Would this help your business? Billiards Bizzare

[Aubrey's Quay]

I have been toying around with this idea for a while.
I regularly sell lower end billiard sticks and accessories (along with other used merchandise) at open air flea markets during the warmer season. It has been doing well. I have slowly started getting some higher end product, and now have the opportunity and resources to start doing some direct importing.

My though is to litterally take my show on the road. Kind of a floating flea market exclusively in billiards. Rather then work the open air circuit, I was thinking of bringing the show direct to the customers.

Here is the plan. Since most rooms are closed on Sunday Morning, my thought is to have an open to the public billiard bizzare flea market at various local rooms on Sunday Mornings from 9:00am til 3:00pm. This way it should not conflict with normal operating hours. I would come in with 100 or so cues, plus cases and accessories. Merchandise would be a combination of new and used. I would buy, sell, and trade. So as not to burn out any single market area, I would float throughout a number of rooms in various states along the east coast. I would not want to hit the same room or area more then once every 3 months. Naturally, the room owner would have to be compensated for his time, and to make it successful I would have to open table space for local cue makers and dealers as well. Any added rental collected from these participants would go to the room owner of course.

I would advertise the event for the 2 weeks preceeding the sale on craigslist, this forum, and the local classified to make sure there are enough serious buyers. The natural conflict is of course the rom owners retail sales. To offset this, at the end of the day the room owner would have first right of refusal on any trades taken in. Also, since I will have new inventory I could offer the room owner the option of rotating out old stock for new, straight wholesale trade.

Basically, the room owner would be hosting a mini expo that would hopefully bring players into your room from outside your normal market area. Of course if you sell food and beverages, your sales will go up.

I figure I need 16 to 20 rooms from Florida to Connecticut to make it work.

Any thoughts, please share. Thanks

 

[Wags]

my thought is....

Whether I want to be tactful or not.

You probably do not own a room. Most rooms sell cues as a secondary income. Why would I let you in to take away my sales?

I am against "trunk sales" in the first place and this would be the epitome of that.

In fact, most reputable cue makers don't sell unless you have brick and mortar. If they do, I don't deal with them.

Our cue sales get hurt enough with the internet companies, there is no way I would even entertain your idea.

Hoping to set you straight.

Wags

 

[cueandcushion]

I was wondering if YOU were responsible for state and local sales tax or if the owner of the room was? What commission are you giving to the room owners? Does your insurance company cover sales in multiple states? Tons of liability for a room owner to let someone in to sub lease space from them and sell. When there is a problem, does the customer have your work and home phone? or will the business have to deal with the customer? I would think a better business model would be to sell cues via consignment through other pool halls than a trunk sale style. I know whenever I see anyone selling ANYTHING on my property I have them arrested. Because I already know MY business is the one who will get sued if anything bad arises from the deal.

 

[Aubrey's Quay]

In greater detail

I am warning you upfront, this is going to be a long winded post.

To address the first response to this post, no I have never owned a pool room. I have been an employee at 2 different rooms, and I have sold cues out of a number of rooms. I have never engaged in "trunk sales". I don't condone it, and my hope in starting this thread was to work with room owners to promote their business as well as my own.

What I have done in the past in selling cues in someone elses room is, first and foremost, get permission from the room owner. If there was any resistance I moved on. If I was invited in, 9 times out of 10 I demonstrated the cue to the player, and sold it to the room owner. The room owner took payment for the cue and we both made money. And I was invited back. The few times I left cues on consignment in a room, with limited exception I got beat.

What I am trying to accomplish here is just a larger scale of what I have done successfully in the past. Sales Tax, Liability, Commission, and preserving the customer relationship are all very valid concerns, and the type of things I hoped this thread would bring up.

I am asking room owners to host the event to promote their business as much as my own.

I would suggest the following refinements, and hope that it quells some of the concerns that have been voiced in responses and in private messages.

1st, this type of event is not suited for every room. If you have 64 tables, 22000 sq ft, a full pro shop, and a full repair facility this is probably not the event for you. You should hold a "Private Sale" if you need to turn inventory. If you are unfamiliar with this type of event, feel free to PM me. I have 25 years of retail experience, and would be happy to share some of the tricks I have learned.

If you are one of the smaller rooms with a limited pro shop, as a majority in the industry are, this may be something for you to consider.

This event would function very similar to a manufacturers hosted event. The difference is that I have new and used inventory from a number of manufacturers from all over the world.

Part of the program is that I would not bring in conflicting merchandise. If you stock Lucasi, I would not bring it in, and so on.

When I come in, I function more as your employee that as an independent. This is something you are arranging for your customers. I am just handling the details on your behalf.

In selling my product, I would be demonstrating and negotiating. Anything new I bring in comes with a manufactures warranty. Anything used, same as if you took in a trade it is as is-where is.

I would sell your inventory as aggressively as my own. I need you to want to invite me back, which means that I need to take care of you.

In either case, you handle the financial end of the transaction. The buyer is paying you. We will settle up at the end of the event. This way, you are ensuring that sales tax is collected. If you want to offer customers layaway you can. If you accept checks or credit cards all the better. At the end of the day, you are buying from me, only the product that was sold. You will be working on a lower margin on my merchandise then on your own, but I have made the up from investment in the inventory I am consigning to you during the day of the event.

I only make money on my product. You on the other hand have a number of ways to generate income from the event.

If you have a repair shop and a good mechanic, run specials on tip replacements, cleaning and turning shafts, and replacing wraps. If you do not have a mechanic, I will try to arrange one for you, to come in and offer the same services, and you will make a commission on each job.

If you are a league room, then you can run handicaped mini tournaments throughout the day. Payout 80% and the rest covers the green fees.

If you have a snack bar, open it.

In inviting local cue makers and collectors to display and sell, they will be made aware in advance that they are paying you upfront for display space, and they owe you a reasonable commission on anything they sell.

You will have first rigth of refusal on anything I buy or take in on trade. If you don't like the price I paid, I own it. If I take a trade on your merchandise and you don't want it, again I own it.

Again, in all of this, I only make money on product I bring in. But me and my staff will work with the same diligence whether the inventory being demonstarted is mine or yours.

The idea is that this is an event you are hosting for your customers. Both to reward your existing customer base, as well as attract players from neighboring markets to your room. If you (meaning us) make a good impression, the players will come back the next time the need something.

As far as your "commission" is concerned, when I arrive with my staff, I will give you an inventory list with costs that include my margin on the product. If there is something you want for yourself, or do not want me to display, not a problem. Although my costs are going to be higher then if you went direct to buy the merchadise yourself, you will not have any up from expense unless you want to bring in more merchandise from your suppliers.

I think that this should address most all of the concerns that have been voiced, both in private messages and in the responses to this post. I have deliberately left out actually margins and percentages simply because players read this board as well, and to be frank, what we may or may not make on any deal should not be a topic of public conversation. At the end of the day, the bottom line is that this event should be successful and profitable enough for both of us to want to repeat it.

If I have left anything out, please feel free to send me a PM or post a reply.