thoughts on buying a table already disassembled
- Thread starter rhgibson
- Start date
If its a brand name tbl ( GC,Diamond,Gandy, etc and a commerical grade ) its prob ok. You can look at the rails , legs ball box, skirts to see if the table was abused. The main thing is to check the slate. Are the slates smooth, do they have any patches, are there any cracks. And take a level to make sure the slates are not warped. If you can, take a good table mech with you. He will know . You will need him to put it together anyway. He should give you a good price on transporting and setup on the table.
Good luck
Good luck
I have bought and sold quite a few tables and I can tell you, a table that is in parts is worth less no matter how you look at it. It is like buying a car you can't start up and drive. You don;t know the pocket sizes or how the rails play or even if there is not any parts that have been misplaced.
In fact people would show up and if the table was not set up to play on they didn't want it at any price. It is a big hassle to buy a table, pay to have it moved and set up only to find you don't like the table. There are other tables for them to look at and they would pass on buying.
If you are a table mechanic then none of this really matters but for the average buyer you want to see the table in playing condition. If you do feel comfortable buying a table in pieces you still should make a lower offer for the reasons mentioned. The last table I had for sale was a Gandy big G in parts in my warehouse.. I had to deliver it, set it up and guarantee the table before I got paid.
Used tables are not really worth that much. Once people find out what it will ultimately cost them in the end before they hit the first ball on it they want the table for almost nothing. I can move and set up a table myself but if you can't, someone has to eat that cost it has to be the seller.
Your are going to own that tables for a long time they don't wear out. They are not easy to move and not easy to set up. Be selective and buy what you really want. In the long run it will be the best use of your money. There is not many things more disappointing then playing on a cheap poor playing pool table. I know quite a few people who just wanted a table and bought a cheap ( I mean in quality not price) one then after a short time they don't even want to play on any more.
As long as you have the room, a good table is not really out of the budget of most anyone. If you look around you can get a good buy on good quality tables where people are moving or for one reason don't want the table anymore. Trust me, there is not much competition for the table. Buyers are few and far between as anyone can tell you who has tried to sell a pool table. They may end up taking almost any offer. I have a Gold Crown now that I got for nothing. I got a call asking what it would cost to take a table apart and move it. I said I would do it for $250.00. They wanted it taken to a storage unit.
When I got there the guy said how about we just give you the table and you get it out of here. So I took the table. They were not being stupid. After they paid me the $250.00 they were still stuck with storing the table then having to sell it later. They didn't want the table the house was sold and the new owners wanted it out of there. Fact is, used tables just ain't worth much in most markets. I wrote such a long response to give you some things to think about as you look for your table.
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this could be a potential nightmare. Question is, is the risk worth the reward? I buy used dis-assembled tables over the phone all the time. I asked who dis-assembled, chances are if it was a respectable mechanic, everything will be marked and well organized. Also, you could contact the mechanic to see what they think of the table.
this info is appreciated... I am wanting to get a 9ft table comparable to what I play on in leagues (GC or Diamond)... the table that is available that is disassembled is a Brunswick Medalist.... this is a first table for me, and I can see there is a lot to consider on used tables (maybe the guy is selling cuz there is a problem with it?) ... much appreciated folks! 