Beware The Good Deal: Too Good To Be True?

Blackhawk Pool Table by Olhausen Billiards

With many people shopping for pool tables on sites such as Kijiji or Craigslist or discount websites in the US, we are receiving more and more calls for moving pool tables or servicing them in some way. It is certainly buyer beware when it comes to purchasing a pool table either new or used on one of these types of sites.

I received a phone call today from a customer who was looking to purchase slate. He had bought a pool table from the US at a steep discount, but the price did not include the slate. After traveling all the way to the US and picking up the table (which was brand new in the box), he now had to find slate for it. Unfortunately the brand of table he purchased went out of business a few years back. Each manufacturer will have different holes in the slate to line up with the rail bolts on their pool table. As well, the slate will probably cost him about $1500 if we can find something where the holes line up properly.

He also mentioned that he received an instruction booklet and a DVD explaining how to put together his table. Since he didn’t think he had the skills to be able to do that properly, he asked what that cost would be. For the 9 ft table he purchased, it would be $275 to put it together properly, providing that all the pieces of the table were in the room where it was to be installed (in other words, if we have to go and pick up the slate and bring it in so we can install the table, the price will be more).

He was extremely concerned about the costs involved. He had purchased the table (without slate) for $150 (US). He then drove a truck down to the US and picked it up (price of gas and/or truck rental costs). Buying new slate will cost him about $1500 and the installation will be $275 (or more if we need to bring the slate in for him). He didn’t mention accessories ($400 for the Olhausen Deluxe Accessory Package included in all our new table sales) or cloth ($250 for Accu-Guard Stain Resistant). But when you add it all together, he’s looking at $2575 for his “bargain” table.

For that price, he could almost have purchased a brand new Olhausen Billiards Pool Table! Our prices include local delivery and installation, choice of cloth colour and a Deluxe Olhausen Accessory Package. Plus they are made in the USA (Portland, TN) and come with the best warranty in the industry – which would still be valid considering Olhausen Billiards is still in business and the company that made his table is not! He would not have to drive hours down to the US to pick up his table (which was an import anyway) and waste valuable time and money.

If you decide to buy a table from a discount site or out of a want ad, do your due diligence. Make sure the manufacturer is still in business, make sure all the pieces come with the table and make sure you are actually getting a good deal. Sometimes when you factor in all the costs in buying a used table, you end up spending just as much as if you had purchased new. When you purchase new, you get to pick the cloth colour and wood finish and there are no worries or hassles.

So – has anyone ever bought a pool table either new or used from a website like Kijiji or Craigslist? What was that experience like for you?