Abandoned Cues

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PoolHawk21

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is it considered "bad form" to sell off cues that have been abandoned by customers? I have a few that were left several months ago, nothing real high-dollar and not by regular customers. I would never even consider selling off an obvious custom or higher-end cue, and if I knew the customer I would try to get in touch with them. I also don't feel that pool room owners are responsible for babysitting cues that careless people just leave and never come back for.
I do have a sign posted declining responsibility for personal items left over 15 days, and that abandoned cues may be sold after 30 days. Any opinions on this - or has this happened to you?
 
PoolHawk21 said:
Is it considered "bad form" to sell off cues that have been abandoned by customers? I have a few that were left several months ago, nothing real high-dollar and not by regular customers. I would never even consider selling off an obvious custom or higher-end cue, and if I knew the customer I would try to get in touch with them. I also don't feel that pool room owners are responsible for babysitting cues that careless people just leave and never come back for.
I do have a sign posted declining responsibility for personal items left over 15 days, and that abandoned cues may be sold after 30 days. Any opinions on this - or has this happened to you?
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We keep them for about a year or so. Then sell them in our clearance case. If the person didnt care enough to put their name on that $10 Budweiser cue and case they aren't really missing it. Expensive cues we have held for years. I think we have an old Viking for 20 years we have been holding.
 
I heard those cues can be little rascals to baby sit... cryin and whinein all the time wantin to be played with..... Seriously though why not just stick um over in the lost and found and forget about um
 
I actually just took over this room a few months back, and apparently that was the way the previous management did it. What we ended up with was an overflowing tub of 15-20 cues - the great majority of which were not even suitable to sell as "used". They were always in the way and I'm sure many cues were damaged from being shifted around all the time. I am also sort of a neat-freak, so if something is not serving a useful purpose it needs to be given a purpose or gotten rid of.
Another, more philosophical way of looking at it is that a pool cue was produced for a purpose, and if that cues' owner doesn't care enough than to just leave the cue in some pool room where it will be abandoned in a corner somewhere than the owner may not deserve to have a cue. The cue on the other hand, instead of being wasted can be handed on to another player who hopefully will take care of it. Sounds a bit silly, but pool cues were meant to be used, not to sit on a shelf.
But that is just how I see things, hence why I asked the question here. I respect all opinions, and love to hear different perspectives.
 
check to see if there are any junior players in your area. I'm sure the boys and girls would love to have them
 
That's a good point Bigjohn. I had also inherited a huge number of old house cues and ball sets, some of which I have already donated to local Scout/Church groups that have their own tables. I am sure at some point that aspiring young pool player with no money will walk in here - and take care of the cue that someone else abandoned like no other!
 
All of the real pool players I know would climb a mountain to get their cue back if they left it somewhere. I would say after 2 months if no one has come back to get the cue they won't be coming. If you have had cues for more than 6 months I say sell them or donate them somewhere. I have only left my cue behind once at the pool hall and I was there to greet the owner the next morning when she opened the doors to get it back.
 
unload them

PoolHawk21 said:
Is it considered "bad form" to sell off cues that have been abandoned by customers? I have a few that were left several months ago, nothing real high-dollar and not by regular customers. I would never even consider selling off an obvious custom or higher-end cue, and if I knew the customer I would try to get in touch with them. I also don't feel that pool room owners are responsible for babysitting cues that careless people just leave and never come back for.
I do have a sign posted declining responsibility for personal items left over 15 days, and that abandoned cues may be sold after 30 days. Any opinions on this - or has this happened to you?
Click to expand...

Ijust got rid of 20 cues and odd cases that had been around at least 20 yrs

I put an ad on craigs list giving them 30 days to come get them or they will be sold.

They were gone in one day,all of them for $200.00 one of my customers bought a cue lathe and was going to use them for parts and to learn

it was my storage fee for 20 years lol, never got any calls from the ad.

highrun55
 
Sounds like good advice. Of course I'm still trying to figure out how someone can close up their case and walk out the door with their cue still leaning up against the wall. Wouldn't you know as soon as you picked up your case that it was a little light? And then not realize for several months that you'd lost your cue? It's a strange world.
 
Homeless cues

PoolHawk21 said:
Sounds like good advice. Of course I'm still trying to figure out how someone can close up their case and walk out the door with their cue still leaning up against the wall. Wouldn't you know as soon as you picked up your case that it was a little light? And then not realize for several months that you'd lost your cue? It's a strange world.
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It does seem weird, but it happens all the time. We have many cues that are left behind, and some that are brought in for repairs and then never picked up. I also save them in a box, sometimes for years depending on the value, and eventually sell them or donate them to the Boys and Girls Club, the V.A., or homeless shelters whose tables I am working on. I've never had anyone come in and ask where his Sportcraft cue was that he left in the bathroom 5 years ago, but it wouldn't surprise me:rolleyes:
 
I think the "record" is an all red fiberglass cue we had for about 8 years some guy came back for...we still had it.
 
Cues

cueandcushion said:
I think the "record" is an all red fiberglass cue we had for about 8 years some guy came back for...we still had it.
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That's awesome! I would love to have seen his face when you handed it back to him. I had a girl one time who asked if she could leave her nice Stout cue at the pool hall because she was going to be gone for awhile and didn't trust her family. I asked her how long she was going to be gone for and she said "I'm not sure yet. It looks like 5-10 years." Ouch. (it ended up being only about 2).
 
We give "repair work" a year. "Forgotten" cues approx. the same time. Although I have had some over 10 years. As far as how could anybody forget a "real cue", "Ike" walked out with his case BUT NOT his cue Saturday night. That happens all the time, mostly with break/jump cues but once in a while with principle playing cues. "Ike" has a tendency to forget something every time he comes in. Cues, balls (brings his own sometime), water bottles, telephones, shirts, jackets, hats, gloves, shoes, powder, food, etc..etc.. (LOL). Even forgot the "stakes" a couple of times.
 
Holding Cues

We usually hold them for a few months and then sell them. Even if its high end, the person who leaves it for a few months doesn't care about it.
 
Robertson's said:
We usually hold them for a few months and then sell them. Even if its high end, the person who leaves it for a few months doesn't care about it.
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I think with a high end cue the person who left it behind probably thinks it was stolen and never thinks to ask because they just assume.
 
bobroberts said:
I think with a high end cue the person who left it behind probably thinks it was stolen and never thinks to ask because they just assume.
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That is probably the case, but you would think they would at least ask, or come by and see it in the case... they dont have a stick anymore so you know they are in the market for a new cue.
 
Guess I need to reply, no one gave my solution

If they are not worth a lot, I just put them out on the floor for the public to use. They love it when they think they got a great cue to play with.
 
Red Shoes said:
We give "repair work" a year. "Forgotten" cues approx. the same time. Although I have had some over 10 years. As far as how could anybody forget a "real cue", "Ike" walked out with his case BUT NOT his cue Saturday night. That happens all the time, mostly with break/jump cues but once in a while with principle playing cues. "Ike" has a tendency to forget something every time he comes in. Cues, balls (brings his own sometime), water bottles, telephones, shirts, jackets, hats, gloves, shoes, powder, food, etc..etc.. (LOL). Even forgot the "stakes" a couple of times.
Click to expand...

ike reynolds............if so the entourage should be able to remind him..lol
 
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