Running a raffle for profit

running raffle for small profit is ok

  • YES

    Votes: 55 94.8%
  • NO

    Votes: 3 5.2%

  • Total voters
    58
  • Poll closed .

jdxprs

Banned
I enjoy running raffles here, AND participating in others raffles for that matter.

my question is, would it be wrong to run a raffle of a brand new stick for profit if the person doing it were profiting about $20 or $30?
 
I do not think anyone is running a raffle and not making some kind of profit. On average, most people running a raffle do(or should) make a little more then just selling the cue outright. It is harder work to run a raffle, so I do not see anything wrong with someone making an extra $20-$50.

I do not know wheather you meant making $20-$30 over retail price on a new cue. If so, then I do not think many people would get in the raffle. However, if you buy a brand new cue for $200, and the retail is $300, then nobody would have a problem with you making $220-$230 out of it.
 
it depends on the price of the cue. if u're raffling an expensive cue and its only 20-30 dollar profit thats nothing. its like less than 70 cents a person so i doubt anyone would care.

also, raffles should cost more than an outright sale because paypal ends up charging more fees since there are more transactions. not only do they have the 3% service charge but they also add 30 or 40 cents on top of each transaction so u end up paying more for running a raffle than a 1 transaction sale.
 
Well, I kneejerk reaction voted no ... but after thinking about it I guess a small profit isn't that big a deal to be able to give people a chance to get a nice cue for a small investment. Heck, if my state lottery can do it, why can't you?

I originally voted no because my opinion regarding raffles is that they should be used as an alternate method to sell an item for the reasonable asking price, not an inflated price just as a means to make profit. Heck, if people started doing this, they could just put up a million raffles for $30 more than the sell price on the internet, then when the winner is determined, order the item from the online retailer and have it directly shipped to the raffle winner. You would never have to even buy an item until you got all the raffle payments in.
 
I don't see much of a reason to run a raffle and not make a profit. I always do the math and a little research before I purchase any spots. I have passed on a few that were asking for new prices on used goods. But for the most part I like all of the raffles and most seem fair to me.
 
Profit ok by me

I think that anyone running a raffle should be able to make some extra $$$ who cares if someone makes $50 or $500 as long as the $$$ per chance is fair why should anyone care as its a pain in the butt keeping track of everything then shipping ect...
I don't care how much a person makes if i end up with a $5k-$6k cue for a $100. Why would i care if the person running the raffle made $1k ??? Just my thoughts. Oh by the way i hope i win the dennis searing raffle (lol)
 
The American Dream

Make that cheddar.

If you don't like it, don't participate.

Besides, if a raffle seems oddly suspicious, I'm sure a moderator or two would intervene.
 
I would find it hard to believe that people run raffles to break even. Nothing wrong with a profit in my eyes. At the end of the day, you don't need to buy a chance if you don't like it.
 
I participate in a fair amount of raffles, and I'm okay with the guy making a few bucks. That is the nature of selling. Every raffle I have been in and won has also included shipping in the price.

Raffles can be a major pain in the ass to run. All it takes is one guy to mention the word raffle, and PayPal goes bananas. People can take forever paying up, people forget, peoples PM box is full, people get mad at other people. Its pretty labor intensive.

The beauty of raffles is, if its a rip off, it just isn't going to go off. It is that simple.
Most are based on the lottery, and if one is crafty enough to rig that, then he's better off, well, rigging the damn lottery.

I'd have to say, looking back on the DOOM AND GLOOM days of raffles, none of the carnage that was predicted ever happened. The BPG24 incident was the closest it ever came to being a major issue, and nothing ever happened, and he deliberately tried to bring an end to all raffles and possibly AZB.

So, yeah, a few extra to cover paypal and shipping and hey, if you aren't making anything, why sell?

Just my .02.
Happy raffling.

Justin.

Edit: I play with a Schon STL 4 and use an InStroke 3x5. Total price for both = $26 dollars. I love raffles.
 
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Well, I kneejerk reaction voted no ... but after thinking about it I guess a small profit isn't that big a deal to be able to give people a chance to get a nice cue for a small investment. Heck, if my state lottery can do it, why can't you?

I originally voted no because my opinion regarding raffles is that they should be used as an alternate method to sell an item for the reasonable asking price, not an inflated price just as a means to make profit. Heck, if people started doing this, they could just put up a million raffles for $30 more than the sell price on the internet, then when the winner is determined, order the item from the online retailer and have it directly shipped to the raffle winner. You would never have to even buy an item until you got all the raffle payments in.

