Once you or your courier has collected it they take that as signed for/agreed. After that you've got basically no chance unless it was posted to you or the seller arranged courier.
Pinball info
Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
My experience owning my First Pinball Machine (unfortunately things have not been so great so far)
- Thread starter RetroHeed
- Start date
D
Deleted member 2463
Rubbish. but it doesn't matter as he didn't buy it through eBay!
I'm talking from experience. They always side with the buyer unless you collected it or your courier collected it. If you collected it they really do not want to know.
D
Deleted member 2463
not my experience.
I only have around 2000 transactions so still a newbie.
Hi Neil,
Yes you read that correctly. "Yesterday upon inspecting the machine I noticed that the Star Warp top Ramp is damaged and cracked in places (previously I asked if there was definitely no damage to the ramps, which you confirmed there defintely wasn’t) I knew the entrance to the ramp was damaged, that was fine but the upper part is worrying."
And also the Pop Bumper bumper body is broken, I did not notice this in the original pictures on eBay and a couple of photos and videos that was sent to me, it was filmed in the dark. Having looked further at the eBay photo's I can now see that the (red) Pop Bumper is broken, this is the one that has held the Coil, blown the fuse and likely transistors. Yes I overpaid but knowing the smaller issues I was happy to purchase even outwith ebay, especially to someone well know in the community. Remember other than the small faults I can live with, the main thing was the upper ramp damage and pop bumper. Also I was under the impression as per description that "All other plastics are perfect and intact" and by also the seller saying "there is definitely no damage to the clear plastic ramps at the top" Once that was confirmed I was happy to buy the machine, knowing that I would have overpaid for it.
Yes you read that correctly. "Yesterday upon inspecting the machine I noticed that the Star Warp top Ramp is damaged and cracked in places (previously I asked if there was definitely no damage to the ramps, which you confirmed there defintely wasn’t) I knew the entrance to the ramp was damaged, that was fine but the upper part is worrying."
And also the Pop Bumper bumper body is broken, I did not notice this in the original pictures on eBay and a couple of photos and videos that was sent to me, it was filmed in the dark. Having looked further at the eBay photo's I can now see that the (red) Pop Bumper is broken, this is the one that has held the Coil, blown the fuse and likely transistors. Yes I overpaid but knowing the smaller issues I was happy to purchase even outwith ebay, especially to someone well know in the community. Remember other than the small faults I can live with, the main thing was the upper ramp damage and pop bumper. Also I was under the impression as per description that "All other plastics are perfect and intact" and by also the seller saying "there is definitely no damage to the clear plastic ramps at the top" Once that was confirmed I was happy to buy the machine, knowing that I would have overpaid for it.
D
Deleted member 2463
So you've collected 2000 transactions?
but yeah I have a lot more and my butler has never had any problem if something isn't as described.
Currently I have 909 feedbacks 100% positive. But it's easily double that. I haven't left feedback for anyone in years and likewise nobody seems to bother anymore.
If you paid via Paypal (Goods and services, NOT Friends and Family) you may be able to claim directly Via Paypal.
However i fear that, as mentioned above, If you or your courier has collected then It's a case of "sold as seen" effecively... (Im my experience - both selling and buying!)
However i fear that, as mentioned above, If you or your courier has collected then It's a case of "sold as seen" effecively... (Im my experience - both selling and buying!)
D
Deleted member 2463
that wasn't the question I asked. How many transactions have you collected or sent someone to collect?
Probably best to put it down to experience and make the most of it - fixing stuff is half the fun of owning an older machine. There are some really helpful, knowledgeable folk on here, so post your problems and people will gladly try to help you sort them out.
D
Deleted member 2463
I've had two cases: One where I collected a ZX Spectrum described as 48K that was 16K (the box was 48K!). Full refund and the other was an M5 exhaust that was allegedly OEM but turns out wasn't - Full refund.
Lots and lots. Actually the woodworm ridden wardrobe is the only thing I can think of out of those thousands and thousands of transactions that really ****ed me off. They really weren't interested in any kind of evidence
I have had two also - most interesting was as a seller... Fruit machine - Fully working when it left - offered to show the "courier", however he wasnt interested... Arrived not working, guy raised a case... because his courier collected then they werent interested.
I dont sell on there anywere near as much as i used to.. no point.. If there's even the slightest issue (in practice mostly fictional) then it ends up loosing me money... Ebay almost always sides with the buyer... as a seller you just get ignored
I sold a sat nav - all perfectly working. Arrived... The guy even messaged me and asked how to access the speed cameras contained on it... And then 2 weeks later raised a case saying it was dead on arrival... Ebay didnt care... Sellers fault... Few days later the unit arrived back (same unit) completely trashed and not working. Nothing i could do about it.
We have all maybe not made the best decisions when buying or selling. It’s part of the thrill!
To be fair this only needs a few adjustments which is expected when transporting a pin. Main thing, boards are all clean and happy with playfield..
To be fair this only needs a few adjustments which is expected when transporting a pin. Main thing, boards are all clean and happy with playfield..
I’ve had pins off here with issues, one being (I found out later) had a hole through the bottom that had been repaired by Stevie Wonder. It got flat loaded into my van and was a well known member on here so didn’t crawl underneath etc Also had a warped playfield plus more, anyway I found out later it was a known pin that a fork lift truck put its fork through the bottom. That was a £5k pin so it’s not only eBay you need to be careful of, I was steaming. I sorted most of it then sold it to a trader.
Fix it then move on is all I can say, don’t let it get you down too much.
Not nice when someone pulls the wool over your eyes.
Good luck.
Fix it then move on is all I can say, don’t let it get you down too much.
Not nice when someone pulls the wool over your eyes.
