Explain This to Me...

mia said:
Be honest here Lisa.

I assume the maker you're alluding to above is Dennis Searing, correct? And did you really move on because you got lost not once but twice OR because you didn't have the money anymore and you KNEW you'd never see that cue either way???

Don't get me wrong. I too am on Dennis' "list" and I know damn well that I'll never see that cue. But why did you get on that list in the first place??? Was it because you'd played with so many and loved them or... Because "it's a Searing!" And if you still had the money, you'd still be on the list.

Supply and demand Lisa. When someone makes something of value... something sought after... THEY as the maker (NOT you as the buyer) have the power. They can and often do do what they want. Why do people put up with it? Because in the end, they want to benefit. Whether the benefit comes in the form of bragging rights or profit from a flip. Either way, buyers want to benefit. So who says only the buyer can benefit? Why not the maker too? No matter how you slice it, as the buyer you're not "working with" a cuemaker. You give them money and an idea. In the end, you get a product. Period. There's this foolish notion amongst cue buyers that they're "involved" in the process and thus... they should have more rights as a buyer. When you walk into a car dealership looking for a black Honda, will the dealer let you give him design specs to relay back to Japan? No. He'd laugh at you. You want what they have. Thus, you pay or you go elsewhere. So why as a cue BUYER, one who wants what someone else does, should you have all the power???

You've chosen the makers you have not because of their integrity because hell. You don't known if they have that or not until AFTER you signed up. Instead, you chose them either due to budget reasons, proximity to you, or 'perceived' value. AND, lack of a wait. Correct?
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I am not out to target any one maker....but it is no secret that the word is out on some highly regarded makers' 'lists'.

I was still in good shape when I decided to give up the ghost on it. Hadn't even ordered my Josey yet. I didn't buy any of my cues over a perceived value. I bought my cues to play with, all of which I had had experience with before, and by makers I trusted from my dealings with prior. I also did my homework. If I had bought for value, they wouldn't have been played with at all...which was far from the case. But I honestly don't think that cues are a great investment...far too many variables. If I'm investing, then it's in precious metals and gems.

I decided on Paul because I wanted to try out some things I thought would make for a great playing cue, and he was game for it. We discussed and sketched things out on a napkin during a tourney on a Monday night. It was fun...and it was a great playing cue. Actually....it's still a great playing cue, as I have it back now and am having a ball with it.

I talked to several makers for the tulip blank project...all willing to take it on. I decided to go with Keith because I liked how his cues played, and I KNEW that he and Tim could do an awesome job on the inlays I wanted in that cue....and they did! He also did a few things that I felt had worked on the Allers cue, but not identically....and even he thought the cue turned out really really nice, and played even nicer. And it did!!

I'm no dummy...I spent a lot of time thinking about each project, and what I was hoping to acheive...through the makers' execution. The build time wasn't accelerated for any cue....each maker took the time they needed to do the job right, the first time.
 
If he was still around I would hire Michaelangelo to build me a cue. It only took him 4 years to paint the Sistine Chapel.
 
HawaiianEye said:
Not if you can flip it to another idiot real quick for more than you got invested in it.
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That's what people say, but in the for sale section there have been Szamboti's and Searing's and Hercek's for sale for a while. Why haven't they sold.
 
:D because cues get shipped overseas easily. there is always someone in China whom is willing to pay more for the cue. furthermore, cue makers can always flock their cues to a dealer whom sells to the chinese:D
 
In some industries, the cost is based on the delivery or the turnaround time to deliver the end product. IOW, if somebody wanted a product fast, within 48 hours, they would pay a higher price than if they would wait for a standard delivery of, say, 10 days. FedEx, UPS, and USPS price their services in this manner.

I'm thinking this might be an option for cuemakers, after reading this thread. :D

If the cuemaker was to let the prospective buyer know that there is a waiting list, but that for a premium price, they could get one sooner, that might be a new pricing option for this industry. ;)

Just a thought! :p
 
And I would add as a caveat to my above post that being an experienced shopper that I am, sometimes name-brand items does not always mean they are best.

If one were to take grocery store items, sometimes store-brand mustard is the same as a brand-name mustard. :wink:

I just can't see waiting 5 to 10 years for a cue. That is absolutely ridiculous. I don't care what kind of cue it is. It just doesn't cut the mustard. ;)
 
Possibly just another option to price gouge.

The person willing to pay extra wouldn't necessarily get their cues in a more timely fashion. They may think they will but once the money is in the makers pocket, and spent,
they'll be forgotten about.

And the others on the list will just have one more person ahead of them.

In other words, the only thing that paying extra will do for you in the long run, will enable you to bump someone that has already been waiting.

I've been waiting for 3 years already and now because someone that was 3 years behind me has forked over a little, they are now 3 years ahead.

Hardly fair and if I found out this was happening and I had paid a deposit, I would be asking for it back.
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Possibly just another option to price gouge.

The person willing to pay extra wouldn't necessarily get their cues in a more timely fashion. They may think they will but once the money is in the makers pocket, and spent,
they'll be forgotten about.

And the others on the list will just have one more person ahead of them.

In other words, the only thing that paying extra will do for you in the long run, will enable you to bump someone that has already been waiting.

I've been waiting for 3 years already and now because someone that was 3 years behind me has forked over a little, they are now 3 years ahead.

Hardly fair and if I found out this was happening and I had paid a deposit, I would be asking for it back.
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And what happens, God forbid, the cuemaker passes away with your deposit money already spent?

I know Southwest Cues, from what I have read, has a long waiting list. They may be GREAT cues for collectors, as they do enjoy a good reputation, but I would never wait that long for a cue. That seems ludicrous for any vendor to have a waiting list this long.

Are there any other industries that have this practice of a multiple-years waiting list?

I guess it could be argued that a cuemaker is like an artist. To paint a masterpiece, it takes a long time, and an artist can't create masterpieces in fast production if they are hand-made and custom works of art.

Maybe this is why most American recreational players prefer a production cue. Not only are they much cheaper, but the customer gets immediate gratification by receiving the cue within days after ordering it.

And I might add, the value of a cue to a pool player is the way it hits. It doesn't matter how pretty it is.
 
Most cuemakers run their business like the rest of pool does...like running a whorehouse by hand. Johnnyt
 
YubaCushion said:
Waiting 5-10 years for a cue you "may not like?"= stupid.
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No it doesn't and that's a very mean thing to say, imho.

It may be stupid FOR YOU, but that doesn't mean it is stupid for others. You might as well say that red is a stupid color.

Pool players might be better off after a good course in economics. Value is subjective. The sooner one learns that the sooner s/he quits trying to run the world.


Jeff Livingston
 
Supply and demand, with a touch of prestige. Does a Rolex tell time better that a Timex, now ask yourself which one you want to wear.
 
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