Dean, If I had one that close to completion, I'd definitely buy the cue. Yes, you should be able to sell it for a profit, but since there are quite a few for sale, the profit doesn't seem as high as it once was.
Just a wild ass guess here, but I'd say a $500-$1000 markup depending on the design. However, many of the regular sellers on AZB are complaining of a "soft" market.
I thought about making an offer, buy your Southwest cue as a gift for my honorary nephew Matt. Sort of a congrats for his recent overall victory in the Masters division of the Western BCA regional 9 ball championships held earlier this month. He tore through the field undefeated in this double elimination tournament. But knowng Matt, he'd probably just sell it & keep on playing with his current cue...a sneaky pete custom with a stacked leather wrap. Low key image is his schtick, tho he has trouble getting money matches here in the NW.
Geeze guys, $2,500 isn't a lot for a custom cue made by a top USA maker these days. Frankly, after having played with a Southwest, I don't consider them to be a top maker. They seem to have lost some of their magic after Jerry Franklin died, his wife running the show now. But then, I bought my cue as a player, not as a collectable.
Let's see...my pool outfit. Jack Justis case was $850. Josey playing cue a hair over $1,000. Jacoby backup cue with a low deflection extra shaft, around $600.
Peachauer Break cue around $300. Toss in another hundred, maybe 150, for accessories. My oufit may be a bit upscale, but not really a lot of money spent compared to others I've seen.
Pool is a funny world...you have many players who have far more money in their cues & cases than they do in their cars. They'd consider paying $100,000 for a car insane while $10,000 for a cue is no problem.
But then, the subjective feel thing. I really do like my Josey..it bears a few battle scars after 5 years, but damn...it's got the hit I was looking for.
Also, there are those who merely collect, would never consider risking a ding by actually playing with one.
So, as weird as it sounds, I guess there are similarities between cues and cars.