I am amazed at all of the nice cues I am being offered in the $450 price range

J

justinb386

Banned
I recently put up a wtb ad on here for a cue in the $450 price range, and in just a day, I have been offered so many incredibly nice cues that I am overwhelmed.

I am just wondering if the cue market is really that bad, or if maybe some of these guys just want to make me a very generous offer on one of their extra cues that might just be sitting in their closet and never getting used.

Is the cue economy really that bad these days?

Are cues just not selling?

Is the cue market dying?

I wonder, because I look in a lot of pawn shops, and I never see anything nice (I get the feeling that most pawn shops have no interest in buying cues anymore, unless they are pretty cheap).

Anyways, I am just curious about your thoughts on the 2nd hand cue market, or the cue market in general.

Do you think that most sellers are taking a huge loss on their original investment (on cues that that may have purchased new)?

Anyway, I am excited about a lot of the very nice offers that I have received, and just wish I had money to accept more then 1 of the offers.

So many seemingly very generous offers, and wishing I could accept all of them.
 
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Unless you plan on becoming a "flipper", the cue market ups and downs are irrelevant.

I thought you were trying to buy a cue to play with. If so, I'd take advantage of whatever I thought was a good price on a nice cue and get it over with.

You keep asking about custom cues and maker names and prices, etc., etc., etc.

If you are in an area where there is a league or pool hall with a lot of players, you may be able to actually "touch" and hit a ball with different cues by different makers or companies before you select something. Then you need to find something that seems to fit you and be on your merry way.

A thousand people here will try to convince you with a thousand different recommendations.

I've used everything from a $2 Taiwan cue to the cue I use now. It was a $2 house cue in 1950, but now it is a custom converted Titlist two-piece. I think I've shot the same with both $2 cues. It is what you get used to, are most comfortable with at the time, and what you can trust. The "trust" mostly comes from your stroke and the tip. If you can rely on both, you can play with anything.

Aloha.
 
HawaiianEye said:
Unless you plan on becoming a "flipper", the cue market ups and downs are irrelevant.

I thought you were trying to buy a cue to play with. If so, I'd take advantage of whatever I thought was a good price on a nice cue and get it over with.

You keep asking about custom cues and maker names and prices, etc., etc., etc.

If you are in an area where there is a league or pool hall with a lot of players, you may be able to actually "touch" and hit a ball with different cues by different makers or companies before you select something. Then you need to find something that seems to fit you and be on your merry way.

A thousand people here will try to convince you with a thousand different recommendations.

I've used everything from a $2 Taiwan cue to the cue I use now. It was a $2 house cue in 1950, but now it is a custom converted Titlist two-piece. I think I've shot the same with both $2 cues. It is what you get used to, are most comfortable with at the time, and what you can trust. The "trust" mostly comes from your stroke and the tip. If you can rely on both, you can play with anything.

Aloha.
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Yeah, you do not know you you will like a cue until you try it out. The best cue that ever felt the most perfect for me was a South East cue made by Nat Green. I do not think I will ever find a other cue that felt so amazing to me. I have tried out other SE cues after that one, and none felt the same. I think I would love any deviney out there, and they all are very well balanced, and hit about the same.
 
Look at how long you held onto that Jacoby and the loss you took on it. That should answer your question. You should find some nice cues for 450.

Pawn shops in my area quit taking cues.
 
Let me offer you the best advice you may ever get on this site.....DONT BUY ANYTHING YOU CAN'T HOLD IN YOUR HANDS!!
 
justinb386 said:
Yeah, you do not know you you will like a cue until you try it out. The best cue that ever felt the most perfect for me was a South East cue made by Nat Green. I do not think I will ever find a other cue that felt so amazing to me. I have tried out other SE cues after that one, and none felt the same. I think I would love any deviney out there, and they all are very well balanced, and hit about the same.
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I have only sold ONE cue that I thought hit really, really good. It was a custom 4-point cue made for me by Richard Black, back in 1978.

