Lowballing prices

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
If your boss ask you to work next month for 75 .percent of your normal pay.

Negotiate

If that fails, I'm not losing a stable job over the matter
Got a family to feed and bills to pay
Rather lose 25 percent than 100 percent


It's just one month right? :p
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Another question, let's say you go to work, assuming you have a job, and your boss tells you, you have to work for 75 percent of your normal pay for the next month. How would feel ?
Sorry, I see no similarity at all between the cue situation and this other scenario you state above. You can take the offer for the cue, make a counter offer, or just reject the offer if you think you can get more for it - what's the problem?
 

desi2960

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The problem is

By offering me 3/4 of price, as a cue builder, which is my job, is exactly like your boss telling you at, your job, that you have to work this month for 3/4 of your normal pay.

I am trying to educate buyers, building and selling cues is a job for some people.
 

Joe_Jaguar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
By offering me 3/4 of price, as a cue builder, which is my job, is exactly like your boss telling you at, your job, that you have to work this month for 3/4 of your normal pay.

I am trying to educate buyers, building and selling cues is a job for some people.

It isn't the same thing whatsoever :scratchhead:

Haven't seen the cue you're talking about, but having one of your cues, you are probably right to be offended. But you decided unilaterally a price you wanted to sell at and what you thought it was worth, and some clown is just low balling you to see if you are desperate.
 

ShortBusRuss

Short Bus Russ - C Player
Silver Member
Another question, let's say you go to work, assuming you have a job, and your boss tells you, you have to work for 75 percent of your normal pay for the next month. How would feel ?

Depends. If your job is making x286 çhips for PCs that went out of fashion 20 years ago, then I'd say you were damn lucky to still have a job, even at 25% pay.

And if you haven't noticed.... That's kind of the situation with pool these days... No young people are playing the game. The only reason you are even able to make any money selling cues is because a bunch of old, nostalgic players have too much money and haven't died yet.

Enjoy it while you can.. One day the rainmakers who drove up your prices will all be dead, and the 25% offer you are whining about will be fair market price.

Short Bus Russ
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
By offering me 3/4 of price, as a cue builder, which is my job, is exactly like your boss telling you at, your job, that you have to work this month for 3/4 of your normal pay.

I am trying to educate buyers, building and selling cues is a job for some people.
Clearly you don't want to accept their offer, and that's perfectly fine. Hold out and sell your cue for what you feel comfortable with. I just don't think you'll get much sympathy here.
 

cueaddicts

AzB Gold Member
Silver Member
By offering me 3/4 of price, as a cue builder, which is my job, is exactly like your boss telling you at, your job, that you have to work this month for 3/4 of your normal pay.

I am trying to educate buyers, building and selling cues is a job for some people.

Sadly, some are uneducatable lol. Just gotta tell them no and move on.
 

Ched

"Hey ... I'm back"!
Silver Member
You seem to be upset that someone is offering you $300 for a cue that you put up at $400. If you don't want to sell it at that price, either make a counter offer - or just say no. Maybe tell him that $375 is the lowest you can go given the time and material you have invested - but I wouldn't get all bent out of shape over him offering less than your asking price. If you sell items for any length of time - you become used to "offers". I just don't see that anything offensive has been done to you.
 

jimmyco

NRA4Life
Silver Member
When you advertise in an area predominantly represented by pre-own goods, you should expect this. If it is from your own website, then you are not out of line to feel offended.

Also, free For Sale sites such as Craigslist and enthusiast forums like this one may bring out high ask prices, since sellers are not concerned with renewal fees. Hence, a low offer to counter a high ask.

Consider the vehicle you are advertising in and gauge your feelings accordingly.
 

Cuebuddy

Mini cues
Silver Member
Its tough when you put hard work into a cue, the materials and time add up. But there is more to it for some of us who build cues, you put your heart into the cue and then come up with a price that is way less than you feel its worth. Its a given that if the cue was priced where the cue maker feels is fair then the price would turn everyone off.

So we come up with a price that we feel is too low for the amount of work that was put into the cue but we need to sell it so we can do it again. When someone offers less then we were asking it seems like a kick in the shorts but sadly that is the reality of the market for most.

That's why I make cues and then just keep them for myself:p:eek:
 

maha

from way back when
Silver Member
why be insulted. besides sometimes people ask for a lower price as maybe it may work but then pay full price if they want it bad enough. so you would get insulted and chase him away.
those that are insulted do you just pay full price at the car lot or when you buy a car.
or most anything where you deal with the owner. thats where you ask for a lower price.

when you buy a house or if you ever do you are a fool if you just say ill take it instead of offering less.
a cue stick from the owner is no different.
 

