i live for deals like this. i wouldn't have said a word. sue me. i know this guy that bought a JossWest/Fellini combo for 30bux in a situation a lot like the op describes. if they're sellin shit they should take the time to find out what its worth.
pool cue once in a lifetime buy
- Thread starter measureman
- Start date
Its a yard sale, if he says he will sell it for $5 I'm offering $2.50 first to see if I can get a deal. 
Interesting responses. A friend of mine was in a Goodwill about year ago and sent me a pic of a steel jointed JW that he grabbed for $20. Like the OPs description, the shaft was skinny, maybe 12 MM, and the butt cap was cracked, but geez! He also got a vertical logo Huebler a few months earlier, again for $20, off Marketplace. He was about 10 minutes ahead of me on that one!
This is what I came here to say!
I also wonder what would have happened if the buyer said "It's worth more than that, how about $100?" Maybe the seller now wants to go higher because he thinks maybe it's worth a lot more than that! Just give the man what he asked for and move on about your day. No one got screwed and no one got any with murder. It's not like you took a Picasso off a person with dementia.
All of this "I have to look at myself in the mirror" talk is crazy.
wanna fkng medal????
Many years ago a lady living in my community, came to our Pool Room. She had a Cue in an Old Box Case with TWO SHAFTS.
My friend John who was knowledgeable about Cue told her to contact Pete Tascarella, he thought the Cue might be one of George Balabushkas Cues.
Apparently lady did as told, and apparently sent the Cue to Pete. Lady retired month later and thank John for his advice.
John did not take advantage of the situation.
My friend John who was knowledgeable about Cue told her to contact Pete Tascarella, he thought the Cue might be one of George Balabushkas Cues.
Apparently lady did as told, and apparently sent the Cue to Pete. Lady retired month later and thank John for his advice.
John did not take advantage of the situation.
I am a reseller and 100% it's on the person selling the items to do their OWN research before selling anything that could go for more than $50+ I mean how hard would it be to call someone you know that knows pool or a friend of a friend or just make an account and ask on here.??? Not only that but if someone died it was 100% their responsibility to let their loved ones know the resale value of their nicer items!!
I was in a TJMaxx type store last year and there was a men's Arcteryx down jacket that was store tagged as a women's and priced at $10, I sold it in a few days for $275 and my only regret is that they didn't tag a 100 of them wrongly and then I would've went to every store in the midwest looking for the same mistake!!
I was in a TJMaxx type store last year and there was a men's Arcteryx down jacket that was store tagged as a women's and priced at $10, I sold it in a few days for $275 and my only regret is that they didn't tag a 100 of them wrongly and then I would've went to every store in the midwest looking for the same mistake!!
cueball2010
New member
Yea, your friends karma might be in question now.
But it's a "Yard Sale" I believe the way you conduct a proper yard sale is to take stuff from inside your house and put it outside. Usually you find a lot of bargains because people are just trying to get rid of stuff without all the stress of researching book values for each and every item.
I have never held a "Yard Sale" because I feel like you will never maximize the value of your belongings that way. Besides if you start putting $200 dollar items on your Yard, everyone else might start thinking about running a way from this so called yard sale.
I do enjoy going to yard sales... However I have never came across any of these tremendous deals myself. But I do enjoy hearing about the people getting: priceless paintings and works of art, silver silverware, crystal glasses, gold pocket watches, treasure maps and such.
But it's a "Yard Sale" I believe the way you conduct a proper yard sale is to take stuff from inside your house and put it outside. Usually you find a lot of bargains because people are just trying to get rid of stuff without all the stress of researching book values for each and every item.
I have never held a "Yard Sale" because I feel like you will never maximize the value of your belongings that way. Besides if you start putting $200 dollar items on your Yard, everyone else might start thinking about running a way from this so called yard sale.
I do enjoy going to yard sales... However I have never came across any of these tremendous deals myself. But I do enjoy hearing about the people getting: priceless paintings and works of art, silver silverware, crystal glasses, gold pocket watches, treasure maps and such.
I'm a reseller. Why should I have to tell people what their stuff is worth?
Here's a somewhat similar thread (now closed) that I started in 2008: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/unethical-or-just-lucky.124236/
This just got me to thinking, is cue identification a skill? I only ask this because the majority of the times i go to estate sales/yard sales, I'm only ever seeing beer logo cues. Is there an art to actually identifying whats a valuable cue?
