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The (not so new!) eBay Auctions / Facebook / Gumtree / Shpock 2022 thread

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DanSeldon said:
Don't forget the wanted ad. If people know cash is waiting they might reach out or know a non-forum member who'll also consider a deal. Happened to me with my Twilight Zone.
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Yes, I posted a wanted ad there a couple of weeks ago, but I guess I need to re-post it, it gets forgotten when it goes past the top ones. Perhaps had I refreshed that on the weekend, it would have been spotted...
 
Nilos said:
Yes, I posted a wanted ad there a couple of weeks ago, but I guess I need to re-post it, it gets forgotten when it goes past the top ones. Perhaps had I refreshed that on the weekend, it would have been spotted...
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Don't repost, just add a 'BUMP' comment to the existing ad to bring it back up to the top of the list. Not everyday, don't spam the wanted area, just a reminder you're looking maybe once a week.
 
Nilos said:
I know, I just happened to like something which is difficult to get hold of.
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TAF isn't hard to get hold of. There are LOADS of TAFs. There were about 20,000 made and there's still loads on site in the UK and in private collections.

TAF is, however, in my personal opinion vastly overpriced for what it offers compared to the entire catalogue of pinball machines now in existence. TAF had a hot media property when it was released, had strong mode-based gameplay for its era, great music and... the whole package, really. Lots of people played them in arcades and, yes, they are the pin people often remember fondly from the 90s, which is why they end up being people's first choice of first pin and overpriced, as a result.

If you have not bought a pin before, I WOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (all caps for a reason) import from abroad. It is difficult enough buying a first vintage pin in the UK without being stung. I have never had a 80/90s-era pin that has turned up without issues, even if it's just a couple of insert lights out, and I played my second vintage pin for two hours solid before purchasing (it picked up some issues in transit). Every pin that has been routed (which is all vintage pins) will have had bodged repairs done and, if you hammer the pin with plays, you will detect every single piece of deferred maintenance going. Obviously, if you buy from the community here, you are MUCH more likely to have something that has been well maintained and lovingly cared for, but all old pins that haven't had a full restoration job done (at great cost) have a risk of spawning faults. The more risks you take on purchase (e.g. not being able to view and play in person), the more likely it is that your 'new' pin will crisp the CPU on switch-on. The further you transport the pin, the more risks you take in terms of it getting knocked about and stuff going wrong.

The big positive that TAF offered, when it was launched, was a combination of brilliant theme, great music, fun toys, and complex multi-dimensional gameplay. As you're in outer London, I would strongly recommend checking out Funland in the Brunswick Arcade near Russell Square station, if you haven't already. They have an Electrocoin showroom at the back with a line-up of modern in-production Stern pinball machines. All Sterns offer complex multi-dimensional gameplay, and many of them also offer great sound, good art and strong themes. Some of the new Sterns, such as Godzilla Prem and Jurassic Park Prem, have some amazing toys too.

The modern Sterns Pro are similar in price to a TAF and, in my view, provide a similarly deep gameplay experience without the risks. They are also very easy to get hold of - you just need to put in an order with Phil @ Pinball Heaven. Phil has a two-year warranty on new pins. Although modern Sterns are expensive, they are in a similar price range to a TAF.

There is also a wonderful back catalogue of more affordable out-of-production JJP and Stern pins with the great toys, deep theme and great music that TAF offered. Among others, I'd recommend Metallica Pro, JJP's Hobbit and Dialed In. I'm sure people can recommend others. You might also want to consider a Twilight Zone from the 90s (there have been a few on here recently), as that is regarded as a spiritual successor to TAF, although the likelihood that a TZ will need maintenance is high. I've also seen a few Theatres of Magic floating around and that might be another contender.
 
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VeeMonroe said:
TAF isn't hard to get hold of. There are LOADS of TAFs. There were about 12,000 made and there's still loads on site in the UK and in private collections.

TAF is, however, in my personal opinion vastly overpriced for what it offers compared to the entire catalogue of pinball machines now in existence. TAF had a hot media property when it was released, had strong mode-based gameplay for its era, great music and... the whole package, really. Lots of people played them in arcades and, yes, they are the pin people often remember fondly from the 90s, which is why they end up being people's first choice of first pin and overpriced, as a result.

