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J&D CUSTOMS

J&D CUSTOMS

JL Cues
Silver Member
To all AZ members,

This is Jim of J&D CUSTOMS and I have a question.
I have been on the forum for quite sometime , even before J&D came up , I was JL CUES until I partnered up.
I have tried to sell many of our cues in the for sale area but to no avail.
We run a tight ship here at our shop and try to produce only the best for our customers. We stand behind any defects in playability and our cues hit very well. I think.
If you all could help me to know why even at a quarter of the price of other cues here , we seem to not be able to get our cues sold out to you in the AZ land we have here.
Can you all help me out and with the diversity we have on this forum , try to help us understand how to get them out to all of you at reasonable prices.
I have played pool for 26 years and I feel that helps me in the making of our cues. I have owned and shot with thousands of different cues from the same amount of makers and feel I know what players need to shoot at the top of their game from that knowledge.
We will have our cues in the Derby City Classic in the hands of a great player we are sponcering and feel he will do very well at the nine ball event. We will be their through the event to show off what we have but will not have a booth this year set up.
So if any one can help me out and come see us at the Derby would be great , Just look for our shirts , and our player who will also be in our Logo shirt as well.
Thanx to all for your time,
Happy Holidays from us,
Jim
J&D CUSTOMS
Batesville , Indiana
 
I will try to find you in the Derby. Trying out new cues is one of my favorite hobby.:)

Good luck with your player and your sales.

Be patience, there are lots of cues out there and lots of people are saving up for Christmas and the Derby.

You sound like a cue maker with lots of integrity, I am sure your product will speak for itself over time.

Best wishes,
Richard
 
People buy pretty cues first. So, make sure your cues are pretty.
People like elegant looking cues. So, make them look elegant.
The hit and the uniqueness of the cues will determine your longevity in the business.
If your price is too low, people will think they are of poor quality.
 
The core buyers at AZ are mostly veterans of the cue market...they've bought/sold/traded a few custom cues in their lifetimes, and all things being equal they are less likely to take risks on new CMs. The fact that there are hundreds of cuemakers to choose from today is also a huge factor; it makes the field extraordinarily competitive for new cuemakers, trying to make a name for themselves.

Personally, I need to see something different in a new cuemaker's craft to even consider a purchase. The obvious elements are design, execution, and overall aesthetic qualities...but in a few cases, innovations/uniqueness in construction as well. For instance, JW Petree, whose recent point/veneer work has impressed a lot of people on this forum...and JoeyinCali, who apprenticed with Zeiler and builds a cue void of any metal...except for the joint pin (Sugartree falls under this category as well).

One thing you can do is to improve your photography skills. This forum is a visual medium, and good pictures go a long way in making favorable first impressions. Give Bryan Mordt's website a look, and see how gorgeous his photos are. When Bryan was up and coming, those crisp, clean, and superbly lighted photos did wonders for his reputation on this forum. Of course, he had the goods to back it up!

To be completely honest, your photos do nothing to help sell your cues...investing in a good camera and learning how to use it will benefit you tremendously, imo.

Good luck,
Roger
 
Jim, try not to get too discouraged. Brent had a really tough time getting it going here not too long ago, and it seems that here lately, things are beginning to pick up for him. He's getting more of his cues out into players hands, and the feedback is coming back positive.

And yes, there has been an explosion, it seems, in the last 5 years in particular, of new and upcoming cuemakers on the scene, each fighting desperately for their own little niche of the market.

I feel badly that your free cues giveaway didn't exactly work out for you. I believe we got feedback from one...but I do not remember it being very detailed. And the other cue went to a guy who wound up disappearing from AZ altogether after he sold and then very nearly didn't deliver on a Skip Weston to 'rattlesnake' here. The guy got a free cue from you, and did not follow through with the promised review. Those cues probably should have gotten into the hands of established and regular posters here...you may have gotten a better shake.

Better pics will always help sell cues easier. Have you considered perhaps contacting a local high school or college in you area to see if they have a photography student who might be willing to take some pics for you?

You know, Chuck Starkey seems to be having a bit of success with the 'Travelling Cue'....although I have not seen a review lately, and there was some concern that it had gone MIA. Again, I think only established and regular posters should be involved in these kinds of opportunities....because all it takes it one person to screw it all up for everyone.

Beyond that, you obviously very enthusiastic about your product, and that does help...it shows that you believe in what you're doin'. I really do not know of any other advice I can give you but to keep on keepin' on, and continue to perfect your craft. I wish you all the best.

Lisa
 
Last edited:
Hello Jim, I have been collecting cues and playing about 20 years and the one thing about 90% of the cuemakers had in common(cues that are sought after) is that they developed a strong local following and then the name recognition of the cue developed over time. If you build a cue that many feel that your cues have a great feel you will be successful. Word of mouth is the ulimate advertising from your customers.

