Need advise

K

kernsh

Registered
I have a question. I have a Showman cue that I played with almost every day for 10-12 years. I cannot play anymore and am thinking of selling the cue. But with all the play the wrap looks "dirty". I have been told to leave the wrap as is, but it would look so much better if it was replaced with a new wrap. I have had it on consignment for 2 years but no offers (that's not entirely true..I am asking 5K, a guy last year offered 4K but I think the cue is worth more than that). Also, if I do put a new wrap on the cue, does it matter who does the work.?
Any advise would be appreciated.
 
I would leave the wrap alone and let the new buyer choose the new wrap .
If no one will pay 5K after 2 years then it probably isn't worth 5K.
 
kernsh said:
.I am asking 5K, a guy last year offered 4K but I think the cue is worth more than that). Also, if I do put a new wrap on the cue, does it matter who does the work.?
Any advise would be appreciated.
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Unfortunately for sellers it is usually the buyers who determine the value of used goods, not the other way around.
 
measureman said:
I would leave the wrap alone and let the new buyer choose the new wrap .
If no one will pay 5K after 2 years then it probably isn't worth 5K.
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I came up with the 5K price by seeing what other Showman cues were going for and the price is in line, really. Plain Jane Showman's are selling for 4K plus and mine is not plain jane. As far as the 2 years goes, I thought the cue looked bad with the dirty wrap was the reason I was thinking about replacing it with the same wrap as Showman used originally. Also, would it matter who did a new wrap if I do decide to go that way.
Thanks for your response.
 
kernsh said:
I came up with the 5K price by seeing what other Showman cues were going for and the price is in line, really. Plain Jane Showman's are selling for 4K plus and mine is not plain jane. As far as the 2 years goes, I thought the cue looked bad with the dirty wrap was the reason I was thinking about replacing it with the same wrap as Showman used originally. Also, would it matter who did a new wrap if I do decide to go that way.
Thanks for your response.
Click to expand...

Selling for, or asking price of?

If you were going to replace the original wrap, as long as it was done by a pretty well-known cue maker, since it's not the one that built the cue it should not matter who else did it.

The ranking is:

1 Original maker of the cue
2 Every other top cuemaker
3 Local good but not well know cuemaker
4 Your brother-in law that has a lathe
 
Good Luck in your sale. Did you ask John if he would replace the wrap. Maybe he could do it, in time & you'd have a Showman in your hands , again...
 
On John's cues YES it matters. If the wrap can be cleaned do that. If not and it must be replaced, have only John do it. If John wont/cant do it and you are adamant that you want the wrap changed, ask Pete Tascarella or Dennis Searing. The value of the cue will stay relitively the same and the work done by either of those makers will be on par with John. With sought after makers such as John, anytime you can go "original" do so....
 
kernsh said:
I came up with the 5K price by seeing what other Showman cues were going for and the price is in line, really. Plain Jane Showman's are selling for 4K plus and mine is not plain jane. As far as the 2 years goes, I thought the cue looked bad with the dirty wrap was the reason I was thinking about replacing it with the same wrap as Showman used originally. Also, would it matter who did a new wrap if I do decide to go that way.
Thanks for your response.
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I don't know how much you paid for the cue, but you need to take into account that you got 10-12 years of good play out of it. That's worth something. What cues are offered at is not always the price they sell for. In fact you can deduct 10-20% off the asking price of most cues and come up with the actual selling price when they change hands. That SOLD sticker doesn't mean they got full price by any means. Good luck with your sale. Showman is one of the elite cue makers and his cues remain very collectible and sell for decent prices in the resale market. You might want to try some of the online billiard marketplaces on Facebook if you haven't done so already.

P.S. Like others on here, I don't think cleaning or changing the wrap will affect the selling price very much, if at all. More important is the overall condition of the cue.
 
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I believe having the wrap cleaned by John is the best way for you to go. That keeps the cue totally original and the cleaning done by the maker of the cue.

If John cannot or will not clean the wrap, then a well know cuemaker like Black, Searing, or Tascarella.

If the cue has not sold in 2 years at your price, your price is too high for the current market. Lower the price if you wish to sell it or wait a few years, with your cue properly stored, and then see if the market has risen.
 
An item is only worth what it will bring today.

Tomorrow, next week, next year etc...it may be worth more due to someone willing to pay more........then again, the value may drop even more.

That is how people lose or make money on used items (especially used cues)...........and it is called timing.

Sorry to say but you may as well face the fact that the days of selling custom cues at fair price points are long gone for 90% of cues.

Rake
 
jrctherake said:
An item is only worth what it will bring today.

Tomorrow, next week, next year etc...it may be worth more due to someone willing to pay more........then again, the value may drop even more.

That is how people lose or make money on used items (especially used cues)...........and it is called timing.

Sorry to say but you may as well face the fact that the days of selling custom cues at fair price points are long gone for 90% of cues.

Rake
Click to expand...

Except John's cues are in the other 10%....
 
I do not know what your consignment fee is, but I assume it is at least 20% for the seller to have shown it for two years and not asked you to lower your ask or retrieve the cue.

Try listing it yourself, on the Internet if not comfortable with face to face transactions, and drop the price to a point where you net the same.

I would not replace the wrap if it is not damaged.
 
100% matters who does the work. Searing and Tasc are both good options(if they are an option) I would not use Black, unless he meant Black Boar.

Good luck
Jason
 
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