Pool Cues
The great thing about Pool is its accessibility, Billiards is rarer these days and Snooker is limited by the size of the tables but clubs abound and there is no shortage of fans of all 3 games.
Whilst at face value you may not think that there is much of a business here I can think of a number of accessories immediately: -
Cues
Cue cases
Cue tips
Chalk
Balls (American, European, Snooker and Billiards are all different and different table sizes require different sized balls)
Cushions
Felt covers for recovering (they have different qualities)
Slate (for re-bedding also available in different qualities)
Triangles including the weird shaped ones for 9-ball
Waistcoats (a must for playing Snooker surely?)
This list comes from my own investigations when I tried to buy a table a few years ago. It turned out my house was too narrow and I couldn’t fit a table anywhere and still have room to play but browsing the suppliers stock was fascinating.
There are two markets that you can look to tap, the commercial one where tables and balls are provided to players who pay for each game, and the retail one which sells tables and accessories to individuals to use at home. As with most businesses the commercial one can be more lucrative but the residential market is easier to tap.
There is a healthy business in 2nd hand/refurbished tables in both the UK and US markets. This essentially consists of stripping and re-bedding and covering old tables that have been used in pubs, clubs, bars and other commercial premises. They usually look pretty good when they are finished but there is clearly a market for tables that are priced reasonably and thus the same should go for accessories, although a convenient delivery service for cues, tips, chalk etc may be able to charge a premium.
In terms of distribution I would look at the following: -
Ebay
Website
Advertise
Snooker/Pool/Billiards clubs
Apartment buildings
Ebay lists over 4000 items under “pool cue” but only 93 under “snooker cue”. There are 233 items listed under “cue tips” and 46 under “pool triangle”. In short there is a business here and it is working well for some entrepreneurs already but it is by no means swamped.
The trick to your website is how to list it, my guess is that most people will not actually look for billiards tables or supplies which is the traditional way of listing these kinds of goods. Searching for pool is likely to confuse the issue and bring up lots of swimming pools, and a very detailed search such as “pool table accessory supplier” still brings up 1.2 million results. Just looking for “snooker supplies” brings up a mere 500,000 results however and that is a worldwide number. Add on a city name such as “Newquay” and you are down to mere hundreds or results to compete with.
Don’t advertise in snooker and pool related magazines unless you want to get into the high volume, low margin business. Advertise in places where people might look when they haven’t played for a while, or are just beginning, the local newspaper and Yellow pages are good places to start as are online listings for local businesses. Other places that you might try include sports club and bar notice boards which will often let you put up a notice or business card for a nominal fee.
Many players who have a table at home also belong to a club after all what use is getting all that practice in if you can’t beat anyone? Ask the club whether they want to stock and sell your gear and mark it up, or if they don’t want the hassle whether you can advertise on their notice board, give discount coupons to new members etc.
Many newer apartment buildings have snooker or pool facilities. Contact management companies and see whether they do. When you have a list of buildings that do approach them and ask whether they are interested in hosting a vending machine for chalk, tips etc. It could also hold some tinned drinks, wouldn’t cost much to set up and of course you would maintain it and share the takings with the clubhouse.
www.alibaba.com has over 100 listings under snooker including cues, and other accessories. This is fine to get started and for the lower end of your market. You should also contact some named brand suppliers in your own market and ask them about bulk order discounts. Many of your customers will ask for named items for their tips, and cues which can affect the way they play.
Although Snooker is not as popular as Pool it is much easier to find when you start searching. Snooker is not a small sport and is watched by millions worldwide so there is a chance to jump on this anomaly which has been brought about by the way internet searches work. Pool will always bring a mixture of swimming and billiards related results.