I have been doing yard sales, etc. for about 30 years now. Not as much anymore, at one time it was a serious sideline of mine and I made very, very good money doing it. Of course, pre internet days were the very best chance for the educated buyers to score on the un educated sellers.
The world of business is, and always has been buyer beware, and seller be educated- PERIOD! I have bought $500 worth of billiard stuff for as little as $20 on many, many occasions. Cues, cases, billiard room chairs, cue wall racks, all sorts of vintage billiard items- you name it.
I bought many, many categories of items, from watches, to golf equipment, cameras, musical instruments, etc. etc. - I educated myself on every collectible category that I came across in the past 30 years- sometimes I took a flyer and struck out as well- only to go back and reeducate myself about a particular collecting category.
Most of what I bought over 30 years has been sold at a profit- many were huge profit percentages- like a 50 cent 1930s Hamilton Stanley watch ( Illinois watch co. movement) ---that I sold for $500--- some items I have to this day- including two of the most highly desired Meucci cues ----- bought for $20---unfortunately, death and divorce often led to these items being available by sellers who were either uneducated about value or simply wanted items out of the house, or needed cash.
Most of this has changed with the internet, and the pure numbers of folks who go on the "hunt" - at one time it was a very small closed community of " pickers" - no longer- shows like Antiques Roadshow busted open the whole secret world once inhabited by only the slyest of buyers- I was one of them, and I loved the hunt and the FIND, as well as the resulting CASH.
I never felt an ounce of guilt about a purchase or a sale- because I never lied, cheated, or stole--- I gave what was asked and I sold at an offered price- that is the business world plain and simple. I made it MY business to KNOW- to educate myself on ALL things sellable.
The world of business is, and always has been buyer beware, and seller be educated- PERIOD! I have bought $500 worth of billiard stuff for as little as $20 on many, many occasions. Cues, cases, billiard room chairs, cue wall racks, all sorts of vintage billiard items- you name it.
I bought many, many categories of items, from watches, to golf equipment, cameras, musical instruments, etc. etc. - I educated myself on every collectible category that I came across in the past 30 years- sometimes I took a flyer and struck out as well- only to go back and reeducate myself about a particular collecting category.
Most of what I bought over 30 years has been sold at a profit- many were huge profit percentages- like a 50 cent 1930s Hamilton Stanley watch ( Illinois watch co. movement) ---that I sold for $500--- some items I have to this day- including two of the most highly desired Meucci cues ----- bought for $20---unfortunately, death and divorce often led to these items being available by sellers who were either uneducated about value or simply wanted items out of the house, or needed cash.
Most of this has changed with the internet, and the pure numbers of folks who go on the "hunt" - at one time it was a very small closed community of " pickers" - no longer- shows like Antiques Roadshow busted open the whole secret world once inhabited by only the slyest of buyers- I was one of them, and I loved the hunt and the FIND, as well as the resulting CASH.
I never felt an ounce of guilt about a purchase or a sale- because I never lied, cheated, or stole--- I gave what was asked and I sold at an offered price- that is the business world plain and simple. I made it MY business to KNOW- to educate myself on ALL things sellable.
Memorize the third Blue Book of Cues as a starter. Then follow this site and others for cue sales and cue discussions night and day. You, alone, are responsible to educate yourself. if you don't have a strong passion for it- then find another hobby- it is really that basic. You have to love it !
The pandemic and youtube content creators are really to blame for the surge in resellers. I myself am a product of that but I quickly learned that in order to be successful as a reseller, you have to do your own research. Two years ago I bought a Schleich american indian mixed figure set for $25 and sold it for $300.
I think the reseller days have died down and only a few of us decided to stay with it. It's way more work than one would think it is. But hell, I can't complain as it has helped me pay off some debts and credit card loans.
The Old Jaybird
Well-known member
I never tried to hide my speed, I am just as crappy as I appear!!
It was a great hobby for me, I enjoyed all the research as much as the finds themselves, before the internet I had to read books from the library to find out about things. The early days were the best and the early days of e bay were great, great moneymakers for guys like me who were already out there picking. I would get $350 for certain Ping Putters that you cannot even sell today bc the market got so saturated through e bay.
I had a very successful business career, but every Saturday I went out to select yard sales, thrifts, etc. -- my goal was to find $200 profit in items each weekend- back in mid 90's to about 2004 I did that consistently---- equal to about $800 or more week tax free in today's dollars - it was great fun and very financially rewarding as well.