Pool is the perfect sport of showmanship and skill, and selling your old billiards table puts those same skills to use.
Over 50% of people are overwhelmed with the clutter in their homes; countless people have the biggest issue with simply starting the process.
Interest in pool has spiked recently, with sales growing 20% to 30% in the last decade. Figuring out how to sell a pool table isn’t tricky, and it could have you on your way to a big payday.
- How Much Can you Sell a Pool Table for?
- How to Sell a Used Pool Table
- Ways to Sell a Used Pool Table
- Tips to Make the Most When Selling
How Much Can You Sell a Pool Table For?
The moment most people decide they’re going to sell billiards tables, they often google around and look at the competition.
Tables can range from $200 to $6,000, and there’s a noticeable difference in quality between these.
Here are the top things to consider when calculating how much your table is worth.
Consider The Age
How old your pool table is can decide if it’s classic or just old.
Anything over ten years, and less than forty, is often looked down on like an old piece.
If it’s in good shape, you might be able to get a sale from it. Older tables are classics and are revered and hunted down.
Look At The Condition of the Table
Is your table in good condition?
Is the felt rip and stain-free, and does the table stand sturdily?
If not, you could be losing out on some money. Consider investing in fixing the table up before you try to sell it.
What Make and Model Is It?
A cheap no-name brand pool table can often sell for $200 to $400 as long as it’s in excellent condition.
Look at the brand and see if there’s a table like that available anywhere online. Some of these can shoot up to $20,000 if they’re in good condition and have the right brand’s mark on them.
Never ask for less than $300 for a table, even if it’s in rough condition. Buyers will try to talk you down from that price, but you deserve the money put into it.
How to Sell a Used Pool Table
Every table is different, and every sale is going to have its perks and setbacks.
Cleaning The Table Surface
Because of the soft texture, before you try to sell billiards tables, you may have to work to get out any stains or discoloration.
There are multiple ways to accomplish this, so find what suits you, and make it look brand new.
- Dish soap and water. Don’t use very much water as it can damage the felt and table surface beneath it.
- For higher end tables, use felt cleaner. This special cleaner is worth the $20 investment, if you want to maximize the restoration process as much as possible.
- Don’t apply heat to the surface. This can ruin the felt, and even cause bubbling, making the table unusable. When cleaning, keep everything cool.
Sell Without Cues or Billiard Balls
If you don’t have cues or billiard balls, or aren’t willing to part with yours, this isn’t a deal breaker. As long as the table is intact and in good condition, most people are willing to splurge and pay the accessories’ extra amount.
You can ask extra for these if you feel like they’re in good enough condition to warrant it, though.
How Shipping Works When Selling a Pool Table
The average pool table weighs between 100 and 1,000 pounds. You can disassemble it, and should for shipping, but the slates that build up the table still weigh between 100 and 150 pounds each.
Unfortunately, this weight rules out both USPS and Fedex, which both have a 75 pound shipping limit.
Instead, you’ll have to ship it via UPS. Follow a guide to disassemble the pool table as carefully as possible, and then calculate the shipping per well wrapped item.
The average cost of shipping will quickly add up into the hundreds. Some sites have deals that will ship the items for free, but don’t count on this being available to you as the seller on sites like eBay.
Your buyers may elect to, instead, come to your home to pick it up. If that’s the case, many may request help. Generally as a rule of thumb, the buyer has to be able to move it off of your property.
If you have someone more stubborn about that- or they’ve paid well above asking price because of a bidding war, you can offer to hire movers for them.
Most moving companies charge between $100 to $300 an hour, so it might be better for you to rent a truck or van and do it yourself.
Yard or Garage Sale
The most significant problem with yard and garage sales is that it’s impossible to know who will see your signs or listing and show up.
Most yard sale shoppers are used to bartering and talking down prices, so it can be hard to stay firm on what the least you’ll take is.
Fortunately, though, people who walk through will mention if they know someone who would want the table. People are 83% more likely to purchase if a family member recommends doing it.
Listing on Local Ads
Advertising locally is one of the best ways to close a sale. Not only are these people who are guaranteed to be nearby and capable of buying, but you may also even be able to convince them to come to pick it up themselves.
The top ways to advertise locally are:
- Post on craigslist
- Make a small ad for the local paper’s website
- Tag the town in pictures of the pool table on Instagram
- Tag your city and area when you post the ad to Twitter
- Join local Facebook Marketplace groups and advertise there
- Connect with locals on the Reddit forum dedicated to your town or area
Although none of these is an explicit guarantee, they’re great ways to get the word out about your pool table.
Online Selling
This is the last option if you can’t figure out how to sell a pool table in your area. The shipping cost is enough to stop many people from considering this, but some buyers may be motivated enough to ignore this cost.
The top sites for selling online are the same sites you’d seek out for selling anything else. Many people make money on eBay selling their pool table, especially because it allows you also to list it locally at the same time .
