According to the BCA:

Low-cost competition and trademark infringement from overseas continue to be concerns with North American manufacturers. The BCA has tightened its copyright protection policies and vigorously enforces them at the annual Expo or when violations are noted on the Internet.

The E-tailer phenomenon has included billiard products, with many companies having no physical “brick & mortar” location. As with other industries, the legitimate companies offering quality product and superior customer service will thrive, and consumers are cautioned to investigate a company thoroughly before deciding to buy on price alone.

Let the Buyer Beware!

Most people want to get a good buy when they make a purchase, especially a major purchase such as a pool table. When shopping for anything, the lowest price is rarely the best buy. Unfortunately there are many companies which market to those looking for the lowest price. Some of the many things to look out for when shopping for a pool table, especially over the Internet, include:

• “American Made” and “USA Made” are claims often made falsely by unscrupulous retailers. Many of these tables are in fact Asian imports with the only American “manufacturing” being the final assembly of the frame. Ask if you can get a tour of the manufacturing facilities.
  
• “Lifetime” warranties: A lot of manufacturers sell tables with “lifetime” warranties. But be careful, most of those warranties are for the life of the table. Depending upon where you live that might only be 7 years. Olhausen backs their tables for as long as the original purchaser owns the table. Quite a difference. Another problem with some of these warranties is that the warranty is only as good as the company behind it. Many of these companies have only been in business for a short time, who knows if they will be around next week let alone in five years.
  
• Oak or maple finishes: Many importers describe their products as having an “Oak finish” or a “Maple finish”. That phrasing is a clue that the table is probably made from a cheap wood finished to look like the more expensive expected wood.
  
• “Solid wood” construction: Solid wood does not mean that the table is all one species of wood. Technically, a table made with Oak veneer bonded to some other wood is still a solid wood table. There is nothing wrong with veneers, but it is worth asking about.
  
• All “Hardwood” construction does not mean that the woods use are actually hard, it means that the wood species is a hardwood. Birch and poplar are common hardwoods which are fairly soft. Balsa is another not so hard hardwood. Applying a hardwood veneer to a hardwood piece of lumber such as poplar is still legally “all hardwood construction.”
  
• Installation: Some Internet retailers do not provide installation services claiming that local companies will only charge between $200-$300 to install their tables. Good luck, that price is about right if there are no issues with the installation. Our experience with pool tables purchased over the Internet hasn't been that good. Often hardware is missing or pieces don't go together quite right adding time and expense. If there are any problems requiring the seller to send replacement parts, which happens far too frequently, another trip will have to be made, adding to the installation fee. When purchasing a table from a brick-and-mortar operation installation is usually included. If there are any complications they will be taken care of at no additional cost.
  
• Accessories: Most cheap tables come with cheap accessories. Some retailers claim to include an accessory package with a value of $400 which consists of 4 two piece imported cues, a two piece bridge stick, polyester balls, and some other cheap pieces. These kits wholesale for between $50-100 depending upon the vendor.
  
• Delivery: Professional installation and delivery are something which should be included in the purchase of a pool table. Beware of companies which offer free delivery yet charge a crating fee or want an additional fee to insure against freight damage. Another issue is curb-side delivery. Not only will someone have to be there when the delivery is made, but they will have to get the pool table off of the truck. A typical 8 foot pool table weighs in at about 750 pounds with crating. Without slate the table will still weigh 200 pounds or more.
  

Companies that I believe are questionable

Anyone running a newspaper advertisement like this:

Often these types of ads strive to appear as though they are from a private party who purchased a table and is now selling at a loss. More often than not the person has several of these tables. The value placed on these tables is greatly exaggerated. This particular ad notes mfgr, meaning manufacturer, yet the phone number in the ad belonged to a residence.

