pool cue once in a lifetime buy

measureman

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A league team mate showed me a cue that he bought at a yard sale.
He said there were a group of crap cues and the old man running the sale said he had another cue in the house.
He brings out an old soft case and my friend pulls it out and it's a Joss with CNC points and he says how much?

The old man says $5 and he buys it.
I saw it last night and other then a real skinny shaft the cue was in great shape.
Do you think my friend should have told the old man it was worth maybe $4 or $5 hundred or just pay the $5 and move along?
I have a thought that it might have been someone else's cue and that's why it was not out at the yard sale.
Remember this was an old man and maybe he was confused.
Thoughts?
 
an old woman took my money at the taco shop and it was clear she didn’t speak any english, the only language i understand

my total was $12 and i gave her a twenty but she gave me change for a hundred

it took me awhile, they must’ve been on break, but i finally called someone over to show them what happened

i like cheap tacos but can’t justify ripping off old people who can’t count
 
I have a similar story. Last summer I was at a flea market and found a dealer that had two no-name sneaky petes. They both were decent cues that you could tell belonged to a serious player at one time. Ten bucks each. I bought them and then the guy said, "I have a $1,500 Meucci in the truck if you're interested". I said, yeah, let me see it. Now I am not a Meucci expert, but I didn't think it was a $1,500 model. I believe he wanted four or five hundred for it.

Then I sighted the shaft and it had a big, noticeable bow in it. I told him about the bow, he looked at himself, and then said, you're right, $20 bucks then. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I gave him his 20 and bought it. In fairness to me though, sighting a butt or shaft is pretty crude...it could have had a bad roll to it and been worth next to nothing.
 
Louisiana law can require that seller ensure from the discussion prior to the sale that he provide buyer with what its clear that buyer expected (or price accordingly). Under the facts presented, its clear no law was broken.

It is an ethical issue not a legal or moral issue.

Ethically? Hell, yes, he should have offered $100 instead. If seller asks why? Hmmm, I don't know, keep quiet, I guess. You've done enough.
 
Normally I’d say it’s best to be straight with people. If it were a one to one transaction or some widow, then definitely.

It’s a yard sale though.

This is expressly where you shop to find gems.

It’s not like it was worth 10k.

I say enjoy the deal.
 
We had a similar discussion about this type of thing about 15 years ago. If I actually knew anything about cue values, then I would absolutely explain the value to the seller. If I didn't know anything about cue values (which I don't), then I would tell the seller I would do some research, and find out how much the cue was worth so we could make a fair deal.

I have to look at myself in the mirror, every day.
 
just tend to do what is right and things go well. you werent gambling with him and he was mad at his cue and wanted it gone. so i say tell him its value is high and see what he says. it isnt up to you to appraise what is for sale at a yard sale. the whole purpose is to get deals for the buyer, and get rid of stuff for the seller.
 
Happened to me on a website like ebay. It was a widow selling her husband's Layani cue. I told her "For the price you are asking I am buying but be aware that it costs XXX€ more when new". So she thanked me and multiply the price by 5 and I was not interested anymore.
 
I would go back and throw a little cash their way, especially if finding out the value after the fact, but realistically, if you're putting it out at a yard sale... you can do a little research first. I've been on both sides of this at some point or another.
 
A neighbor once told me "you are not obligated to educate the seller on price".

I think there are situations where paying more than the asking price is warranted, especially if the difference is extreme.
A find that I have told many times is 50 cents for a software program, which I sold about 6 hours later for $90 on eBay. I did not go back and share the windfall.
 
It seems to me that if someone is selling their own belongings they have at least some obligation to educate themselves about its value. I’ll acknowledge that valuing a pool cue, particularly to a non-player, can be a little difficult but even a modest internet search, while probably not telling this seller the value of his particular cue, would at least put him on notice that it COULD have significant value and that more research would be a good idea. I’m betting that the “crap cues” he offered were ones stuffed in an old umbrella stand in the corner of the basement that the kids used in their sword fights and hadn’t been touched in a good while. Just by virtue of the other cue being in its own case, it should have told him it could have some value. If I could clearly see a seller was desperate and had no choice, I would think twice about not letting them know they had something more valuable than they thought but for a guy at a yard sale trying to clean out the closet, let the seller beware. And yes, while you probably don’t know anyone’s circumstances, he still has a measure of responsibility for his own actions.
 
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