Pickleball Thefts Continue: This Time, In Canada

William Iliff

Creative Director

Last Edited

Nov 05 2024

Category

News

Retailers from Colorado to New York have faced waves of paddle thefts in recent months — though likely from different suspects. In fact, one of the saddest parts of pickleball in 2024 involves several stores and courts across the USA which faced targeted pickleball crimes.

Now, the crime spree has reached Canada, with one local store owner sounding the alarm after taking a substantial financial hit.

Troy Russell, owner of the sporting goods store Racquet Guys in Markham, Ontario, recently shared his experience.

Over multiple break-ins, Russell’s store has lost around $40,000 in paddles.

“They work as a group,” he explained, referring to his surveillance video that caught the thieves casually swiping paddles off the display wall and stuffing them into bags.

Russell’s story is not unique. Sporting goods stores across the GTA are reporting similar losses, with thieves zeroing in on higher-end paddles that fetch between $100 and $400.

According to Russell, the evidence trail doesn’t end with the thefts. When he and other store owners scoured Facebook Marketplace, they quickly spotted their stolen paddles for sale — often with the original store price stickers still on them.

This led Russell to confront one online seller, who claimed ignorance of the paddles’ origins but quickly pulled her listings offline after the exchange.

For now, Russell advises other retailers to closely monitor their stock and report thefts promptly.

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