Best Ways to Sell Used Pool Tables
Craigslist
Local ads are king, and Craigslist stands supreme. This fantastic site may be falling out of popularity in recent years, but it still can sell almost anything at the price you’d like. The best part of this site is that the buyers are almost guaranteed to be local.
There’s no worry about you having to deliver it; you can put in the terms that the buyer has to pick it up and move it out.
On top of that, bidders can’t see what each other are willing to pay, which means you could shop around for the customer with the deepest pockets.
Word of Mouth
Although it may seem outdated, selling via word of mouth can work incredibly well. Everyone knows someone who has a spot in their home that’s aching for a pool table.
Although you can’t guarantee that they’ll be able to afford what you want, you’ll have multiple people approach you with bids on it.
The best places to talk to people to find interest are:
- The workplace.
- Family gatherings.
- Church.
- School if you, or your kids, are attending classes.
- Post it on your Facebook or Twitter for friends to see.
There are plenty more options, some folks will even get a great payout selling at flea markets.
Talk To Local Bars
Bars that offer pool tables can keep customers for 50% longer; because of this, most bars would be eager to get their hands on a good pool table.
If yours wasn’t already setup to accept quarters, don’t think that puts you out of the game! Pool tournaments allow for bars to draw in more people and get more drinks in peoples’ hands.
Go around to your local bars on their off-hours. You don’t want to stop them in the middle of a busy shift; this will annoy them more than anything.
Let them know what you have available, and ask if they’re interested or know anyone else who wants in.
Although it may feel weird to walk around asking bar owners if they don’t want to buy, there’s almost a guarantee that they know someone who will.
Through Billiards Sites
If you live in a large city or close to one, the chances are that there’s a company near you specializing in knowing how to sell a billiards table. These sites sometimes manufacture and purchase older tables, while many exist solely to buy second-hand tables.
These companies seem like a great deal to many, because they’ll quickly decide on whether or not to purchase and will even come and pick up the table so that you don’t have to lift a finger.
Unfortunately, if you rely on them to know how to sell a pool table, there might be an extra fee. These businesses (like any other) operate by buying low and reselling high.
If you’re not sure if they’re the right fit for you, look at reviews and pay attention to how much they offer you.
If it’s a good company, they’ll provide you with an amount you’d happily accept: if not, don’t be shy about turning them down or trying to negotiate. Your property is worth more than just a cheap flip from a company.
3 Tips to Make the Most Selling Your Billiards Table
Although everything above this is vital when trying to sell billiards tables, these tips condense it down into something everyone can use. You deserve to get the most money possible for what you have to sell.
Here’s how.
1. Take Good Pictures
Your advertisements are only as effective as the information you put into them. If your picture is of a dim room with fuzzy details of a table: you’re not going to get any worthwhile offers.
Instead, put your energy into creating pictures that make your table look like a million bucks.
- Clean it off, get rid of stains or dirt
- Get better lighting that shows it off
- Avoid having any clutter or crud in the background
- If you have the cues and balls still, include images with and without them on the table
- Take the pictures with a good camera or phone
- Offer multiple angles, including any damage
- Sharpen the colors before posting so that it’s more striking
Trying to sell a billiards table can be difficult, especially since most people look at fancy websites run by professional businesses before making their way to your listing.
You have to compete with the aesthetics. Up to 85% of people make purchases based solely on the product’s aesthetics and feeling. Use this to your advantage. Pool is a beautiful sport; bring it across on film.
If you aren’t a great photographer, consider reaching out to someone who shoots photos as a second job or as a hobby.
Fix Any Issues
It’s easy for damage to happen to most pool tables. If you’re trying to figure out how to sell a pool table because it’s breaking down, unfortunately, you’ll have to fix it either way. A broken or wobbly pool table is useless.
Not only does the tilt make it so that the balls can roll and move around the surface, but its weight and size also make it a safety issue if it knocks into someone.
Instead of settling and selling your rustic pool table for a hundred dollars, fix it up, and you can label it a classic and sell for four hundred dollars instead.
Some sites offer replacement mats for the top of your table, and you can even refinish the stain and polish the wood of your table to make it look like a class act.
If it’s not worth it to you, you can skip this work and try to get whatever offers people give for a broken billiards table.
Don’t Settle For Less
Because of these tables’ size, most people don’t sell them until they’re either moving or looking to fill that space with something else. Although moving puts a time crunch on it, you shouldn’t settle for less than you deserve.
Be open to bartering to some degree; you’re not going to sell this table for $20,000 unless it’s marble and gold, and be willing to bend a little.
Some buyers may try to take advantage of this flexibility.
That impatience can cost you far too much money to give up because you couldn’t wait a day or two for another lead to find you.
Conclusion
Pool is a pastime unlike any other. There’s a mixed culture of class rowdy bar fun that surrounds this sport, and you deserve to be paid what it’s worth.
By following all of the tips and information above, you’ll get the buyer you deserve.
Erin is a business teacher and mother of three. When she’s not in the classroom or fulfilling her obligations as an A+ hockey and lacrosse mom, she’s working on her latest article.