Any cuemaker that has to tell me his cues hit great or that have great playability I will not buy, those words should come from satisfied owners of his cues. If you are really good at what you do the customers and praise will follow, only time will tell.
 
J&D CUSTOMS said:
To all AZ members,

This is Jim of J&D CUSTOMS and I have a question.
I have been on the forum for quite sometime , even before J&D came up , I was JL CUES until I partnered up.
I have tried to sell many of our cues in the for sale area but to no avail.
We run a tight ship here at our shop and try to produce only the best for our customers. We stand behind any defects in playability and our cues hit very well. I think.
If you all could help me to know why even at a quarter of the price of other cues here , we seem to not be able to get our cues sold out to you in the AZ land we have here.
Can you all help me out and with the diversity we have on this forum , try to help us understand how to get them out to all of you at reasonable prices.
I have played pool for 26 years and I feel that helps me in the making of our cues. I have owned and shot with thousands of different cues from the same amount of makers and feel I know what players need to shoot at the top of their game from that knowledge.
We will have our cues in the Derby City Classic in the hands of a great player we are sponcering and feel he will do very well at the nine ball event. We will be their through the event to show off what we have but will not have a booth this year set up.
So if any one can help me out and come see us at the Derby would be great , Just look for our shirts , and our player who will also be in our Logo shirt as well.
Thanx to all for your time,
Happy Holidays from us,
Jim
J&D CUSTOMS
Batesville , Indiana
Click to expand...

My questions to you are:
Do you have a web site
If you do what is it? I can't find it.
If not why not?
Any information I would be looking for about your business and cues is a mystery.
Even in your public profile you don't have any contact info!!!
I'm always looking to buy custom cues and import them into Europe but where can I see an example of your work and what are you are capable of building.
IMHO in this day of the INTERNET and the information super hwy you are taking the slow boat to China without a website. How I'm I, as a potential customer going to be exposed to your product.
You have to sell your product to me.
Not that you have caught my attention show me what you got!

no-sho
 
Well, the Derby is a great step in the right direction.
Maybe you can hook up with a few AZr's there and show off your quality, and then word of mouth will get around. From what I have seen of your work (pics only) it looks very tight.
I would guess to venture that getting your two cues that you gave away to virtually unknown brand new people on the forum did not help at all. I have not read any reviews or seen or heard anything that would sway my decision to buy or not.
 
Maybe you should try another giveaway to the regular posters, just look at the post counts and join dates when they post. Let them submit again and put all the names in a fishbowl and take them to DCC and go to the A-Z room and have a pretty girl pull a few names out. That will be fair to all.:) or have the drawing at your booth, but be sure some A-Z members are present so everyone knows it was fair.:) Or have two drawings, one for A-Z members from the forum and one for players who sign up at your booth.

Maybe give away some T-shirts also.

While at the DCC keep your ears open for opportunities, maybe a player that had luggage lost and does not have a cue, or someone who goes and needs a cue for some side action, maybe you can rent them a cue, or stake them a cue for a cut.

Anything you can do to promote yourself at DCC will help, giveaway swag at the booth, Shaft slickers with logo, Key chains, pens.etc etc.:)
 
Go to the Derby with some nice stuff at reasonable prices, and get as many players to shoot with your cues as possible to try them out. If you can convince the really strong players around the country (and they will almost all be at the DCC), your name will get out pretty fast. Even though I will not be able to go, I would strongly suggest making frequent rounds in the AZ room, if there will be one again this year, and do a meet and great/networking tour. Get to know as many of us personally as you can. Many guys like to buy cues from people they know. There are a gazillion cuemakers out there right now. You have to figure a way to get your name out there. It is not enough to simply say "I make custom cues, buy one".
 
J&D CUSTOMS said:
.
If you all could help me to know why even at a quarter of the price of other cues here , we seem to not be able to get our cues sold out to you in the AZ land we have here.
Can you all help me out and with the diversity we have on this forum , try to help us understand how to get them out to all of you at reasonable prices.
I have played pool for 26 years and I feel that helps me in the making of our cues. I have owned and shot with thousands of different cues from the same amount of makers and feel I know what players need to shoot at the top of their game from that knowledge.
We will have our cues in the Derby City Classic in the hands of a great player we are sponcering and feel he will do very well at the nine ball event.
Click to expand...

The custom cue world is a funny business. Word of mouth is its best marketing. Good news travels quickly. Bad news travels even faster and farther.

Those that have sold cues on these forums should count themselves very lucky. But, if their service and goods are worth it, that word of mouth does indeed spread quickly, even moreso due to the amount of people who read these forums.

