AZ Billiards~ Yesterday-vs-Today

ToomnyQs

ToomnyQs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am interested to know what the general consensus is among AZ'ers.. Is this site getting better or worse? When I started frequenting this site there were cues from any maker you could think of.. Now it has become a rarity to see a variety of good cues for sale.. I know the market sucks, but has the new breed of AZ'er created this "New Market"???... (Oh yea, I have a very nice 70's Adams AH-22 for sale below..The cue is like new..Still has the AH-22 sticker on the butt..Full size shaft..SOLD

The link below is a very good example of how to consolidate 6 threads into one..(Good job Rich) A few AZ'ers could use this information..

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=286227
 

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Nice cue and yes not much real nice stuff on anymore I think it has to do with the economy ! I have posted a few rare high end cases without any luck! Seems like a waste of time unless you want to trade or sell it at half price! I see a few nice ones from some but they don't seem to sell either! Looks like eBay is doing better lately...
 
Fewer and fewer buyers (& interested in pool in general).....more and more cues & cases. We were bound to get there.
 
I think people are beginning to realize there is no magic cue
and are keeping what they have unless there search has lead
them to buying 5 or 6 cues, that now they need to get rid
of for financial reasons.
 
IMO, a combination of things, but we are where you stated we are.

1. Soft market means lower prices...I think that a lot of folks are simply not listing their custom cues and won't, until the market comes back somewhat. The real problem is if they never come back and move on to another outlet.

2. Not as many buyers...a lot of the guys who were buyers are the guys not listing right now...maybe they will come back.

3. The "new" breed of AZBer hawking the used production cues at near retail prices, etc. Nothing wrong with it, but a few years back, AZ was pretty much all custom cues.

4. Loss of interest...the bad market has caused many "flippers" to stop flipping...not much, if any, profit to be made at this time. Also, the pool economy has been hurt, also. I know that here in my area, we have lost several pool rooms over the last couple of years. I used to play leagues 5 nights a week, now, I am not playing any APA ot TAP leagues, only the Senior Master's League on Fridays.

5. Just too many knowledgable AZBers not posting at this time. That means that many of the fun converstaions are missing...I miss those more than the cue postings.

Joe
 
As for me, I agree with all of the post but mostly with this one. It's true there aren't any magic cues. We are all looking for a well made cue that plays well and holds it's value in case we quit playing or have to sell for some unforseen reason. I have been through so many cues ...some of which I sold so I could purchase another and wish I would have kept the one I had. I'm sure there are many of us in that boat. I've now gone full circle and am always looking for old school style 4 pointers with veneers. I own a few flashy cues and never play with them for one reason or another..Cues have been a hobby with me for over 30 yrs. I've enjoyed buying and selling and trying out the various cues looking for that Magic Cue. I found a few that came close.. but in the end...making the balls was all up to me!
scsuxci said:
I think people are beginning to realize there is no magic cue
and are keeping what they have unless there search has lead
them to buying 5 or 6 cues, that now they need to get rid
of for financial reasons.
Click to expand...
 
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a lot of the standup azers are not around lately. lot more little or no feedback tirekickers and too much junk as joe stated w/ near retail prices. the auctions were a valuable tool in these tuff times, especially on the higher end cues.
 
New policies like the anti-bumping rule has hurt a little.
I miss the days when a cuemaker would get pumped up on the forum.
It was exciting to see the prices go through the roof.
I often reminisce about quite a few cues purchased back in the good ole days.
In fact I still have most of those cues, anybody want to buy a ________ cue.
 
ToomnyQs said:
I am interested to know what the general consensus is among AZ'ers.. Is this site getting better or worse? When I started frequenting this site there were cues from any maker you could think of.. Now it has become a rarity to see a variety of good cues for sale.. I know the market sucks, but has the new breed of AZ'er created this "New Market"???... (Oh yea, I have a very nice 70's Adams AH-22 for sale below..The cue is like new..Still has the AH-22 sticker on the butt..Full size shaft..$170 Shipped USA

The link below is a very good example of how to consolidate 6 threads into one..(Good job Rich) A few AZ'ers could use this information..

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=286227
Click to expand...


