Is this guy a forum member?

[Maverick54]

Just wondering if anyone knows this guy on ebay. Seems to buy a lot of phoenix cues from Craftsman then sells them on ebay. Particually machine spliced cues. Just wondering if they could be seconds.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STUNNING-5...#ht_863wt_1197

[cueman]

I think its most likely stock that Craftsman can't shift and he probably gets them cheap and then sells them on hoping for profit.

What I'd like to know is what on earth is going on at Craftsman? Are they slowly closing down or is Dave retiring and taking the business with him? The stock of cues has never been so low, they have hardly got any cues of any range left and normally they always keep themselves well stocked with various brands.

It started a few weeks back by stopping their made to measure range and now they have just a handful of Maximus and Phoenix cues, and just a few of the lower value cues like Mastercue, Geordie Pool and Buffalo. I hope they aren't quitting or taking the business in a different direction as they along with GreenBaize are the only two specialist stockists of cues in the country.

[denja]

I think its most likely stock that Craftsman can't shift and he probably gets them cheap and then sells them on hoping for profit.

What I'd like to know is what on earth is going on at Craftsman? Are they slowly closing down or is Dave retiring and taking the business with him? The stock of cues has never been so low, they have hardly got any cues of any range left and normally they always keep themselves well stocked with various brands.

It started a few weeks back by stopping their made to measure range and now they have just a handful of Maximus and Phoenix cues, and just a few of the lower value cues like Mastercue, Geordie Pool and Buffalo. I hope they aren't quitting or taking the business in a different direction as they along with GreenBaize are the only two specialist stockists of cues in the country.

Always rated Craftsman as a good place to buy a cue however as you stated things appear to be changing ( I hope not for the worse ) I think one of the members of Craftsman is a member on Snooker Forum ? maybe they could update us to whats happening to a once brilliant shop and service.

[karlos fandango]

I'm sure someone in our club told me Dave is retiring...maybe it's all over for him???

[perpetualboredom]

Do you mean no cues in the shop or on the website?
They've shifted a couple of hundred in the last week or two since I was in if you mean the shop!

[cueman]

Well the website has the shops stock, or at least the vast majority of it.

As you are local and it sounds like you go there on a regular basis perhaps you could shed some light on the changes? I know they have shifted a number of cues since the turn of the year but usually they keep themselves fairly well stocked but since they changed their website to show the cues available I've never known them to have such a small amount. That is really the concern that they aren't stocking the same levels as before.

[perpetualboredom]

I don't think the website has ever had more than a tiny fraction of their stock listed! It would be too much of a ball ache listing everything up (200+ with pictures specs etc!), only to remove each day those which are bought from the store itself... thinking about it, if CueA is on the website and in the shop, I go in and buy it - unless they take it down straight away, you might also buy it from the website! Then he's sold his cue twice.

More than likely that whoever does the website just hasn't updated it. Cue stocks do of course go up and down while they're waiting for deliveries of the cues they buy in/import, the recent storms probably won't help if any are overdue.

[cueman]

I think they put up a fair amount of cues on the website to be fair. What they do is get numerous cues in the same design, then there is a drop down option with different spec. Sometimes as many as about 15 cues from one design.

Its kind of self defeating not to update the website though as more and more people buy most things like this today. I know what you mean about the risk of buying the same cue twice, I'm sure it probably has happened on a few occassions but usually whenever I've bought a cue online its been taken down with an hour or two. I guess if someone does buy a cue that has already been sold then they get offered a cue as near to the same spec or offer a full refund.

I hope you are right and its just a problem with the weather that has caused a delay in the next batch of cues. However I understand that they aren't having any more maximus cues in. Hopefully they still have a contract with phoenix to continue to sell them.

[perpetualboredom]

I'm in there next weekend, so if we don't hear anything before then I'll report back!

[ADR147]

I'm in there next weekend, so if we don't hear anything before then I'll report back!

dave has not mentioned retirement to me. i suspect cue has been bought and sold genuinely because at the current money it would be well below trade price anyway.

[Maverick54]

dave has not mentioned retirement to me. i suspect cue has been bought and sold genuinely because at the current money it would be well below trade price anyway.

Looked through his feedback Andrew and its more than just one Phoenix cue he's claimed to have bought from Craftsman then sold on ebay. At the time of writing this post he currently has 3 Phoenix cues for sale. Not for one minute suggesting ther's anything dodgy about it, just wondering if they are seconds or like has been suggested old stock that they can't shift.
Seems the guy has some links to Craftsman. Cant think of any other reason why someone would keep buying the same brand of cue (particually machine spliced) then selling them unless it was to clear the stock. Perhaps they no longer plan to stock Phoenix cues and are clearing out their stock.
Be interesting to find out.