has been many debates over this issue, but in my opinion, kashmir willow provides value for money and performs exceptionally well.

A very large number of the worlds cricket bats are made in India, and this includes all major name brands.

I will endeavour to add to this guide when time permits.

.