Your thoughts on outrageous cue prices

The kids and grandkids will never appreciate or
cherish our cues as we do.
We know the history. There's a provenance with our cues. Blood sweat and tears went into some of them and the youngsters are clueless unless we besige them with tales of old. Even then there's a disconnect. They can't understand.
So imo, they will wind up selling Daddy's cues or Grandaddy's cues bcuz the attachment just ain't thar. Something got lost along the way.😭
You'd be surprised how many younger individuals I talk with that have an interest in billiards history. It's up to you and me and everyone that loves the industry to point them in the right direction and make sure it stay's alive.
Look at bell bottom jeans...who would have thunk they would have ever made a come back. Levi jeans? some of the first ones ever made you may have to take out a second mortgage on your house if you wanted to buy a pr. And people don't even wear them, they only display them!
Hmmmm, sounds like some people I know with their cue collections 😁
 
Everyone has different priorities and different piles of cash.

You like something exotic and have the cash it's very nice to own a special -- pool cue, car, jewelry, home, etc. Ya don't, you do the best you can and often that turns out to be a really good alternative.

Lou Figueroa
 
Even a year ago a simple merry widow was 500 to 750 from many cuemakers. Now it's 1000 to 2000. Thats not inflation, it's gouging. People put up a 10 year joss on facebook for what a new one costs. I wanted to get a scruggs. I backed off. Not gonna pay those prices. Just saw a titleist conversion by tascarella for 4500. Not me. Not ever. What you think?
I agree that the prices wildly vary on multiple factors. Best thing to do is wait for a cue you want and make an offer. Sometimes you win, other times you lose. Worse thing the seller can do is call you a tire kicking low baller. ;););)
 
big firms cannot buy up enough to seriously affect the real estate market. thats a fallacy repeated often enough to be adopted.

it would only increase more building in that area or nearby. anytime old starts approaching new. new gets built quickly and will bring down the value of older.
That is absolutely false. There has been extensive news reporting on ABC, CBS & PBS, even the BBC has reported about America’s housing shortage that drives the rising cost of rental properties. Homes for sale, if they meet the profile of these large real estate investors, are frequently not even making it to the RE multiple listings.

Prominent realtors know these institutional buyers will purchase the home, based on the location and locale. So these RE firms establish a connection and immediately contact these firms presenting the information and these homes get purchased fast. There’s a national shortage of homes which allows existing landlords to charge exorbitant rental prices.

Landlords are increasing the rental rate to the maximum allowed every single chance they get to do it. Home owners generally don’t understand the rental market nor do they need to when they are looking to sell their home. They just want a good offer to accept and close the deal fast. So these big firms are absolutely affecting the rental market which is a huge part of the overall real estate industry. Just do basic research and see the annual change in average rents, perhaps not in Podunk or rural America but absolutely wherever there is large population that have a much greater need for rental properties. There are so many families that need a home versus an apartment but they can’t a qualify for a mortgage but have the income to handle a rental rate for a home. And landlords of apartment buildings get to charge any amount they want for a new vacancy. If they decide to change the newly vacant apt. rent from $1100 to $2000, it is legal to do that but with a lease renewal, the increase rate is governed by local statute, at least in California. I’m not exaggerating the seriousness of this because seniors with limited incomes are hit the hardest. New York also has similar laws and for all I know, perhaps most other states do.
 
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That is absolutely false. There has been extensive news reporting on ABC, CBS & PBS, even the BBC has reported about America’s housing shortage that drives the rising cost of rental properties. Homes for sale, if they meet the profile of these large real estate investors, are frequently not even making it to the RE multiple listings.

Prominent realtors know these institutional buyers will purchase the home, based on the location and locale. So these RE firms establish a connection and immediately contact these firms presenting the information and these homes get purchased fast. There’s a national shortage of homes which allows existing landlords to charge exorbitant rental prices.

Landlords are increasing the rental rate to the maximum allowed every single chance they get to do it. Home owners generally don’t understand the rental market nor do they need to when they are looking to sell their home. They just want a good offer to accept and close the deal fast. So these big firms are absolutely affecting the rental market which is a huge part of the overall real estate industry. Just do basic research and see the annual change in average rents, perhaps not in Podunk or rural America but absolutely wherever there is large population that have a much greater need for rental properties. There are so many families that need a home versus an apartment but they can’t a qualify for a mortgage but have the income to handle a rental rate for a home. And landlords of apartment buildings get to charge any amount they want for a new vacancy. If they decide to change the newly vacant apt. rent from $1100 to $2000, it is legal to do that but with a lease renewal, the increase rate is governed by local statute, at least in California. I’m not exaggerating the seriousness of this because seniors with limited incomes are hit the hardest. New York also has similar laws and for all I know, perhaps most other states do.
I don't think you are gonna convince many people on this site, as some people by way of their political affiliations, simply are never going to admit that the rich (unless said rich people lean left politically), are manipulating the system and literally stealing money from the rest of the populace.

These people believe that Adam Smith's governing principles are still in effect in America. To admit they are not would require them to take a stance against the uber rich in America, which goes against the propaganda they have ingested for decades.
 