If you are in the business to sell cues, then you'll sell cues if your product is good. Internet forum sales shouldn't be your primary target audience. But, if you happen to sell to forum members, and they come back with positive feedback, then that should be additional business, not core business, IMO.

Fred <~~~ see you at Derby City
 
JoeyInCali said:
If your price is too low, people will think they are of poor quality.
Click to expand...

This statment has always baffled me, even though it may be true. You get stuck between a rock and a hardspace. Too high and no one buys, too low and no one buys. It is difficult to find that balance because once you set a price, there is a new set of problems. If no one buys at the low price and you raise them, what impression does that give? If you price them too high and then drop it, what impression does that give?

How do you figure it out? You have to start somewhere.
 
I suppose if anybody had the answer to that question they could make a fortune selling it to people starting new businesses. I think most self-employed people would agree that the hardest thing is getting your name out there, especially for a product which has a limited audience. My brother tried to make it as a custom furniture maker and he made beautiful furniture at reasonable prices... he is a meat cutter in a supermarket now.
I would suggest you just keep making your presence known on AZ. Pitch in with your opinions on other topics where you feel knowledeable. Not just cues, but pool in general since I'm sure if you make cues you probably play okay too. When people start recognizing your name for other reasons they'll also feel more open towards your cues. This thread and your appearance at Derby City are steps in the right direction. If you should decide to have a booth at SBE I'll look for you, but as I understand it SBE is pretty expensive for a booth.
 
ratcues said:
This statment has always baffled me, even though it may be true. You get stuck between a rock and a hardspace. Too high and no one buys, too low and no one buys. It is difficult to find that balance because once you set a price, there is a new set of problems. If no one buys at the low price and you raise them, what impression does that give? If you price them too high and then drop it, what impression does that give?

How do you figure it out? You have to start somewhere.
Click to expand...
this is a tuff one. i have people say to me all the time that i'm selling cues way too cheap.
they aslo DID NOT reach into thier pocket and give me an extra $100.
face it, our economy sucks. people aren't throwing money around like they used to. i know i don't. not when it costs $70 to fill the truck with gas. couple that with the fact there are 10,000 cues on ebay to pick from.
i'll just keep plugging away like i have been.
i sure as hell am not going back to construction work at my age!!!!!!!! :eek:​
 
catscradle said:
I suppose if anybody had the answer to that question they could make a fortune selling it to people starting new businesses. I think most self-employed people would agree that the hardest thing is getting your name out there, especially for a product which has a limited audience. My brother tried to make it as a custom furniture maker and he made beautiful furniture at reasonable prices... he is a meat cutter in a supermarket now.
I would suggest you just keep making your presence known on AZ. Pitch in with your opinions on other topics where you feel knowledeable. Not just cues, but pool in general since I'm sure if you make cues you probably play okay too. When people start recognizing your name for other reasons they'll also feel more open towards your cues. This thread and your appearance at Derby City are steps in the right direction. If you should decide to have a booth at SBE I'll look for you, but as I understand it SBE is pretty expensive for a booth.
Click to expand...

I will have a booth at the SBE so I hope to see not only you, but other AZ'ers there. Its always nice to put a name to the screen.
 
BHQ said:
this is a tuff one. i have people say to me all the time that i'm selling cues way too cheap.
they aslo DID NOT reach into thier pocket and give me an extra $100.
face it, our economy sucks. people aren't throwing money around like they used to. i know i don't. not when it costs $70 to fill the truck with gas. couple that with the fact there are 10,000 cues on ebay to pick from.
i'll just keep plugging away like i have been.
i sure as hell am not going back to construction work at my age!!!!!!!! :eek:​
Click to expand...

I'll have you build me one soon. PM sent.
 
Most cuemakers become well-known in their own backyard first. If the local players aren't playing with your cues you're gonna have a hard time getting people 4 or 5 states away from playing with them.

While your cues are nice you do need better photos of them. Look at the for sale forum and you'll see what areas of the cues you need to photograph as well as how best to stage the pictures.

I would also recommend a couple of show piece cues. Show us some innovations and some unique designs and someone might take a chance on your cue based on aesthetics alone.

Also posting more helps. It shows that you have knowledge about pool and cuebuilding and can add credibility to your business.

Just my 2 cents.
 
BrooklynJay said:
Most cuemakers become well-known in their own backyard first. If the local players aren't playing with your cues you're gonna have a hard time getting people 4 or 5 states away from playing with them.

While your cues are nice you do need better photos of them. Look at the for sale forum and you'll see what areas of the cues you need to photograph as well as how best to stage the pictures.

I would also recommend a couple of show piece cues. Show us some innovations and some unique designs and someone might take a chance on your cue based on aesthetics alone.

Also posting more helps. It shows that you have knowledge about pool and cuebuilding and can add credibility to your business.

Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Very nice post
 
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