If you have not bought a pin before, I WOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (all caps for a reason) import from abroad. It is difficult enough buying a first vintage pin in the UK without being stung. I have never had a 80/90s-era pin that has turned up without issues, even if it's just a couple of insert lights out, and I played my second vintage pin for two hours solid before purchasing (it picked up some issues in transit). Every pin that has been routed (which is all vintage pins) will have had bodged repairs done and, if you hammer the pin with plays, you will detect every single piece of deferred maintenance going. Obviously, if you buy from the community here, you are MUCH more likely to have something that has been well maintained and lovingly cared for, but all old pins that haven't had a full restoration job done (at great cost) have a risk of spawning faults. The more risks you take on purchase (e.g. not being able to view and play in person), the more likely it is that your 'new' pin will crisp the CPU on switch-on. The further you transport the pin, the more risks you take in terms of it getting knocked about and stuff going wrong.

The big positive that TAF offered, when it was launched, was a combination of brilliant theme, great music, fun toys, and complex multi-dimensional gameplay. As you're in outer London, I would strongly recommend checking out Funland in the Brunswick Arcade near Russell Square station, if you haven't already. They have an Electrocoin showroom at the back with a line-up of modern in-production Stern pinball machines. All Sterns offer complex multi-dimensional gameplay, and many of them also offer great sound, good art and strong themes. Some of the new Sterns, such as Godzilla Prem and Jurassic Park Prem, have some amazing toys too.

The modern Sterns Pro are similar in price to a TAF and, in my view, provide a similarly deep gameplay experience without the risks. They are also very easy to get hold of - you just need to put in an order with Phil @ Pinball Heaven. Phil has a two-year warranty on new pins. Although modern Sterns are expensive, they are in a similar price range to a TAF.

There is also a wonderful back catalogue of more affordable out-of-production JJP and Stern pins with the great toys, deep theme and great music that TAF offered. Among others, I'd recommend Metallica Pro, JJP's Hobbit and Dialed In. I'm sure people can recommend others. You might also want to consider a Twilight Zone from the 90s (there have been a few on here recently), as that is regarded as a spiritual successor to TAF, although the likelihood that a TZ will need maintenance is high. I've also seen a few Theatres of Magic floating around and that might be another contender.
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Hello @VeeMonroe, thank you for your advice and lots of information.
I appreciate your words, I think it certainly makes me more aware of what's in the pinball world: classics vs modern pins, faults, repairs, about being stung. All this raises awareness, so thank you for that.

I agree with you, I think the TAF is overpriced, there is doubt about that.
It's a popular pinball machine, like many others, the inside might be slightly different, but that alone doesn't make it more valuable than any other classics, so I'm shocked to see the prices, I can't deny it.
When it comes to the amount of TAFs on the market, possibly yes, there are may be many around, but I hasn't been my experience so far, that could be because members are holding onto it and that's fair, most users here keep the pins because they are huge fans of pins in general and the TAF aside from being a great pin, is also a popular one that's picked up good value.
Of course I would prefer buying one from here, if that's possible, not only saves me from thinking about the hassle of importing it alongside the effort and cost, but also it would easier to speak to person who owned it before, build a relationship with someone from this community, introduce me to this network, etc.

I haven't been to Brunswick Arcade yet, thank you, I will certainly check it out.

As for the modern pins, no, it's not for me, I played Wizard of Oz, Guns 'n Roses, Hobbit, Alien, they are ok, but not something I would like to own, too much going on, too complex.
I prefer the classics, yes I have played lately Twilight, Stargate, T2, Star Wars, Batman, Junkyard, Theatre of Magic, lots of others. I have a friend that owns Dirty Harry I have to say nice games, but I wouldn't want to go and buy one. I'd probably prefer to play them once in a while at the pinball club, when I can switch between them after 1-2 games.

I am sure if I ever bought a TAF, I would probably get bored too, but hey, be it, I'll deal with it when it comes to it, I'd probably post it back here.
 
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Nilos said:
Hello @VeeMonroe, thank you for your advice and lots of information.
I appreciate your words, I think it certainly makes me more aware of what's in the pinball world: classics vs modern pins, faults, repairs, about being stung. All this raises awareness, so thank you for that.

I agree with you, I think the TAF is overpriced, there is doubt about that.
It's a popular pinball machine, like many others, the inside might be slightly different, but that alone doesn't make it more valuable than any other classics, so I'm shocked to see the prices, I can't deny it.
When it comes to the amount of TAFs on the market, possibly yes, there are may be many around, but I hasn't been my experience so far, that could be because members are holding onto it and that's fair, most users here keep the pins because they are huge fans of pins in general and the TAF aside from being a great pin, is also a popular one that's picked up good value.
Of course I would prefer buying one from here, if that's possible, not only saves me from thinking about the hassle of importing it alongside the effort and cost, but also it would easier to speak to person who owned it before, build a relationship with someone from this community, introduce me to this network, etc.

I haven't been to Brunswick Arcade yet, thank you, I will certainly check it out.

