A question for the Cue and Case makers

Good post.
I'm in cue repair, not a cuemaker, but I have been guilty of exactly what you described.
Except for dealers, the majority of these pristine custom cues don't get flipped for profit.
Sometimes the buyer doesn't like the hit, or needs money to pay for another cue.
By the time you drop the price a couple of times and pay for shipping, you have lost money.
It's all part of the cue addiction, which is healthy for the cue industry IMO.
There is nothing wrong with all of this flipping & trading that goes on in the wanted / for sale forum.
Whether or not it bothers the cuemakers, I can't wait to find out><

If you were a salesman and wanted to sell an item you had on order as soon as you get it to make a profit, would you not describe how long it took to make, and the materials used and how spectacular it came out? It is just sales and alot of people are on here primarily to flip cues and cases.

I for instance do not even know how many cues I own. I really have never counted them. I sold two Joss cues yesterday that I took in on trade and never even played with them. So what I am saying is that I do not need a cue to play with. If I did I would build it myself. But if I take one in on trade I am looking to sell it unless I think I would like to keep it in my collection.

I rarely try to sell a used cue on AZ so I am not defending myself, but just showing you why it happens like it does. I just put them on my used cues page on my website and show them to local customers. Many never make it to my site. For instance one of those two Joss cues was on my site and the other was not and I never offered either on on AZ.

sharond said:

I see this a lot on this site and it drives me crazy . . . But I'm not a maker of anything, just wondering how you feel about it . . .

So many AZers custom order these beautiful cues and cases. They brag about how long it took, and the materials used and how spectacular it came out . . . Then they post it for sale. They didn't even use it. Sometimes they're selling it before they even get it in their hands.

Does it bother you to make something so special and unique for one individual with special requests and they ultimately don't even want it except to make a quick profit?

I know that some AZers make no pretense. They order a bunch of cues/cases with the sole intention of being a distributor/salesperson. Others post like they finally got the cue of their dreams that they've been waiting 5 years to finally see their design realized . . . Then they let it go before they enjoy it.

I've bought several items from some great cue/case makers here, and you will have to pry them out of my cold dead hands before I part with them.

Click to expand...

Once the cue is in the buyer's hand he can do whatever he wants and is unavoidable if he turns it around. If he haggles over the price and then re-sells it I'm sure the particular cuemaker will remember him next time. All of this going back and forth does help spread the maker's name, supports and increases the price of his cues.

In the case of those who order 4 or 5 cues usually there's some kind of special pricing, some are dealers others are trying to take advantage of current prices and demand. As a cuemaker you don't have to like it, and most probably don't but you have to be aware of pricing and adjust your own prices.

Mario

Hi,

I agree with Mario's views.

As a cue maker I sell custom cues to people that order and design them in a very detailed way. I make sure that I sell my new cues for less than the secondary market is bearing for my cues.

This gives certain customers the opportunity to flip the cue and make about 300.00 on a 2000.00 custom.

So in the end I discount my price schedule the fancier the the cue gets. I don't do this with plain Janes or simpler plain cues without inlays or points, ect. If someone wants 40 inlays on a cue I can afford to give them 1/3 off for inlay labor and material because of the volume of inlays.

So in the end a flipper of cues who orders a cue from me can turn it and make money if they are so inclined. If they sell it for more money they are helping the value of the secondary market for my cues and this helps all of my former customers or people who bought cues from them.

Also when I get a multiple cue order, this deserves a discount which also creates more customer value based on economies of scale.

The best business occurs when all parties involved win.

People who don't flip their cues and use them as their players is where I get the most satisfaction from building cues. People who flip cues love to do deals and trades because they enjoy the action of the deal. I look at it like when we used to collect and trade baseball cards as kids. Same idea only a lot more money involved.

JMO,

Rick

I was told long ago by two master craftsmen of cues and cases. Plus i've heard the same from every restoration guy about cars. You can't fall in love with them. You provide a service for a price. If you do fall in love and get offended when someone sells your stuff, don't bother selling it in the first place.