Hi all,
I was just looking at the thread about the Rambow cue that was recently on Ebay. Brings up an "ethics question". I see where a few of our AZB'rs were shocked that they had lost the cue at $2,500+. Well, I emailed the seller and asked for a "Buy It Now" price within thirty seconds of his listing. He absolutely had no clue what he had. He told me he had bought it at an estate sale and didn't have the foggiest clue about what to ask, so he said I should make an offer. I didn't try to offer a ridiculously low amount ($1,500), and I think he was literally going to accept the offer when somebody decided to educate him as to the maker and the potential value. Now, suddenly he was a cue expert and didn't want to continue the negotiations.
I had a similiar situation happen about a year ago with another fancy Rambow. I actually had the seller "sell" me the cue via Paypal. He left the auction running after I paid him and, of course, someone educated him, as well. I gave him $1,000 for that one, and he told me he had less than $50 in it. Should have been a good deal for both of us. After his education, he immediately called me back and said he was refunding my money and selling it to the highest bidder.
I'm not the kind of person that sets out to screw anybody. My question is "why do we feel the need to educate these sellers"? This is where we find that occasional diamond in the rough. I don't think that either of these sellers went back where they bought the cues initially and shared in their windfall, do you? I can see educating those that have a genuine interest, but to educate sellers simply to maximize their profits just seems dumb. I know this doesn't sound too politically correct, but I'm not a real politically correct guy anyways. I feel it has taken me years to learn what little I know about cues. I think they need to pay their dues or become better at their research...
Opinions?
Thanks!
Steve
I was just looking at the thread about the Rambow cue that was recently on Ebay. Brings up an "ethics question". I see where a few of our AZB'rs were shocked that they had lost the cue at $2,500+. Well, I emailed the seller and asked for a "Buy It Now" price within thirty seconds of his listing. He absolutely had no clue what he had. He told me he had bought it at an estate sale and didn't have the foggiest clue about what to ask, so he said I should make an offer. I didn't try to offer a ridiculously low amount ($1,500), and I think he was literally going to accept the offer when somebody decided to educate him as to the maker and the potential value. Now, suddenly he was a cue expert and didn't want to continue the negotiations.
I had a similiar situation happen about a year ago with another fancy Rambow. I actually had the seller "sell" me the cue via Paypal. He left the auction running after I paid him and, of course, someone educated him, as well. I gave him $1,000 for that one, and he told me he had less than $50 in it. Should have been a good deal for both of us. After his education, he immediately called me back and said he was refunding my money and selling it to the highest bidder.
I'm not the kind of person that sets out to screw anybody. My question is "why do we feel the need to educate these sellers"? This is where we find that occasional diamond in the rough. I don't think that either of these sellers went back where they bought the cues initially and shared in their windfall, do you? I can see educating those that have a genuine interest, but to educate sellers simply to maximize their profits just seems dumb. I know this doesn't sound too politically correct, but I'm not a real politically correct guy anyways. I feel it has taken me years to learn what little I know about cues. I think they need to pay their dues or become better at their research...
Opinions?
Thanks!
Steve
