Trading Pool Cues on the Internet
8/18/2007 8:08:49 PM
Trading Pool Cues on the Internet
I did a trade on an Arizona pool forum recently; My DZ cue for this guy's Schon cue w/ 2 shafts.
After having the cue for a day or so, the guy frantically calls me up and says my cue is WARPED! I said "what are you talking about, I checked it twice before sending it to you, no way!" He swears up and down that my handle is warped.
So, we're trading back on Monday so I should know by Wednesday what the deal is. There is NO way I sent him this cue like that, and he only had it for 1 day, so something's up.
I'm thinking he found someone to buy the Schon cue he traded me, and can't sell the DZ cue, so he wants his cue back. Well, that's fine but DON'T tell me that I'm a dishonest seller, because it just isn't true!
If I notice anything wrong with a cue, I make sure I disclose that info because I don't need that kind of reputation. I am a nice HONEST guy! I'm checking it over with a FINE TOOTHED comb after getting it back, AND taking it to Bob himself to check it and tell me what he finds, if anything at all. If there is anything wrong with it, I'll get it fixed, but I doubt there honestly is. I guess this cue will be the one I use for league play this coming winter
My dealings on the AZB have gotten me to the point that I never want to buy, sell, or trade anything over the internet ever again.
I have had 3 BAD deals now.
- With BAMACUES, who is one of the biggest sellers there. I got a really warped cue from him and got stuck with it.2. With DANIEL (Tim Samala) - I got a warped cue from him that HE GOT from Bamacues, but got my cues back from that deal, so that one worked out in my favor3. And now this BAD deal where its supposedly MY cue that is warped. I highly doubt it is, but I'll gladly send him back the Schon cue he misrepresented to me anyways, I'm not exactly happy with it. Its made of bacote wood, and not cocobolo like he said it was, and he said the inlays were green, but they are very blue. I mean, how do you confuse blue for green? Colorblind maybe? I'm not sure.
I can tell you that I'm really going to watch what it is I buy over the internet now. I mean, if its only a small amount more to buy it new, I'll buy it new, thanks!
My pool cue trading and pool cue selling days online are DONE, unless its with a more reputable place like Cueaddicts.com, or Proficientbilliards.com, or somewhere like that. NO MORE deals with individuals for me! I'm just so damn irritated with the internet, its not funny anymore!
Anyone else have any bad stories to tell?
Trading Pool Cues on the Internet
Replies & Comments
djkx1 on 8/19/2007 9:17:46 AMI've done very little buying on the internet, especially cues. The only cues I bought were from Brent (BHQ) and Chrisonline on AZB. Both were good experiences and I would never hesitate to do business with either.
Brent in particular has been so good to deal with that I consider him a friend and would recommend his work to anyone. I know you already have a cue builder that you work with, but I just figured I'd mention it anyway.
The internet, just like anywhere else is full of good people to deal with as well as the bad. It is tougher though because you can't actually see the product in person. It's always going to be a risk, I suppose thats why I tend to be a loyal customer once I find someone I know I can trust.
Good luck Jeff, and hopefully you resolve the current problem, and have better luck with your future dealings.
jeffduke on 8/19/2007 10:02:31 AMThat's the thing, my problems have been with so-called good sellers.
BAMACUES on AZB sent me a cue he had to have known was warped, because it was really bad.
I've dealt with ChrisOnline before and he's a great seller, one of the few!
Brent is a cue-builder and is EXPECTED to be a good seller (e.g. he is more like a business than an individual), so he really doesn't count in this thread, though some day I'd like to have one of his cues!
Nah, I think my online pool cue trading days are definitely numbered. I just find or have found that very few people describe things correctly, like I do, just to get rid of their junk.
Bishop on 8/19/2007 6:17:44 PM
Its not just the cue trading industry I see this as a society problem. Seems like these days being honest and not flaking out just aren't common practices.
tpdtom on 8/21/2007 6:44:57 PM
Yesterday I was talking to Paul Dayton about another cue maker's pool cue that had warped.
It was no fault of the cue builders in any event.
The cue warped only when the original wrap was changed from linen to leather. The handle had to be turned just a little so that the leather would lay flat to the fore-end and butt sleeve. Well, as soon as that was done, it quickly warped.
One person replied and blamed my local cue maker because he removed the sealer on the handle that was put on by the original cue maker.
