When will the Southwest cue market come crashing down?

lenoxmjs

lenoxmjs

Brazilian Rosewood Fan
Silver Member
I personally don't get it. I don't see the prices that they are commanding as sustainable. They play well no doubt and they are made well but so are 1000's of other cues. Beyond that there really is nothing special about them IMO. (and yes I've owned several over the years and yes I could afford to buy at todays prices if I chose too) What am I missing?
 
When they catch up to orders, so pretty much never. The flipping market may slow or become far less profitable, but the actual shop selling all the cues they can make I doubt.
 
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Not anytime soon, SW is still in high demand.

Smart business if you ask me.
 
Are the makers at SW command high prices for cues right off the shop, or are dealers pricing at a good margin?
 
lenoxmjs said:
I personally don't get it. I don't see the prices that they are commanding as sustainable. They play well no doubt and they are made well but so are 1000's of other cues. Beyond that there really is nothing special about them IMO. (and yes I've owned several over the years and yes I could afford to buy at todays prices if I chose too) What am I missing?
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I too am missing alot,
Like what's so AMAZING about 4 points linen and bumperless hoppe by any maker,
Why do people WANT ivory in cues
And why plain Jane's cost a grand from someone I never heard of

The list of cue makers grows by the day
 
lenoxmjs said:
I personally don't get it. I don't see the prices that they are commanding as sustainable. They play well no doubt and they are made well but so are 1000's of other cues. Beyond that there really is nothing special about them IMO. (and yes I've owned several over the years and yes I could afford to buy at todays prices if I chose too) What am I missing?
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You're missing an understanding of the ongoing market dynamics and the popularity of the cues both here and overseas. SW maintains their quality standards and people have confidence that if they buy a SW they will most likely not take a beating on it when they decide to get out of it. There are very few cues I can say that about. No signs at this point of the market deflating or collapsing from what I can tell. Add to that anyone can order 2 cues a year and flip them for a profit. That also contributes to the pricing dynamics.
 
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Agree with most. Not anytime soon... Because of that, the longer the new cues sustain their value, the higher the JF era cues will go as well. Especially anything with ebony in them and even higher for all the ebony nosed cues and most of all his inlaid cues... An inlaid SW is high on my want list. May never get there but I just love those cues.
 
As long as the waiting list is in place, that market ain't going anywhere.

Next up, ask when Louis Vuitton products are going to go on sale...
 
I wonder, how many cues they make each year, an accurate estimate pls.

based on that, and ppl still have to wait 13years, then how many SW on the market? I am pretty sure there are no shortage in supply to drive the price high.
 
ctran said:
I wonder, how many cues they make each year, an accurate estimate pls.

based on that, and ppl still have to wait 13years, then how many SW on the market? I am pretty sure there are no shortage in supply to drive the price high.
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I'm certain there is a supply "shortage" or the the cues would sell for much less. 13 years is a long time to wait for a cue. It's nothing short of a miracle that the SW shop keeps humming along with high craft standards.

A totally different question is: If any particular cue or cue brand and pricing makes sense to the individual. That is a very personal matter. There are many cues and brands even at lower price points that I feel are not worth my money or time. There are a few higher end makers that I simply cannot understand how they get the prices they reportedly get from the shop. IMO, their cues have about 50% stupidity tax on them.
 
jazznpool said:
I'm certain there is a supply "shortage" or the the cues would sell for much less. 13 years is a long time to wait for a cue. It's nothing short of a miracle that the SW shop keeps humming along with high craft standards.

A totally different question is: If any particular cue or cue brand and pricing makes sense to the individual. That is a very personal matter. There are many cues and brands even at lower price points that I feel are not worth my money or time. There are a few higher end makers that I simply cannot understand how they get the prices they reportedly get from the shop. IMO, their cues have about 50% stupidity tax on them.
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Thanks for the explanation.

The way Dealers look at the question is quite different from Buyers imo. The argument "you would not get hit much financially trying to get out of SW" is not generally true.

I have friends who bought SW's for a fortune, keeping them in shape, years later they tried to sell even for break even price, no luck, some dealers contacted with low offers. well, there are those who are savvy, those who aren't so.

There are demand for SW's that meet certain "dealer's criteria", other SW's are not sought after at all.

I understand this fact narrows down the "acceptable supply".

I heard that SW market has been worked in a very smart way.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against anything here, just trying to learn new things. I myself admire SW work, I hope to get one but will stay close to my detailed requirements, I am on the list for a SW also.

Your "50% stupidity tax" is exactly what I believe is the best way to describe cues. and we can reduce that amount more the more we learn about cues.
 
Icons don't come crashing down. And, I don't use the word "icon" loosely.

I imagine all the 'jam-up' makers and Chinese production cloners who do little more than knock-off Southwest would take the worst of it if the market ever did crash.
 
For those who question how they play:

Do you think it was a fluke that Dennis chose to play a 100k match with a sw?

I swear Alex also used a sw the last time he played Scott for big money.

Both guys switched to their sponsors mid-match, but I don't think it was by choice.

Everyone know how the Taiwanese feel about the cues.
 
SW Cues will come down to earth with reasonable prices the same day American health care or insurance rates ever.... EVER drop in price.... ever.


Ever,

Lesh
 
PhilosopherKing said:
For those who question how they play:

Do you think it was a fluke that Dennis chose to play a 100k match with a sw?

I swear Alex also used a sw the last time he played Scott for big money.

Both guys switched to their sponsors mid-match, but I don't think it was by choice.

Everyone know how the Taiwanese feel about the cues.
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Which was the 100k match Dennis use a sw ?
I know he used a goncalo alves franklin sw many years ago till it warp n he wasnt able to find a replacement since before he went to tiger.


I think Alex was using a Ariel Carmeli playing scott for 50k.
Recently, he was using a carmeli willie hoppe titlist with a predator vantage shaft during the world pool masters.
He wasnt sponsored by either carmeli or predator.
 
One of Many

There are many aspects of the cue market that some find difficult to understand.

Why would someone pay $500-$1,200 for a cue from an unknown or relatively new cuemaker?

Why do some players like the combination of three dissimilar pieces of wood (forearm/handle/buttsleeve)?

Why do some people pay triple for a $200 cue made from Dymondwood?

Why do people criticize vintage cues assembled using hide glue but revere Titlist conversions?

A big reason is different tastes. Different things appeal to different people or conversely, not everyone likes the same thing.
 
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