Jimmorrison

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Someone is interested in your cue. They obviously like your work. This is not an insult. Thank them for the offer, and let them know, you can't let it go for less then 400.
 

cuesblues

cue accumulator
Silver Member
If I were to say I turned down 400 trade offers in 2017, that would be conservative.
Obviously I'm not a cuemaker, never put on a tip, but I sell a lot of custom cues, including my entire 150 cue collection before I started over.

I highly doubt anyone could top the insulting. offensive, and disrespectful trade offers I've had.
I could write a book about it.
75% cash is a workable offer these days, and whether you feel it is or isn't, that is the beauty of sales.
You can say yes or no but it's still an offer, and cash offers can be turned in to a sale most of the time.
The trade offers are the only bad offers.
 
By offering me 3/4 of price, as a cue builder, which is my job, is exactly like your boss telling you at, your job, that you have to work this month for 3/4 of your normal pay.



I am trying to educate buyers, building and selling cues is a job for some people.



Understood. So mark up your cues by 10% and take out the middle man. That’s good business.


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jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If your boss ask you to work next month for 75 .percent of your normal pay.

That's a apple to oranges.

People already have agreements with their salary.

Like I said before.....if he ordered the cue with the agreed price then no, you should get the agreed upon price.

On the other hand, if the cue is one you already had and are just trying to sell it..well, it should not be considered offensive to make a offer of 25% off your asking.

Btw, did you ask him if he was willing to give 375 or even 350?

Custom cues are not sought after or even looked at the same these days.

He'll, the average Joe in most all pool rooms can't tell the difference between top tier and cheapest of the customs.

Its just the way it is thanks to economy not to mention there are production cues in the $300 range that play very well........and most importantly the average Joe has heard of the (common) brand.

Most all room goers know of McDermott, pechauer, Predator, players etc.... but mention Scruggs and the like and 80% don't know what or who it is.

That's just the way things are now.
 
If I were to say I turned down 400 trade offers in 2017, that would be conservative.

Obviously I'm not a cuemaker, never put on a tip, but I sell a lot of custom cues, including my entire 150 cue collection before I started over.



I highly doubt anyone could top the insulting. offensive, and disrespectful trade offers I've had.

I could write a book about it.

75% cash is a workable offer these days, and whether you feel it is or isn't, that is the beauty of sales.

You can say yes or no but it's still an offer, and cash offers can be turned in to a sale most of the time.

The trade offers are the only bad offers.



Ok....I believe I purchased a cue from you. But, listen. We don’t get to pick up your cues. We can’t hold them. Some of us often get stuck with what a picture reveals. You have no store front. Some don’t even have a web page. You have zero overhead. Many make a living at marking up cues in an insane margin. If car makers marked up cars that much they would have 8 cars on a lot. Who loses? The consumer. So feel insulted if you must. Reality you are making a living off minimal effort of the skin of those that.....gulp....just want to play these cues and have zero interest in flipping them. Maybe in 10 years after use at a reasonable price you make your money back and extend to another player whom can appreciate the cue. What is being done to cues these days is the extend of a Faberge Egg. An item you pay a high price for but are afraid to even hold. That’s not what a pool cue is about.


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Johnsms3

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is offering a cue builder 75 percent of asking price on a new custom unplayed one of one cue a fair offer ?

Or is it an insult ?

There isn't a problem with making an offer regardless of what that offer is. The cue maker or seller can always say no.

I've been trying to sell a Harley Davidson Leather jacket for the last 3 years. I'm asking $200 for it and was offered $5 for it. I said no thank you, but that is the only offer I've gotten.
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you want guaranteed wages making cues, get a W-2 job working in a cue making factory.

If you want to be your own boss, and make cues, expect people to negotiate with you. Its the same as any other industry that sells goods and services. Hell, you can even negotiate with your cable company.

Happy cue making to you:)
 

MattPoland

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is offering a cue builder 75 percent of asking price on a new custom unplayed one of one cue a fair offer ?



Or is it an insult ?


This is a matter of taste and opinion. There’s no absolutes here. Other artists face the same thing. Sometimes they are asked to produce a piece for free for exposure.

The answer varies based on how ignorant or shrewd the buyer is and how in-demand or desperate the seller is. Similar negotiations go on all the time and the outcomes vary greatly.

It’s almost as tough to be profitable (and thankless) to be a cue builder as it is to be a professional pool player.


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