Paul said: "Hell, I've had 150 year old wood warp on me! That cue maker didn't do anything wrong when he changed that wrap. The wood decided to move, that's all! Some wood moves, some doesn't, and it's impossible to predict. It is most likely to move when it goes to a new climate where the humidity is different than it came from. Nothing that you can do about it."
This is just food for thought.
I've been the recipient of a warped cue, but I've never been accused of selling one without prior disclosure though. It could happen I guess. Bottom line is, as much as it hurts, the seller should take warped cues back within a few days. Not many will, but they should.
- djkx1 on 8/21/2007 6:51:43 PM
Good insight Tom. I know warping happens a lot when the climate change is dramatic, for instance, when a cue travels from nearly tropical areas like the Philippines to North America. I just wonder if it can happen from the less dramatic moves within North America.
Humidity levels where I live are up and down from 30% to 90% any given day and I've never had any pool cues warp on me, although I don't keep my cues outside either. LOL.
It is the same with the humidity here in Michigan. I don't have central AC, and I have a dehumidifier only in my basement. When it's really humid e.g. 72 F and 92% humidity, you can just feel the sticky dampness on everything. When I came home from work today, I ran around checking pool cues and guns.
Pool cues absolutely can warp when being shipped around North America. They can warp and they do warp all of the time.
quickshot on 7/14/2008 10:05:38 AMI have read this thread from top to bottom with great interest.
You guys are a great source of information. I never even considered the fact that a move around the country could have an effect on a cue stick.
As for buying and selling pool cues on the net, that is, for me, a NO-NO. I will only deal with a reputable company. I do not need the aggravation of dealing with less-than honest people. Granted, it may only be a few, but that is enough to sour the whole.
billiardsforum on 7/14/2008 8:35:27 PMI have done a lot of business on the internet. For this site, every single advertisement transaction has been done over email - all have gone smoothly. That's thousands of dollars over the years (all reinvested into the site) without ever talking to another person. That is the type of efficiency the internet is famous for.
On the other hand, I have been caught in a few deals where I outsourced some of the work, and was left holding the bag. No money, no code, and there was nothing I could do.
Obviously pool cues are a physical item that needs to be shipped so trading pool cues on the internet is a little different. I agree with both sides of the argument. The seller has a responsibility to ask where the cue is going, and take precautions to pack properly. On the other hand, the buyer must know that they are assuming some risk by purchasing something through mail order that they have not seen, and which may have a description that does not match the actual state of the product.
That's why things are generally cheaper on the net. You save because of the efficiency it creates, but you sometimes lose those savings through the additional risk you take on by not "trying before buying" or whatever.
What makes Jeff's case odd is that his "bad deals" were from known reputable sellers. That is definitely odd.
Bamacues on 11/3/2008 8:57:22 PM
Well, @jeffduke isn't telling the story exactly as it happened.
We traded cues.
You did not complain of a warped cue, you complained that you could feel the ferrule because your stroke went all the way through to the tip, and that the tip was mushroomed.
In that deal, you sent me a cue with a mismatched shaft that was much smaller than the butt. I had already sent that cue out to have a new shaft made for it by that time (it was a Dryzicky cue) and I had not complained about it to you. You became upset when I suggested that you let Bob Dryzicki smooth the ferrule to the shaft just how you would like it.
I have no idea about any cue that you purchased from someone who had purchased it months prior from me. As stated, wood moves. I can not be responsible for the condition of a cue that I had not owned for over 6 months.
I also thought we had moved beyond this, especially in light of the fact that we have done business together on a couple of "good" transactions since then:_
- Seller dukeboy1977 (11) - 07-25-2008 - "talisman 2x4 case...can't ask for an easier to deal with customer"
- dukeboy1977 - 07-25-2008, 05:27 PM - "I knew you'd like it Joe...I'm just glad to hear it's gonna actually be USED by someone who wants and needs a case as awesome as that one is! Take care, Jeff
_I am only making this post in response to what was placed here. I have no issue with Jeff. He is a finicky customer, and a good pool player, and sometimes he can be difficult to deal with, as many of us can.
Trading Pool Cues on the Internet
- Title: Trading Pool Cues on the Internet
- Author: jeffduke (Jeff Duke)
- Published: 8/18/2007 8:08:49 PM