In 1981, I had him make me another cue and I sold the first one before I ever shot a lot of balls with the second one. The second one was more expensive, but hit NOWHERE NEAR as good as the first one. I wound up selling it too because I bought a McDermott that I thought played better.

I wish I still had the first one. The only reason I sold it was because a guy kept bugging me to buy it and I wanted something new and shiny and I figured they would all hit the same because they were made by the same maker. That was a lesson I never forgot.

If you find something that hits really good, hold on to it. You don't need another cue just because you want something fancier or better looking.
 
HawaiianEye said:
I have only sold ONE cue that I thought hit really, really good. It was a custom 4-point cue made for me by Richard Black, back in 1978.

In 1981, I had him make me another cue and I sold the first one before I ever shot a lot of balls with the second one. The second one was more expensive, but hit NOWHERE NEAR as good as the first one. I wound up selling it too because I bought a McDermott that I thought played better.

I wish I still had the first one. The only reason I sold it was because a guy kept bugging me to buy it and I wanted something new and shiny and I figured they would all hit the same because they were made by the same maker. That was a lesson I never forgot.

If you find something that hits really good, hold on to it. You don't need another cue just because you want something fancier or better looking.
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Amen to your last sentence.
 
HawaiianEye said:
I have only sold ONE cue that I thought hit really, really good. It was a custom 4-point cue made for me by Richard Black, back in 1978.

In 1981, I had him make me another cue and I sold the first one before I ever shot a lot of balls with the second one. The second one was more expensive, but hit NOWHERE NEAR as good as the first one. I wound up selling it too because I bought a McDermott that I thought played better.

I wish I still had the first one. The only reason I sold it was because a guy kept bugging me to buy it and I wanted something new and shiny and I figured they would all hit the same because they were made by the same maker. That was a lesson I never forgot.

If you find something that hits really good, hold on to it. You don't need another cue just because you want something fancier or better looking.
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You have the right idea about hanging on to a cue

I still play with a 5 point cue I built in 1992. It was stolen, the guy filed a flat on the front where the name was inked on the cue, the cue was recovered and I still love the hit of this old timer. It has scars and nicks but still rolls true and I wouldn't refinish it for the world.

Buy a cue that you can hit balls with, if possible. If not talk to your cuemaker and some of his customers.
 
Cues are like women....best to try a bunch and see what you like..

The market is flooded with 400 to 700 dollar cues from less collected cue makers. Fewer players every day and cues don't wear out. The economy is down so it is a buyers market.
 
Are you really wondering that? Well yes the cue market is that bad, at on here right now. I haven't really checked it out but supposedly cues are moving on FB - I'm not sure but that's what people have been saying. We do have good folks on here but I wouldn't think of it as any of them doing you a huge favor. No, I don't think they are taking huge losses either, that's why you will see same cue for sale week after week, month after month - just wait in for that right " guy " to come along and snatch it up! Far as the pawn shops, I do the same thing and what most pawn shops are doing now is selling anything that's not complete junk on the Internet and the floor gets whatever is left over. These are only my observations, some people live on the for sale section and could probably be more specific.
 
450 is plenty for some wood, metal, plastic and a ragged bit of leather :grin:

Enjoy! It's one of the best price ranges to go look for a cue. Pay special attention to the Mezz'es, they are just outstanding.

I usually go by the rule: used means 50% off, depending on age and condition.

Cheers!
 
If I remember correctly Efren Reyes "Cesar Morales" came to Houston with a $12 cue, and you know how well he played. :-)
 
M.G. said:
450 is plenty for some wood, metal, plastic and a ragged bit of leather :grin:

Enjoy! It's one of the best price ranges to go look for a cue. Pay special attention to the Mezz'es, they are just outstanding.

I usually go by the rule: used means 50% off, depending on age and condition.