I don't claim to be one of the "OG's" of this site, but I've
been around for a while. What I've noticed from when I first started to now
is there seems to be a lot less cues that I personally find desireable. I've
also noticed an influx of new members who for whatever reason, have 10
items for sale and decide they must start 10 different threads to sell their
10 different magazines or whatever it is they have for sale, instead of just
including them all in one for sale thread. The new rules that have also been
implemented due to the abuse of "bumping" one's items was necessary in
my opinion due to the aforementioned behavior. So we have the choice of
a) adapting to the new world order, or b) not visiting the site any longer...
 
Oh for sure the site has changed. And with popularity, things have become more general and less elite, which is both good and bad.

The negativity here has become a bit tiresome, and I think, it has gone a long way to soften the market.

I still sell a few cues, but quite often I just put them on eBay and don't even bother to post them here. The results are pretty much the same and I spare the silly trade offers, low ball offers and negative comments from the grudge-holders.

Thanks

Kevin
 
I thought

I might be wrong but this past Jan. weren't the cue brokers who really had all the nice cues forbidden to post here,that this forum was for the person selling their own cues?When was the last time we have had a chance to see cues from Fourkings cues,Cues to you,Cue 4you,Surman,etc.etc.It seems like they really had the unique cues and they spurred others to sell theirs to move up.Now we see a parade of production cues for the most part.I do agree the economony has not helped but the cue brokers would let you do a cash and trade.I miss seeing the high end cues.
 
being a NOOBIE, I would have to agree with all the points stated that I am able to agree with,
such as the one thread, theres the people who have 15 damn threads and the sell a different color tip shaper in each one[over exaggeration but you get the idea]

I would like to think if money comes back into the economy as a whole the pool eco will benefit quite a lot.

My primary and backup cue is a Schon, I dont have money or enough skill to justify owning a custom. I am also very happy with the way it plays.
As for trading, Im a college student money comes very infrequently to me, right now I have 9$ until wednesday and no food in my apartment. So spending a few hundred on a cue is not really a possibility. As well I dont know if there use to be scams like there are now and all the issues and dramatic shit that goes on, but I do have to state when a community gets to large it is destine to happen. As well the low end production cues, those that are looking to trade and add cash you can not complain about. But those that come on here and sell 5000 lucky mcdermotts and post a different thread for each one... it gets a little obnoxious.

If anyone disagrees with something I said please let me know and educate me.


very pretty cue.
 
I know I have a few investment quality stunners that I am holding onto, till the prices go back up a bit.

When I see a PfD that should be selling for $1500 listed at $900, then unsold at $8, well, just makes me mumble.
 
whut fukcing collidge?!:eek:

jmf041 said:
being a NOOBIE, I would have to agree with all the points stated that I am able to agree with,
such as the one thread, theres the people who have 15 damn threads and the sell a different color tip shaper in each one[over exaggeration but you get the idea]

I would like to think if money comes back into the economy as a whole the pool eco will benefit quite a lot.

My primary and backup cue is a Schon, I dont have money or enough skill to justify owning a custom. I am also very happy with the way it plays.
As for trading, Im a college student money comes very infrequently to me, right now I have 9$ until wednesday and no food in my apartment. So spending a few hundred on a cue is not really a possibility. As well I dont know if there use to be scams like there are now and all the issues and dramatic shit that goes on, but I do have to state when a community gets to large it is destine to happen. As well the low end production cues, those that are looking to trade and add cash you can not complain about. But those that come on here and sell 5000 lucky mcdermotts and post a different thread for each one... it gets a little obnoxious.

If anyone disagrees with something I said please let me know and educate me.


very pretty cue.
Click to expand...
 
The rules here only protect the seller's interests. Anyone new to the sport is treated like a mark, and the in-group mentality and club members here only strengthens the exclusionary attitudes.

If you want pool to grow as a sport, you have to motivate people to enter the sport and help their appreciation grow. But almost everything I've seen is a series of vultures looking to extract money. I get that it's a betting sport, but that doesn't justify trying to scam anyone.

I see no merit in preventing an earnest discussion, even on the price of a cue. Flipping cues should be discouraged, or at the very least not protected, as it does nothing but hurt the over-all enthusiasm for trade.

I've never gotten a straight deal on a single cue. Not once, whether it's in person or on-line. And I've given good cues away(Cochran, Predator, Meucci Original, etc.) to people who have then turned around and tried to sell me on some hunk of warped shit. I'm more interested in being a part of a community than I am in hanging around people who want to take me for a ride.

