billiards_watch
Well-known member
I got a JB and its the best.
Does it seem like everyone is a Flipper / Reseller these days?
- Thread starter vintagecollectibles831
- Start date
I won’t say that I bought a Gus Szamboti cue for $1200.00 dollars my Dad thought I was crazy. Played it for 18 years sold it for $7000.00. Had Barry build me a cue bought it for $2000.00 sold it for $3500.00. Searing built me a cue for about $2500.00 sold it for $6000.00. I’ve never lost $$$ on a cue but than again I don’t purchase mass marketed cues. If I had all the cues I have had built, Gus, Barry, Searing, Mike Bender, Bill Schick, Southwest, Kiekle, Jerry Rauenzahn, Gina, Blackcreek, Hercek, a few less known. Wish I’d of kept them all. You buy quality not Joss, McDermott, Viking, Schön (unless Runde). If you purchase a custom cue from even a lesser known builder you should always assuming you care for it well recoup your orginal investment, unless you are needing the undos (NOW)!!
My cues are Runde, barhhart, jim pierce, gilbert, and if he ever gets around to it, drexler. I'm not expecting any huge portfolio performance. I think those days are over. They all hit better than my jacoby and pechauers although im messing with a pechauer sneaky right now that seems to beat the rest when i practice. Ironically, my cheapest player at 315 shipped. I just purchased a schmelke break cue that ,for 200 made to my specs, will work well compared to a 1000 breaker. If schmelke can be happy with that profit, predator must be ecstatic at their con game. I have found that I prefer a custom makers standard cue shaft to carbon fiber. I only buy the less expensive cues from makers. Thats what I like and I'm thinking they perform as well as the more ornate. I see beauty in the wood.
Mr. Joshua
Registered
JB leather cases are a great value, but you take it too far by calling the other makers' cases junk. RM may have been one of the best carvers and casemakers in the country when he was active. I don't think John would disagree.
Everything seems to come down to timing and opportunity. Certainly the secondary market, I.e., resale market, changes from time to time based on buyers economics. I never met anyone that needed to spend a lot on money on a pool cue but I encountered a lot that wanted to. A person’s disposable income comes into play deciding what they can afford to spend.
I had Jerry R. build me a couple of cues. I like how they turned out and the way they play. I never intended to sell the cues and picked Jerry as the cue maker because I admired his workmanship and we got along famously. Then he decides to retire. So no more Jerry R. cues. Whatever has been built over the years, that’s it. The same could be said of my Scruggs cue. I paid a reasonable amount 15 years ago and now Tim isn’t with us any longer. I never thought to myself, Hmn….maybe I should get this cue before Tim has any health issues. So my cue went up in value. How much?
The only way of guesstimating is to do what realtors do. Run the comps and see what has happened recently. But the
problem with cues is there often aren’t enough comps on comparable design cues by the same cue maker that have
recently sold. Then it becomes an emotional argument between the buyer and seller if and when they are far apart on
the selling price. Cues are funny. Sellers overprice and buyers underprice and somewhere in between is where sales get made. One thing that affects cue values is what active cue makers are now charging versus 7-10 years ago. And their costs have escalated so they are charging more than a decade ago thus raising the value of their earlier built cues.
I had Jerry R. build me a couple of cues. I like how they turned out and the way they play. I never intended to sell the cues and picked Jerry as the cue maker because I admired his workmanship and we got along famously. Then he decides to retire. So no more Jerry R. cues. Whatever has been built over the years, that’s it. The same could be said of my Scruggs cue. I paid a reasonable amount 15 years ago and now Tim isn’t with us any longer. I never thought to myself, Hmn….maybe I should get this cue before Tim has any health issues. So my cue went up in value. How much?
The only way of guesstimating is to do what realtors do. Run the comps and see what has happened recently. But the
problem with cues is there often aren’t enough comps on comparable design cues by the same cue maker that have
recently sold. Then it becomes an emotional argument between the buyer and seller if and when they are far apart on
the selling price. Cues are funny. Sellers overprice and buyers underprice and somewhere in between is where sales get made. One thing that affects cue values is what active cue makers are now charging versus 7-10 years ago. And their costs have escalated so they are charging more than a decade ago thus raising the value of their earlier built cues.
I said the interior or liners were junk and I stand by it
Collectors I imagine. Or players that aren't really looking for a workhorse case.
And a tooled leather JB isn't half that price.
JB makes good cases. But even he is also a case collector. So who buys such a case? JB himself.
I think the real question is what one uses for EDC.
If I were playing regularly and needed a workhorse case it would be a JB. Probably 3x6 or 4x8 in oil tanned leather. Believe me, that isn't half the price of those other cases you mentioned.
Personally, I don't own any of those "big name" custom cases, and I am a case collector. I don't like tooled leather and I don't like "cowboy" style cases.
JB knows what 3x6 I carry as an occasional player, and he didn't criticize it, he thought it was cool.
Lastly, if you want to upgrade a liner in a "custom" case, JB will make a liner for it.
There is a whitten 3x6 for sale on the ads for 1300. There is also a Melton. Very nice one outside for over 1300 I think. I bought a jb envelope 6 months ago new for 450. I'm not fond of being called a liar.
Liar? WTF? Cherry picking examples does not make you a liar.
Trying to fake call me out like that isn't smart.
I'm contributing here.
Leather Cases | JB Cases | Custom Pool Designer Cases
These cases are either in stock for immediate shipment or can be ordered with a 16-20 week delivery time. Please add a product to your cart to see the actual, in-stock-ready-to-ship or to-be-made status. Leather cases take roughly up to 8 weeks to make and require a consultation to confirm details.
jbcases.com
You are right, you didn't flat call me a liar. I apologize. By my example of my envelope case being compared to the whitten and Melton, it's 450 vs 1300 . They arefor sale as we speak. The interiors of those cases simply do not compare to jb. I've got a strip of tooling on mine but doubt it to be hand tooled.Liar? WTF? Cherry picking examples does not make you a liar.
Trying to fake call me out like that isn't smart.
I'm contributing here.
Leather Cases | JB Cases | Custom Pool Designer Cases
These cases are either in stock for immediate shipment or can be ordered with a 16-20 week delivery time. Please add a product to your cart to see the actual, in-stock-ready-to-ship or to-be-made status. Leather cases take roughly up to 8 weeks to make and require a consultation to confirm details.
Being a flipper, is just a side huddle for many to supplement income.
Not ever flipper is making a killing at flipping.
Not ever flipper is making a killing at flipping.
I've been buying and selling cues for 30 years. Unfortunately I've always seemed to buy high.....and sell low, LOL. But I love it.
Sometimes you pay for reliability, service, and security. Those add intrinsic value if you're buying a big cue. (And I've never bought from Crossroad Cues - just stating the obvious)
vintagecollectibles831
Active member
That makes sense. Thanks.
A lot of these actual legit dealers, especially crossroad Cues I feel that their price point is reasonable. It might be a little higher than what you’ve seen in other resale markets. A lot of the times the increase in price is due to the long waitlist that you would have to go through if you were to get the cue directly from The Builder.