You don't think people aren't already doing this? They don't even need to charge extra over the retail price to make a profit.

Nothing wrong with running raffles for "profit" except that it's illegal in most states and doing it over the internet with money collected across state lines is a federal offense.
 
Hey! If I can get a nice cue for $100, even $200, and I'm really happy with it, I don't care if the person makes $1,000 on it! That's what a raffle is all about. It's GAMBLING! Betting you are going to beat the odds.

Anyone who has been around pool should have SOME idea of what various types and brands of cues retail for. If it really bothers you that 46 spots @ $15 = $690 for a $550 dollar cue, then........dont do it??!!
Of course, ....just my opinion.
 
I enjoy running raffles here, AND participating in others raffles for that matter.

my question is, would it be wrong to run a raffle of a brand new stick for profit if the person doing it were profiting about $20 or $30?

Hi, and yes, what else would be the point? Selling a cue for a fair value varies anyway, depending on who's evaluating it. One guy says it's worth 350, the other says 500. It's a buyer's market, whether it's an outright sale, or a guy who's buying spots. When I purchase spots in a raffle, I look at the cue and it's description as though I were buying it, and expect it to be accurate. It's too easy to pass off an inferior product in a raffle, cause the only guy who will see it is the winner, and in the end it's a small investment, so the raffler thinks he's got it made, even if the cue does not match the description. I know. I won a cue which was far from what we all saw in the pics, and did not match the details in the description- not by a longshot. I feel Itrader feedback should be used to keep this in check, just as though you bought it, and he/she sold it. After all, the raffler has their money, just as though it were sold. And it's an easy way to pass off something inferior, for a price which in some cases such as the one I won, cannot be sold for a decent price, or what it would normally be worth if it were'nt flawed. So, in my case in particular, the raffler made a profit. He could not ever have sold it for what he brought in through the raffle.
 
yes

come on guys we all know we wouldnt do it take the time putting the names in following up going to the post office wrapping the cue shipping it out sending the winner a tracking number \\
the reality is there is no profit lets say you sell a cue for 400 its worth 350 by the time you take all the time and effort into putting the transation together is there really a profit \\

i think im the only guy in this place who has run a raffle for a huge loss lmao ( ask soulhassorrow and knight of pool )

now lets not get to crazy if your selling an item for way to much like a poison or cuetec for 10 a spot you should be called out

so yes im all for a profit but lets not get stupid or greedy on the backs of all the awesome azers ( me included)

keep shooting straight

dan
 
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WTF? A guys got a cue. Wants to sell it. Decides on doing a raffle... which is considerable hassle. People see the cue, like it and buy chances. They get a chance at a cool cue. He makes some bucks. What's wrong with that?
 
The way I see it is , it is alot of work running the raffle and keeping it up to date. I for one wouldn't even try to have a raffle cause I just dont have the time to run one myself. I thought about putting some of my cue's up before but then I seen and my dad told me of the headaches that goes with the raffle. People not paying on time, and makeing others made for waiting on the late pays. Then the fact of when people pay it only takes one to mentioning the raffle when paying and then the money gets frozen ... Good luck Im all for who ever wants to run them ...Gavin
 
Short answer = NO

Long answer = I see nothing wrong with it at all. No matter how much profit you make. If you describe it honestly. Just like selling something its worth what ever someone is willing to pay for it. In this case lets say its a $300 cue and you sell 46 spots at $10 each = $460 -$46 for paypal and $20 for shipping you make $94 for your time and initial investment, your happy. Someone gets a new $300 for $10 they are happy. Everyone else just bought a $10 scratch off lottery ticket with a 1 in 46 chance of winning. $300 cue vs $10 is a return of 30 to 1. Sounds pretty good to me in you can afford to by the spots. A raffle on here gives better odds than most lottery tickets.
 
The profit one may make from a raffle effects the end buyer(s) minimally per entry.
Additionally, the opportunity to own something of any value at a fraction of the real cost, hiked up or not, is THE REAL reason for entering! In the entrants mind, the idea shouldn't be whether the cue is marked up or not, rather, whether they like the odds and rules of the contest.

If anyone won anything on a raffle and then complained it was marked up to high, they should be willing to part with said item for reimbursment of their entry fee.

Anyone got a Searing cue they won they're not happy with, drop me a PM!!! I've got a snazzy case to throw it in ;)
 
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