I don't think you are gonna convince many people on this site, as some people by way of their political affiliations, simply are never going to admit that the rich (unless said rich people lean left politically), are manipulating the system and literally stealing money from the rest of the populace.

These people believe that Adam Smith's governing principles are still in effect in America. To admit they are not would require them to take a stance against the uber rich in America, which goes against the propaganda they have ingested for decades.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about supply and demand and those are just irrefutable facts.
 
well if the big buyers are buying up the houses for sale for rentals that would drive down the price of rentals as the market would be flooded.
supply and demand determines the rental market.

one reason the rental prices are rising is because of interest rates going up.(not the whole) reason. and that means it costs more to own a rental property. and more people are wanting rentals with higher interest rates as renting is more affordable than owning at present. so that drives up the demand for rentals.

all the different aspects work together to determine prices.
a bunch of billionaire companies cant make a giant change in housing prices or rentals. there are just too many.
 
well if the big buyers are buying up the houses for sale for rentals that would drive down the price of rentals as the market would be flooded.
supply and demand determines the rental market.

one reason the rental prices are rising is because of interest rates going up.(not the whole) reason. and that means it costs more to own a rental property. and more people are wanting rentals with higher interest rates as renting is more affordable than owning at present. so that drives up the demand for rentals.

all the different aspects work together to determine prices.
a bunch of billionaire companies cant make a giant change in housing prices or rentals. there are just too many.
Again... You are not paying attention to what is being reported on this issue. The institutional investors are NOT flooding the market with the houses they are buying. They are boosting the rents through the stratosphere on half their properties.. And are sitting on the other half, as the values go through the roof due to current scarcity.

Home builders can't necessarily take the risk of just building a bunch of new homes, because as they get anywhere close to building enough homes to drive down scarcity, the institutional investors can take their profits on the half they are sitting on, crushing the profits of the builders, by dumping portions of their portfolio in areas where builders are making a concerted effort.. And if builders try and build anyways, and get partway through and the market falls out from under them due to the institutional investor property dumps... Guess who gets to swoop in and buy the half-built/just-built homes at a discount? That's right.. The institutional investors.

This is pure and simple a matter of "manufactured scarcity". Look at the article I linked above. If there wasn't all sorts of f**kery going on... These businesses wouldn't be investing in lobbyists to keep things humming along just as they are.
 
Seen it lived it felt it. 401K's were turned into 201K's over night. 2008-2011 was brutal in the real market for some and a God sent for others. Prices dropped considerably. Depending on when you bought and were you gonna live in it or flip decided if you won or lost.
I don't see that debacle ever happening again. Prices will always fluctuate but as far a bubble bursting in the housing market?
Diversify your portfolio and you'll be fine.
I'm certainly no prognosticator but I did sleep at a holiday inn express once!

I lived 08 as well and fared well. We are about ready for another roller coaster ride i think.
 
Even a year ago a simple merry widow was 500 to 750 from many cuemakers. Now it's 1000 to 2000. Thats not inflation, it's gouging. People put up a 10 year joss on facebook for what a new one costs. I wanted to get a scruggs. I backed off. Not gonna pay those prices. Just saw a titleist conversion by tascarella for 4500. Not me. Not ever. What you think?

20 years ago when I started playing, I bought a Predator sneaky pete with green veneers and a wrap (SPJLW). I bought it for around $350. Nowadays, to get a similar Predator sneaky with a wrap is at least $800 😂 probably over $1k if you want a carbon shaft.

Gotta hand it to Predator though 🤷🏼‍♂️ they do a great job marketing. There’s never been a time in my life where i’ve seen so many low rank players with over 1k worth of equipment lol
 
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This isn’t about politics. It’s about supply and demand and those are just irrefutable facts.
Supply and demand doesn't apply if a specific buyer or set of buyers can engineer the system so that they have first opportunity to buy an asset before it is openly available on the market. Which is what the institutional investors are doing with the housing market.
 
well if the big buyers are buying up the houses for sale for rentals that would drive down the price of rentals as the market would be flooded.
supply and demand determines the rental market.

one reason the rental prices are rising is because of interest rates going up.(not the whole) reason. and that means it costs more to own a rental property. and more people are wanting rentals with higher interest rates as renting is more affordable than owning at present. so that drives up the demand for rentals.

all the different aspects work together to determine prices.
a bunch of billionaire companies cant make a giant change in housing prices or rentals. there are just too many.
OMG……anyone buying up properties controls the price of the rental……right?
And there has been a housing shortage for some time now. When there is a shortage
in anything, demand drives the price up and it can skyrocket. Have you forgotten the
pandemic? So until supply catches up with demand or in this instance more new homes
are built, the rental rates for homes due to shortage is going to create added new problems.

Now some may think I’m making this shit up. Well, I am not and my background was in
finance, worked at 3 major banks in NYC, Dallas and SF. I know what I am talking about.

So here are just some facts and graphic illustrations that I’m sure most readers of this
post would not be familiar with. If you are, you’re either in concurrence with me or nuts.
This is what t commerce is all about and the marketplace is in serious trouble for consumers.
 

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