Cheers!
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I bought a mint condition Troy Downey cue used for $400.00.
Brand new from Troy it was $975.00.
I paid what the guy was asking for it and I still felt like a thief.
But I got to try it out for 2 weeks before i bought it. Not many can do that.
 
M.G. said:
4

I usually go by the rule: used means 50% off, depending on age and condition.
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I think similarly. But I state it differently. Saying it is 50% "off" makes it sound like a discount.

I say standard used pricing is 50% of new.

There are exceptions, both higher and lower.



.
 
EddieBme said:
If I remember correctly Efren Reyes "Cesar Morales" came to Houston with a $12 cue, and you know how well he played. :-)
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I lived in the PI for three years and was in the same town as Efren before he came to the USA. There was a Filipino guy who played pretty well who used to walk up and down the streets with all the bars selling those cues. The asking price was more than $12, but you could barter with the sellers. I played with a few of them and they weren't too bad, but I never bought one because I was playing with a Richard Black cue at the time.

I know lots of people who bought them and played with them, but I was always afraid of the cue warping when I left the PI to go somewhere else. The humidity was always about 95% there and they didn't age their wood too well at the time. I know some of them have stood the test of time, but I know of plenty of them that warped in no time at all while still in the PI.

I'm sure the cues made there now, by reputable makers, have more reliable wood and techniques than when I lived there.
 
Chopdoc said:
I think similarly. But I state it differently. Saying it is 50% "off" makes it sound like a discount.

I say standard used pricing is 50% of new.

There are exceptions, both higher and lower.



.
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I used to buy and sell a lot (production cues). 50% of retail is what I sold everything for. If someone was selling for less than that I would buy it, shoot with it for a few months and then sell it and make a small profit.

Good way to try many brands.

Best bet for new IMO is somewhere that lets you swap the shaft for a small upgrade fee. Budget billiards used to let you buy certain brands and pay $40-$80 to upgrade to a predator shaft instead of the one that comes with it.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
caff3in3 said:
I used to buy and sell a lot (production cues). 50% of retail is what I sold everything for. If someone was selling for less than that I would buy it, shoot with it for a few months and then sell it and make a small profit.

Good way to try many brands.

Best bet for new IMO is somewhere that lets you swap the shaft for a small upgrade fee. Budget billiards used to let you buy certain brands and pay $40-$80 to upgrade to a predator shaft instead of the one that comes with it.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


I used to basically do the same thing. I used to pick up a lot of good cues dirt cheap by being at the right place and right time ( such as right after someone goes burst or someone that really needed to go " shopping " ) . But I'm betting you used to do that before the cue market took a dump though right? I mean I rarely payed more than 25% of a cues value - usually less honestly ( and it used to be a lot easier knowing what you could consistently get for a cue too for that matter ) and I'd play around with it for a little bit if I liked it then sell it for 50%-75% of its value and everyone was happy. If I had just loaned money on it I'd keep it for the agreed upon time and if they came back and paid the money borrowed against it along with ALL the juice they could have it back. It just use to be a hell of a lot easier to move cues, now not so much.
 
BmoreMoney said:
I used to basically do the same thing. I used to pick up a lot of good cues dirt cheap by being at the right place and right time ( such as right after someone goes burst or someone that really needed to go " shopping " ) . But I'm betting you used to do that before the cue market took a dump though right? I mean I rarely payed more than 25% of a cues value - usually less honestly ( and it used to be a lot easier knowing what you could consistently get for a cue too for that matter ) and I'd play around with it for a little bit if I liked it then sell it for 50%-75% of its value and everyone was happy. If I had just loaned money on it I'd keep it for the agreed upon time and if they came back and paid the money borrowed against it along with ALL the juice they could have it back. It just use to be a hell of a lot easier to move cues, now not so much.
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You are spot on. I was doing this in the late 90s. I haven't bought or sold too much recently. I took about 15 years off and have just been getting back into it in the last year

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
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