Are new axles supposed to be hard to move?

I bought some EF ones off a guy and they looked new so I took his word for it...got home and they are really notchy and hard to turn in a circle.

I can bend the outer joint in any direction but if I bend it and try to turn it it feels like it gets stuck.

Is this normal or did I get bad axles?

I remember new ones from advance auto were firm but could go around in a circle when twisted to one side