As for the modern pins, no, it's not for me, I played Wizard of Oz, Guns 'n Roses, Hobbit, Alien, they are ok, but not something I would like to own, too much going on, too complex.
I prefer the classics, yes I have played lately Twilight, Stargate, T2, Star Wars, Batman, Junkyard, Theatre of Magic, lots of others. I have a friend that owns Dirty Harry I have to say nice games, but I wouldn't want to go and buy one. I'd probably prefer to play them once in a while at the pinball club, when I can switch between them after 1-2 games.

I am sure if I ever bought a TAF, I would probably get bored too, but hey, be it, I'll deal with it when it comes to it, I'd probably post it back here.
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Okay. I think there are two approaches to pinball collections, which I will illustrate with me and @David_Vi (sorry, David :)).

So, I am REALLY picky about which pins I like. This means I can get quite frustrated by not being able to obtain things I want, but I've slowly learned to be very patient. I've found collectors don't want to part with pins until they're literally stacked in the hall, and - even if someone sounds interested - they're highly likely to pull out of a sale. People also tend to value their pins very highly because they don't really want to sell. I'd put myself in this category too; I'm not innocent of this.

The consequence of being very picky is that I got my first pin from a dealer, my second pin I was lucky to get off this forum paying £500 above the commonly-accepted price and I responded within 30 minutes, my third I waited six months for delivery, and my fourth was a compromise title before I found the one I wanted (after a year). I've been on a waiting list for another pin for nearly six months (currently awaiting a build date) and, when I get my fifth/sixth pin, I will have been waiting on an interest list for more than two years.

At the other end of the spectrum is @David_Vi who, from what I can tell, loves owning a lot of pins and loves many titles. So, it's a lot easier to buy stuff because he's not constrained to specific titles :)

If you want a specific pin, you can:

1. Wait and see if it comes up here, eBay, Gumtree or Facebook marketplace. You may have to wait months - even for quite common titles. People on the forum are very kind and will keep a look out. However, if it is posted publicly here, and it's a popular title at a good price (like a sensibly-priced TAF), it will disappear in seconds;
2. Buy from a dealer, which means you will probably pay £1,500+ extra that the dealer will pocket while doing f**k all work on the pin and providing no after-sales support. However, you will have the pin you want, e.g. Home Leisure Direct claim to have a TAF for £11k (https://www.homeleisuredirect.com/v...l-machines/addams-family-pinball-machine.html), and you can - ideally - view and play it. I bought my first pin from Williams Amusements and my fourth from Tobin, who is a semi-pro dealer who doesn't have a website and mostly trades in weirder titles;
3. Import a pin sourced via Pinball Owners or Pinside. I have not done this and I wouldn't recommend it to a newbie.

As a newbie, I'd strongly (again) suggest trying lots of pins and finding more than one thing you want. If you like TAF, there will be other pins you will enjoy enough to own too. I'd recommend visiting Pinball Republic (sounds as though you have already), Funland and The Pinball Office in Sawbridgeworth (if you've played Hobbit it sounds like you may have been there). As you're in Sutton, you can also try Brewdog Shepherd's Bush and Chief Coffee in Turnham Green, but they have quite limited selections.

Sorry everyone else for the long post...
 
That TAF has a prototype playfield in it. The Greed book is gold coloured was Red in production games

But on the other hand the Mansion 9MIL & 3MIL, the MILLION was written
 
VeeMonroe said:
Okay. I think there are two approaches to pinball collections, which I will illustrate with me and @David_Vi (sorry, David :)).

So, I am REALLY picky about which pins I like. This means I can get quite frustrated by not being able to obtain things I want, but I've slowly learned to be very patient. I've found collectors don't want to part with pins until they're literally stacked in the hall, and - even if someone sounds interested - they're highly likely to pull out of a sale. People also tend to value their pins very highly because they don't really want to sell. I'd put myself in this category too; I'm not innocent of this.

The consequence of being very picky is that I got my first pin from a dealer, my second pin I was lucky to get off this forum paying £500 above the commonly-accepted price and I responded within 30 minutes, my third I waited six months for delivery, and my fourth was a compromise title before I found the one I wanted (after a year). I've been on a waiting list for another pin for nearly six months (currently awaiting a build date) and, when I get my fifth/sixth pin, I will have been waiting on an interest list for more than two years.