Good luck.
Agreed Neil, let’s have a name @RetroHeed
Wow that's crazy... sorry to hear having such a bad experience from a forum member, that's scary tbh. Thanks for your feedback.
D
Deleted member 2463
I bought it because my son loved the films and was nagging me for years to get one, it looked a beautiful pin but it just wasn’t
Im fussy and I just couldn’t keep it no matter how rare it was so sorted everything but the warped playfield, signed playfield so not doable.
Sorry Neil, cant do it. Sold his collection off so no worries.
I almost got severely shafted by HLD on a ****ty pin few years back. Lucky dodged that bullet and bought a really nice one from Neil half the price!
It’s a freaking minefield these days, just look at the rossco scamming.
It’s a freaking minefield these days, just look at the rossco scamming.
The Time Machine I went to see was up for sale foe £1,900 and I am sure the seller would have accepted an offer for less. If it's the same machine I am guessing it was bought and sold on again?
Yes, I realised that just after I posted it. It does sound like the same machine though. Has it been bought and flipped or it just coincidence? I guess we need more info on the seller to say for sure.
I vaguely recall a story about a pin that got trashed by a forklift....
Sorry to read your post @RetroHeed, you have my sympathy. It's a really bad feeling when you think you've overpaid for a pinball. I felt I'd overpaid on my last purchase but that's not a story I want to share on the forum.
In the end it matters less than you'd think. Get the pin fixed up and then enjoy it lots. That's how you get your money's worth back.
And Time Machine is a great pin. I had one for several years and put 1000's of games on it. Always popular with visitors.
So...
I've got a Star Warp Ramp that looks a bit better than your one. It's got a small hole in one side near the centre but on the machine that's pretty unnoticeable. It doesn't affect play at all:
If you want it you can have it. Have to wait until after Christmas though.
In the end it matters less than you'd think. Get the pin fixed up and then enjoy it lots. That's how you get your money's worth back.
And Time Machine is a great pin. I had one for several years and put 1000's of games on it. Always popular with visitors.
So...
I've got a Star Warp Ramp that looks a bit better than your one. It's got a small hole in one side near the centre but on the machine that's pretty unnoticeable. It doesn't affect play at all:
If you want it you can have it. Have to wait until after Christmas though.
Another shabby pinball sale thread, I buy machinery for the farm and sometimes I have to take a long distance punt, always factor in a healthy repair budget I’d say at least 30% if you think you are getting a good deal, photo photo photo and reputation I bought a pin from a non forum chap and although good it was not as described then ’d have to think twice next time. Really 2.7 for time machine is too much and the seller knew this but you did pay him , my only advice to newbies is go to shows - when they are on and play as many games as you can in a day . The price of pins has now got me thinking twice tbh, my kids have had more fun with an old Scalextric in the last few weeks than any of the pins.
Sorry to read this thread, if you keep the time machine for afew years and fix it up you will eventually get the money back and become a fairly proficiently pinball repair man too / the latter being worth more than the pin itself
Sorry to read this thread, if you keep the time machine for afew years and fix it up you will eventually get the money back and become a fairly proficiently pinball repair man too / the latter being worth more than the pin itself
Hi, thanks very much for your feedback, yeah the plan is to move on and get it fixed up hopefully. The Pin for the brief time it was fully working was great, the kids loved it so I plan to get things fixed asap.
Thanks her so much for offering the Ramp, that sure does look better than the one on my Machine, I'll drop you a PM
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Hi, It could well be the same machine ? I did find this old ad when previously searching for info on a Time Machine prior to purchasing this one. From those photo's I can barely see make them out but my one has a battery holder added, this doesn't. Though seller did confirm a recent battery holder was added, so could well be the same machine ?
Ashbo
Site Supporter
@RetroHeed welcome to Time Machine club. Last night we had some family friends round for dinner and the three and four player action was great fun. The magic of Time Machine is it appeals to all the family, it's simple to just play, but has lasting appeal.
It's never going to be a modern Stern, an early 90's Williams or have a deep code, but it's simple done really well (in my opinion).
I had a spell a few months ago when I started to think maybe it was time to look at changing things up and moving her on, but the last few weeks I have been hooked again.
What changed? She broke, the pops stopped working and then I had to fix her. This probably applies to most old pins but when you invest time to sorting out issues, the rewards you get in return are priceless.
On price, I spoke to another Time Machine owner over the phone a couple of weeks ago, helping him diagnose some issues. Discovering his machine was in a better state than mine and he paid a lot less than me was a kick in the teeth, but not for long. At the end of the day, it's worth to me what I paid for it. I'll have to work hard on her to get her mint, but isn't that half the fun?
Regarding your recent purchase, let me know if you need to bounce any questions off someone. Happy to help if I can. PM me if you want.
Just fix one thing at a time, and enjoy bringing her back to life
It's never going to be a modern Stern, an early 90's Williams or have a deep code, but it's simple done really well (in my opinion).
I had a spell a few months ago when I started to think maybe it was time to look at changing things up and moving her on, but the last few weeks I have been hooked again.
What changed? She broke, the pops stopped working and then I had to fix her. This probably applies to most old pins but when you invest time to sorting out issues, the rewards you get in return are priceless.
On price, I spoke to another Time Machine owner over the phone a couple of weeks ago, helping him diagnose some issues. Discovering his machine was in a better state than mine and he paid a lot less than me was a kick in the teeth, but not for long. At the end of the day, it's worth to me what I paid for it. I'll have to work hard on her to get her mint, but isn't that half the fun?
Regarding your recent purchase, let me know if you need to bounce any questions off someone. Happy to help if I can. PM me if you want.
Just fix one thing at a time, and enjoy bringing her back to life