PoolTablesUSA.com

• Pool Tables USA (a.k.a. Rectivity Inc., Wholesale Billiards USA, Inc., Meritage Retail Network, Inc., St. Cloud Capital) refers to the BCA but is not listed in the BCA member database.
• Pool Tables USA claims on http://www.pooltablesusa.com/faq.asp that “Pool Tables USA, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of pool tables in the United States”. On another page, http://www.pooltablesusa.com/shipping-warranty.asp, they claim “ Being the largest manufacturer of pool tables in the world...” Where is the Pool Table USA plant, something that large should be easy to find? Do they offer tours? Olhausen builds 30,000 tables a year in their 140,000 square foot facility located in Poway, California.
• Pool Tables USA claims “With a 1" 3-piece slate, 22 oz. felt, super speed rubber, elegantly carved legs, beautiful finish on oak or maple and a lifetime warranty, you are sure to be satisfied.” SuperSpeed is a registered trademark of Brunswick Billiards. Are they using Brunswick rubber or infringing on Brunswick's trademark?
  
  Updated 7/22/2006: PTU now refers to their rubber as “Sure Shot.”
• Pool Tables USA seems to have exactly the same products as American Heritage Billiards. American Heritage Billiards used to claim that they manufactured pool tables in America but no longer do so. Is this the same company operating under yet another name? If they make such great products, why are they using so many different names? Click on the thumbnail image to see side by side comparisons of their respective pages about construction.
  
• Pool Tables USA has a link warning about buying Chinese tables, but the linked to Web page is no longer available.
  
• Pool Tables USA advertises on Google about their American tables, “ Buy American not Asian.”
  
  
  Updated 7/22/2006: PTU now only claims that their tables are “designed, engineered and assembled in the United States.”
• Pool Tables USA claims “We use only the highest grade of felt and of course you can choose any color you'd like.” Who makes this cloth? It doesn't look like Simonis, Championship, or Granito. From the pictures they have on their Web site, it doesn't even look like a worsted cloth. As to the 22oz claim, at what width is that? 22oz per yard from a 78" bolt is the same as 18oz per yard from a 64" bolt.
  
  Updated 7/22/2006: Pool Tables USA now offers Simonis cloth for $310. PTU's Web Site does not mention which Simonis cloth they offer. Given that they now offer Simonis as an upgrade, their standard cloth must not be “the highest grade of felt.” After a search on Google, it appears that the going mail order price for Simonis 860 at this time is $186.60.
• There are only 6 choices for cloth color available from Pool Tables USA. If they are so big, why so few choices? Every major manufacturer of cloth makes more than 6 colors.
• Pool Tables USA only gives two choices for pockets: their standard black pocket or the $100 upgrade “custom matching pockets.”
• Pool Tables USA charges extra for cloth and crating. On their FAQ page they say that “Crating is an additional $99,” yet when ordering a table it jumps to $129. Since this is a required item to purchase along with the table, why isn't that included in the “free shipping?” Cloth (which is also required) costs an additional $95. Since the cloth is required, shouldn't that be included in the price up front?
  
  Updated 7/22/2006: The FAQ has been updated and now lists crating as $129.
• Added 7/22/2006: Pool Tables USA claims “The Billiard Congress of America regulates the billiard industry. All Pool Tables USA tables meet or exceed the stringent BCA specifications and guidelines.” Again, the BCA is not a regulatory agency. The BCA is a trade organization which promotes pool.
• Added 7/22/2006: Pool Tables USA now offers Viking Cues. PTU uses their own model numbers instead of the Viking's. The retail price they list is inflated so that they may offer a [fake] discount bringing the cost of the cues down to the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price. For instance PTU's “Viking 28” is the same cue as Viking's F99 which has a MSRP of $150, yet PTU claims that the retail price is $185 and “your savings” are $35. PTU's “Viking 1” is a Viking F25 which has a MSRP of $500, yet PTU claims that the retail price is $579 and “you save” $79 buying it from them. If PTU is inflating the retail prices of pool cues by as much as 23%, how much are they exagerating the retail prices of their pool tables?
• Added 7/22/2006: Pool Tables USA now offers lighting manufactured by Landmark Lighting. Again, the retail prices they show are extremely inflated so that they may offer a [fake] discount bringing the cost of the cues down to the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price. For instance PTU's “195-BW” is shown having a Retail Price of $869. They “save you” $220 by selling it for only $649. Landmark Lighting shows the light as having a suggested retail price of $623.75. If PTU is inflating the retail prices of lights by as much as 59%, how much are they exagerating the retail prices of their pool tables?