Should you go for a new set?
What are they worth if you only have them a short time?
These are a few questions I have asked myself over the last two years.
When I started to play, I wanted a new set of woods, and off I went to buy some. I found a set of Drakes Pride Professional size 5, which were a nice brown colour. I had no advice or suggestions, so I bought them from the shop costing me £186.00.
They were very nice and I felt good about using them, for a while!
After a few months of outside and then indoors, I began having roll-ups with a few other members. We chatted, we compared, we tried each others woods as a comparison. Then one day, I had a roll up with a friend, he had a set of Thomas Taylor size 2.
My goodness, they were great! I felt the game had changed in two ends.
He said that he liked my woods better than his and we did a trade, plus thirty pounds as he had bought his for seventy. So after a few months, I had now traded my £186 set of new woods for a used set worth £70. (plus £30) Total value of £100. I enjoyed playing with those woods for about a year when a new member tried them, liked them and I sold them for £70.
Since then I have changed my woods several times, whilst buying and selling others. It has become clear to me that you don't have to have new woods when you start, buy cheap and over a time find out what are the most comfortable for you. Then you can purchase better ones as you get more knowledge and experience. You can then sell the old ones without losing too much money on the deal.
This chart is just one of many.
Quite a few members have spare sets in the garage or loft. Some members put them up for sale and ask either a good price or a high one.
It's very hard to sell something that loses value. But if they don't get passed on, they will stay there for a loooooonnng time. Bite the bullet!
The new www.Bowlsforsale.com Website has pages with a selection of used woods, and any spare sets, sell them here. Someone else can benefit from them and you can get some money back into your pockets.
With any used woods, there is a difference in condition, some maybe in Mint condition, some may be in poorish condition. The price will reflect in this. But when selling, settle on a reasonable price if you want to move them. Price too high and they may as well have stayed in the cupboard.
Under twenty pounds, you cannot go wrong, use and upgrade later.
Thirty to fifty pounds is where the majority of deals happen, fairly clean woods, play anywhere.
From fifty to a hundred pounds, they need to be very good condition and not too old.
As a guide, they should still be within stamp date. Although unless you are in the match games, stamp is not important.
Over a hundred pounds, they must be almost new. My way of thinking is that if they cost £240 new within the last year, they may only bee worth £150 ish when selling. You bargain in your own way. Message is, "Don't waste money spending high, when you might change them soon"
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