In short, if you want to fix the growing problems, start dealing with people on the straight. Say what you actually think the cue is worth. Low-ballers stop when high-balling stops.
 
IMO....The Forum Has Morphed!

When I initially joined the Forum, it was like Nirvana when it came to pool cues. So many different cues were being presented for sale and there were a lot more high end cues. For readers of my post, I'm thinking a high end cue is one that sells for $1500 or more and there weren't another dozen copies of the cue floating around somewhere else. That's not to imply cues that do not match that criteria do not qualify as a high end cue. That's just my randomly assigned description to help illustrate my point.

The first cue I bought through the Forum was from Jim Murphy and it was an early Joss West cue I paid approx. $1700. His original thread, which had great photos of the cue, wasn't attacked over the cue's description, or the price or anything like that. All of the posts about the cue were positive and in fact, most of the posts about cues in general that were listed for sale on the Forum invoked positive feedback via posting and criticism was very rare.

Jim was just a great person to work with and so it was with my next 2 cue purchases which happened via other Forum members. But then things started to change. The higher end cues became much, much fewer in number and also the number of esteemed cue-makers diminished as well along with the cues being listed were less ornate and of a more simple design. Accompanying that change was also a more pronounced behavior by Forum members to attack and criticize another's cue listing and the arrogance of some of these opinions, which were unwarranted and unjustifiied, were vicious and all too often ignorantly expressed. It seems everyone is a cue expert nowadays even though the person in question isn't even qualified to explain the difference bewteen a piloted cue joint and a flat faced version. What I'm saying is the so-called self-proclaimed pundits are hardly what they claim to be.

Now let me be the first to admit that I have not always walked the staright line with my posts and have engaged in exchanging barbs with other forum members. But I've learned to do that via PM versus using a public forum post. But sadly, even that doesn't always work. I recall a recent episode where I had embarassed another Forum member over his rant by calling him and so I sent him a private message. So what does the coward do? He publicly posted my private PM message and tries to portray me unfavorably on the Forum because I used some unsavory terms with him in my private message. He wanted to tweet back & forth debating this thru the Forum which I refused to do with him. He was just a coward, and an ignorant one at that, but that's neither here not there. It merely points out that there are a lot more trouble-makers on the Forum than when I joined. Heck, I wouldn't be surpised to read someone calling me that with a thread reply to this post. One thing I am not is dishonest, untruthful, or hypocritical........I am not without sin but I haven't been an active sinner for awhile......and I "always" call things as I see them......mcuh to the chagrin of some others.

The Moderators on the Forum my be trying hard but the let's remember that the Forum enacted new rules a year ago and the rules are not being obeyed or even consistently enforced. So when there's no traffic cops on the road......people will speed and make illegal turns etc. The Forum has morphed into a different entity than when I first joined and it's become almost a garage sale for anything imaginable with barter offers etc. I don't think things will change in the future and my search for buying another cue right now concentrates on using other sites. I still browse the Forum but really haven't any hopes of ever finding the cue I want. And my price range shouldn't be a limiting factor as my budget is $2-3k range. I'm just fussy about which cue-makers I'd consider and there's fewer of their cues....a whole bunch less if any at all.......being listed on the Forum for sale nowadays versus 2-3 years ago. And that's frustrating for me as a potential cue-buyer.

So that's my take on how the Forum has changed and you may or may not agree with my thoughts. However, if you've been a cue buyer over the recent years via the Forum, you probably have witnessed the changes I've described. There are still many Forum members that are a joy to work with but the mood and tone on the Forum has evolved into a very different environment than when I initially joined.

Matt B.
 
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buyer market

I agreed that the market is kind of dried up and over supplied but there are still some great deals to be had for those that are still looking to buy a playing cues or know what they're buying.

Overall, I think the issue has to do more with the marketing of the game of pool....it's a dying game/sport. Lots of pool halls closing every week so their not as many places for some to play let alone buy a cue. If the game was marketed better...we'll have new blood to this game that would be looking for cues. Right now, I'm sure that most pool players already all has at least 1 playing cue already so who else can you sell a cue to?

Asia is where most of the new demand of cues are now and they are growing rapidly but they are also over supplied.

Regards,
Duc.
 
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