Pillaging Eastern Europe?

[cooldan]

I was thinking .... so during the last great pin era of the 90s, they were everywhere, right? Including rich Western countries like France and Italy, but also Eastern Europe like Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, all that lot, right? Greece too.



So I was thinking, theoretically ........ maybe there's loads of bars and coffeeshops and arcades with pins in 'em, sitting abandoned and cobwebby, and no cash and not enough interest to fix em up ....... and an economic slump so not enough push to revamp those arcades into hotels or whatnot, and no viable fixers or parts shops, as too few home owners with the cash to enjoy the luxury of home pinballs .............



So, again theoretically, if someone was to drive around in a bigass truck with loads of cash Euros and Dollars, do you guys reckon we'd be able to go clean up, buy a bunch of machines for the prices they were 5 years ago in the UK?



Just imagine it, driving out of Croatia or somewhere with a bunch of £1000 TZs, MBs, AFMs and MMs, plus loads of £500 WH2Os, Shadows and FHs, and even a pile of £200 BK2Ks and Fathoms ........ drool........



Someone explain to me why this idea is flawed?

 

[johnwhitfield]

Technically, you would be charged for import duty bringing them into the EU. (bit hard to hide a machine under your back seat!!). I would also have thought though that our German friends would already be doing this if the price differential was large enough



Now importing from Greece would be an interesting one in a few weeks time when it gets thrown out of the Euro as it will still be an EU member and I suspect a lot of people will be struggling and willing to sell for Euros/dollars.



Also if we get back to a Euro rate of £1=E1.50-E1.60 then importing from the rest of Europe would start to be very tempting if you can face the problems of logistics. Now looking forward to the conversation starting "Darling, instead of popping out for a Sunday afternoon to play pinball, I'm off for the next 2 weeks..........."

 

[elrikos]

i think a contact in that country would be handy to try to get some insider info. On the other hand it sounds like a great adventure! i'd come along if it were to get off the ground.

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Someone explain to me why this idea is flawed?

Nice idea but .....



... its already been done. A few years ago in Pins Anon glory days there was a flow of machines east to west across Europe, and over the last few years our Euro pinhead friends have plundered all the remaining good stuff from Croatia, Czech etc etc . This comes from pinheads I have spoke to who live there ...most of the stuff you would come across will be pretty f*cked up or the less desireable 90s titles - Poopeye, Hurricanezzzz etc .

 

[wayne g]

fuel prices also these days would probably not help also.

 

[Matt Vince]

Count me in Dan!! when are we off? Even if the pins turn out not to be there, i love a pin adventure!!

 

[Calimori]

I am off to Croatia on a little motorcycle ride in August, I will scout out some pins for us.

Poland is too established with 'flipper' collectors but further east could be a fun holiday

.

 

[cooldan]

i love a pin adventure!!

having just heard about your trip to Italy in the week, returning with 8 pins (inc at least five A-listers), you certainly do!