Add me to the list of those that agree that buying a cue for someone whose pool cue tastes you don't know extremely well (and you would also have to have a very strong working knowledge of all the differences in cues and all the different specs that are important and available), especially if they are any half decent player, is a bad idea (and still probably a bad idea even then).
It would be like trying to buy clothes for somebody you've never met, don't know anything about, have no idea who they are or even what sex, and haven't ever even seen a picture of. That person almost certainly has very particular preferences for only certain styles, colors, brands, materials, etc, and they obviously wear a very precise size, and you don't have the first clue as to their preferences or needs for any of it. You might end up buying neon green with purple polka dots size 3XL steel spike studded punk rocker overalls for a 110 pound nun.
If you want them to have a cue you can give a gift certificate, but even that can be tough and you really still need to have some decent knowledge about their likes because they may have no interest whatsoever in (and even despise) any cue that is sold by the place your give them a gift certificate to (especially if they only like cues from "custom" cue makers). Best idea is to just give them cash and say that it is for them to put towards a cue or whatever else they would most like. Yes it is a bit impersonal and less than ideal, but it is a whole lot better than them ending up with something they absolutely hate and don't want which is a high probability if you go the other routes.
