Whats up with the billiard suppliers?

poke&hope

poke&hope

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I noticed recent posts of people having problems receiving certain orders in a timely manner or not at all from different online suppliers.

I had a problem myself ordering a cue that was emailed on the way, never came, and finally I had to cancel it and get my money back. These are major suppliers that all of us have done business with for years and never had a problem


In my case I found out after a month the cue I had ordered was not in stock, yet stated on the way. Obviously they sold what wasn't in stock and was having problems getting it.

I noticed lately a lot of suppliers are out of stock and they want you to order and email you when they come in or they will email you when they come in and you can order.

Could it be that the economy is so bad they can't spend to keep many things in stock as they use to and prefer to keep a limited supply and/or know they have a buyer before they,the vendors, order themselves.

I see this across the billiard vendor industry not just one company. Is the economy the problem. Whats up? :confused:
 
Generally speaking, people post when they have problems. They don't post when everything works out great.

The same thing happens in the real world (off the internet). People write the corporate office a lot more when things go wrong, not to compliment when everything goes right.
 
Misunderstood message

TX Poolnut said:
Generally speaking, people post when they have problems. They don't post when everything works out great.

The same thing happens in the real world (off the internet). People write the corporate office a lot more when things go wrong, not to compliment when everything goes right.
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My message probably was not written well for comprehension,sorry. I am not being negative to the industry after years of buying alot from many different vendors I had only one problem and we eventually worked it out.

If you surf the top vendors we all use online you will see many out of stock items and the scenario I described. It was not this way until lately. I am not being critical just wondering if money has gotten so tight (like billiard parlor owners) that its required a change in the way of keeping stock or doing business.
 
Also a lot of high discount dealers in a wide range of products no longer stock much of anything and ship from the manufacturer's warehouse so the order has another step to make. This is just a sign of the times in the sales business.
 
I don't think the problem is that manufacturers are sitting on massive stockpiles of inventory that suplliers/distributors aren't ordering. I think the problem is that players are spending less, so retailers/distributors are selling less, so less is being produced. Many times, if a distributor places an order for product, it may take 2 months to get the order from overseas where it is produced. They are having to anticipate what the demand will be 2-3 months from now, so if there's any spike in sales of a particular item, their inventory will be depleted.

It sucks...especially as a mechanic, when I call my supplier to order Standard Green cloth to find out he's out of stock for the next couple of weeks!!! Unfortunately it's something we've all got to deal with right now.
 
I can only share the experience I have seen in the Valley of the Sun. I recently stopped by the LARGEST Supplier of Pool & Dart Supplies in the Valley on the way home from Down Town. The owner told me BUSINESS is way Down, and the RECESSION is hurting him bad. He also mention in the LAST 180 or so over 130 BARS HAD SHUT down in Maricopa County, and he point to the RECESSION, and sees no end in sight.

I think it is not just the Pool Suppliers, but every sector of the economy, and you only need drive by NEW CAR DEALERSHIP, and see less inventory, and you are see less NEW CARS, TRUCKS, SUV’s ETC. on the road.

I am sure there are Bars & Rooms in the Valley of the Sun who are doing OK, but unless you have access to their books, you will net see the NET NUMBERS.

I called one of the Online Billiard Retailer a few weeks ago looking for several items, and was told they are SOLD OUT until the Boat arrives carrying said item in for their inventory.

THE WORD IS RECESSION, AND IT IS EFFECTING EVERYTHING. JMHO
 
billiard supply

I have been doing bussines with CUESTIX for 13yr, and i must say they have given me the best of service!!! THANKS STICK:thumbup:
 
It doesn't matter if we're in a recession. Telling a customer a product is on the way when you don't even have it in stock, is not right.
 
If retail orders are down, retailers don't order as much from wholesalers. That means wholesale sales decrease, and the wholesalers cut back on orders from manufacturers. If orders to manufacturers are down, manufacturers cut back on production. So when consumer orders start to rebound, it is going to take some time for everyone to catch up.

And as far a pool cues, that turn around time can easily be 3 or 4 months. It's good business, but tough on the consumer. If history tells me that my sales have dropped from 50 cues a month to 12 cues a month, I'm not going to order 50 for the next month. And if I have 50 in stock, I may not order any for 2 or 3 months. It's simple inventory management.

Steve
 
stick8 said:
I have been doing bussines with CUESTIX for 13yr, and i must say they have given me the best of service!!! THANKS STICK:thumbup:
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Agreed. I've been doing business with them for over 10 years now. Although recently there have been a couple very minor items they were out of stock on, they are the most consistent company I have dealt with as far as having stuff in stock. They have fair pricing, and GREAT customer service, and they always have.
 
poke&hope said:
I noticed recent posts of people having problems receiving certain orders in a timely manner or not at all from different online suppliers.

I had a problem myself ordering a cue that was emailed on the way, never came, and finally I had to cancel it and get my money back. These are major suppliers that all of us have done business with for years and never had a problem


In my case I found out after a month the cue I had ordered was not in stock, yet stated on the way. Obviously they sold what wasn't in stock and was having problems getting it.

I noticed lately a lot of suppliers are out of stock and they want you to order and email you when they come in or they will email you when they come in and you can order.

Could it be that the economy is so bad they can't spend to keep many things in stock as they use to and prefer to keep a limited supply and/or know they have a buyer before they,the vendors, order themselves.

I see this across the billiard vendor industry not just one company. Is the economy the problem. Whats up? :confused:
Click to expand...
It is easy to be too diverse. The supplier tries to be everything to everybody. There are so many cues on the market they can't stock everything but will order something they don't stock when the order comes in. This is wrong. It is best to stock what you know sells and you actually like yourself as a dealer. You give the customer a fair variety to choose from but that is it. If you don't have what the customer wants they will have to go somewhere else. As a retailer you can only stock so much and there is no shame in saying, "I am sorry we don't stock that model".
 
pooltchr said:
If retail orders are down, retailers don't order as much from wholesalers. That means wholesale sales decrease, and the wholesalers cut back on orders from manufacturers. If orders to manufacturers are down, manufacturers cut back on production. So when consumer orders start to rebound, it is going to take some time for everyone to catch up.

And as far a pool cues, that turn around time can easily be 3 or 4 months. It's good business, but tough on the consumer. If history tells me that my sales have dropped from 50 cues a month to 12 cues a month, I'm not going to order 50 for the next month. And if I have 50 in stock, I may not order any for 2 or 3 months. It's simple inventory management.

Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve and others for the lesson, this answers whats up. So there are going to be a lot of, out of stock items, until sales pick up. If sales doesn't pick up or become weaker I assume more items may be added to the out of stock list? Looks like its going to take longer to get certain supplies. Again, this question was not about bad business practices! I knew something was up when I had a problem with a good business and saw many sites quoting out of stock items that had always been in stock before. I understand now why they want to know they have buyers before they stock. I hope this doesn't lead to some items being deleted. Thanks
 
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