Not sold

Buzzard

Buzzard

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Why would a cue from a highly respected cue maker not sell for months on a reputable dealers website even tho the price appears reasonable. Just curious why these cues aren't snapped up. I look at them with the intent to possibly buy one but this is holding me back.
 
You may love a particular Cue, but no one loves it enough to buy.

Plus I think the Cue market is soft.

Ten years ago thing like High End Cues, and Case got sold fast.
 
Probably cause everything is so damn expensive nowadays in the pool world. Production cues that I remember were like $400 in 2010 are now pushing $600. I know its all inflation and what not, but damn thats a lot of inflation creep.

Quick question though, if you get a cue from a respected maker what happens when they retire? Do you have another cue maker work on it? One of my hesitations on buying some cues from makers who might be on their way out.
 
People don’t have the discretionary income they’re accustomed to having due to increased living costs.
Those that do look at the pool cue market & view it as becoming somewhat stagnant. I spotted 2 new
cues today selling for $3200 and $3600 from different cue makers. Both cues were handsome, intricate
designs but nonetheless, 15 months ago those cues would have been priced around $2600 & $ $3000.

I know both of the cue makers work really well; they’re just passing along their increased cost of business.
So when prospective buyers look at cues like you’ve alluded to, they’re hesitant to pay that much for a cue
in a depressed resale market. Pool has been in the doldrums since COVID and a lot of pool rooms closed
& lots are still operating with limited schedules but pool leagues seem to have resumed again nationwide.

Spending a couple of grand has become almost standard for a entry level custom cue. The nicer designs
jump up to the upper 2’s and nowadays, cues in the mid-3’s are pretty common for a brand new cue from
a respected cue-maker which means he should at least have a waiting list over a year. Really nice designs
can also take awhile. Just as an example, all of the custom cues I’ve ordered took well over a year to build.

When all is said & done, the pool cue market will always be around but it’s become a much smaller audience
of prospective buyers. And that discourages the emergence of new cue makers and so existing ones become
all the more significant. Keep in mind I am not referring to production cue companies that can also offer custom
cue building. When I think of a cue maker, what I imagine is a man, or partners, with a shop & some employees.

There are great women pool players but I wonder why there hasn’t been any great women cue makers? You’d
have otherwise thought that they have the same physical skills required just as much as a man and maybe even
a keener eye for the overall cue design esthetics. Jill Hawk is making great leather pool cue cases. How come
the daughters, granddaughters or any nieces of top named pool cue makers haven’t been lured into cue making?
 
Last edited:
Buzzard said:
Why would a cue from a highly respected cue maker not sell for months on a reputable dealers website even tho the price appears reasonable. Just curious why these cues aren't snapped up. I look at them with the intent to possibly buy one but this is holding me back.
Click to expand...
If its your dream cue, buy it and enjoy it.

If you're looking for a good deal, maybe better to hold back
If you're looking for something collectible, maybe better to hold back.
 
LHP5 said:
Probably cause everything is so damn expensive nowadays in the pool world. Production cues that I remember were like $400 in 2010 are now pushing $600. I know its all inflation and what not, but damn that's a lot of inflation creep.
Click to expand...

Absolutely Agreed.

I have also been astounded in the asking price of common entry-level production cues since 2020. Many times in the past I would buy these 'just under $100' cues on a lark just to use for a break stick, or more often, buy them as presents for friends (or the kids of friends) who began to show real interest in playing and help fuel their beginner fire for the game; but, at these 'new' price levels being asked, that's definitely a thing of the past.

Don't know if it has to do with the price of wood, scare expendable personal income, increasing supply chain and transportation costs, etc; but, I do know this: a company with fixed operating costs cannot expect their customers to pay 2x the value of their inexpensive cue purely for the privilege of keeping that company in business.

So, the company asks more for their product to compensate and meet rising costs, the public resists, company goes away; and everyone losses. - GJ
 
Cuemakers have Hugh investment in machines, wood, and everything it take to build a Cue.

Then you have skill, and knowledge to make it happen.

I hame made some unique walking sticks out of Diamond Willow, my tools was broken glass for removing bark. Broken glass for shaping.

Then various grit of sand paper for more shaping, then about three grits 300-2,500 for finish work.

Never kept teach of time but fron start to finish 30-50 hours.

Hobby thing, could never break even if I was billing out at $20.00/hr.🧐
 
it is all a pure numbers game- less interested buyers, less truly revered cue makers, higher cue prices, smaller resale market, inflation, impending recession, equity markets down 24% this year to date, and all I see where I live is 7 foot tables replacing 9 foot tables - Honestly, I feel that my $3,000 Richard Black is overkill on a 7 foot table:(
 
We've been hearing about this impending recession for months now and it's not actually happening.

The cue market is changing, like many other collector markets, due to generational change. Some are going up, some down, some muddling along. I think we all know which direction the cue market will be heading.
 
On the demand side, new serious players want production cues. The J. Flowers is the gateway drug, and the Cuetec and Predator cues are the step up. I think the market looks a lot like the market for shotguns. It used to be that people liked finely tooled, high-end, hand-made stuff. Now they want machine built, ultra consistent stuff with good warranties. Want to know where the market is going? Look at the SxS shotgun market in the UK.
 
mikemosconi said:
it is all a pure numbers game- less interested buyers, less truly revered cue makers, higher cue prices, smaller resale market, inflation, impending recession, equity markets down 24% this year to date, and all I see where I live is 7 foot tables replacing 9 foot tables - Honestly, I feel that my $3,000 Richard Black is overkill on a 7 foot table:(
Click to expand...
Does your Richard Black make more sense on a nine foot table?

Interestingly, my cue doesn’t seem to know the difference…
 
GentlemanJames said:
Absolutely Agreed.

I have also been astounded in the asking price of common entry-level production cues since 2020. Many times in the past I would buy these 'just under $100' cues on a lark just to use for a break stick, or more often, buy them as presents for friends (or the kids of friends) who began to show real interest in playing and help fuel their beginner fire for the game; but, at these 'new' price levels being asked, that's definitely a thing of the past.

Don't know if it has to do with the price of wood, scare expendable personal income, increasing supply chain and transportation costs, etc; but, I do know this: a company with fixed operating costs cannot expect their customers to pay 2x the value of their inexpensive cue purely for the privilege of keeping that company in business.

So, the company asks more for their product to compensate and meet rising costs, the public resists, company goes away; and everyone losses. - GJ
Click to expand...
Greed... I think we are on the trinkle down of it all... Guy
 
David in FL said:
Does your Richard Black make more sense on a nine foot table?

Interestingly, my cue doesn’t seem to know the difference…
Click to expand...
I figured a cue built with some of the biggest gaps around inlays would be perfect around a bar table in a bar, I think mine played better in bars - seemed more suited for the quality of the cue 🤣

Yes, I had 3 before I knew anything about quality and precision, still have 1 if I can find it, think it's in storage somewhere
 
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