At the other end of the spectrum is @David_Vi who, from what I can tell, loves owning a lot of pins and loves many titles. So, it's a lot easier to buy stuff because he's not constrained to specific titles :)

If you want a specific pin, you can:

1. Wait and see if it comes up here, eBay, Gumtree or Facebook marketplace. You may have to wait months - even for quite common titles. People on the forum are very kind and will keep a look out. However, if it is posted publicly here, and it's a popular title at a good price (like a sensibly-priced TAF), it will disappear in seconds;
2. Buy from a dealer, which means you will probably pay £1,500+ extra that the dealer will pocket while doing f**k all work on the pin and providing no after-sales support. However, you will have the pin you want, e.g. Home Leisure Direct claim to have a TAF for £11k (https://www.homeleisuredirect.com/v...l-machines/addams-family-pinball-machine.html), and you can - ideally - view and play it. I bought my first pin from Williams Amusements and my fourth from Tobin, who is a semi-pro dealer who doesn't have a website and mostly trades in weirder titles;
3. Import a pin sourced via Pinball Owners or Pinside. I have not done this and I wouldn't recommend it to a newbie.

As a newbie, I'd strongly (again) suggest trying lots of pins and finding more than one thing you want. If you like TAF, there will be other pins you will enjoy enough to own too. I'd recommend visiting Pinball Republic (sounds as though you have already), Funland and The Pinball Office in Sawbridgeworth (if you've played Hobbit it sounds like you may have been there). As you're in Sutton, you can also try Brewdog Shepherd's Bush and Chief Coffee in Turnham Green, but they have quite limited selections.

Sorry everyone else for the long post...
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@VeeMonroe, Thank you for taking the time to explain and give your view on this.
Yes, I have noticed that collectors value their pin higher than a fair price and won't let go easy. I probably would do the same tbh, :) .
Am I getting frustrated? Yes, it's the only pin I'm after and I can't get hold of it.
I have checked pinball owners, I contacted 45 TAF owners (only the ones which have listed their pin to be on sale or may consider a sale).
These owners are based in UK, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany. No local replies.
From the rest, I got various replies, most of them around 8k (pounds), few over.
There were quite a few in Italy from pinball owners at about 6.5-7k (pounds), some not in a brilliant state, maybe few scams too.
Facebook, I have posted on pinball/arcade/Addams Owners groups. Nothing on sale within UK so far. So I'm thinking there aren't many TAFs here.
Then I tried posting on pinball info a wanted thread about 3 weeks ago, great support and advice, no one came forward.
I am taking your advice of being patient so far, let's see how it goes, :) .
At this stage, I'm not considering other pins, but hey maybe slowly I may find something else I like.
 
VeeMonroe said:
At the other end of the spectrum is @David_Vi who, from what I can tell, loves owning a lot of pins and loves many titles. So, it's a lot easier to buy stuff because he's not constrained to specific titles :)
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Uh, not at all - I know we have more space than other people for machines, but it doesn't mean that we are less picky.

4 of our machines are ones I bought and 3 machines we have at the moment are being very kindly lent to us on long-term loan. We both have lists of machines we'd love to own one day and we've been buying those. I'm sure many remember my thread hunting for a Diner before I managed to find one. David has said before that the whole reason he saved up and bought a house was because he was desperate to buy a Roadshow, his dream pin.

If anything, the impulsive one is ME - I'm the one who bought Locomotion without having ever played it! I'd been wanting an older game and Zaccarias are beautiful games, and since David is a train driver it seemed the perfect match - not that it's anyone else's business why I choose to buy certain machines... But the machines we have, we own because we enjoy playing them and they make us happy. It's not because we love having lots of pins for the sake of it!

Good luck in your search, @Nilos - I spent a long time looking for my dream pinball machine, Diner, and eventually I managed to find one. It's a very popular machine and no one wanted to sell theirs! But I waited and eventually one came up for sale in the community - a friend was collecting another machine from an eBay seller, and noticed they had a Diner as well, and asked what their plan for it was. He knew I was after a Diner so made the seller an offer, and brought it over that lunchtime! So I'm sure one will come up for sale for you - you just have to be patient. :)
 
Lecari said:
Uh, not at all - I know we have more space than other people for machines, but it doesn't mean that we are less picky.

4 of our machines are ones I bought and 3 machines we have at the moment are being very kindly lent to us on long-term loan. We both have lists of machines we'd love to own one day and we've been buying those. I'm sure many remember my thread hunting for a Diner before I managed to find one. David has said before that the whole reason he saved up and bought a house was because he was desperate to buy a Roadshow, his dream pin.

If anything, the impulsive one is ME - I'm the one who bought Locomotion without having ever played it! I'd been wanting an older game and Zaccarias are beautiful games, and since David is a train driver it seemed the perfect match - not that it's anyone else's business why I choose to buy certain machines... But the machines we have, we own because we enjoy playing them and they make us happy. It's not because we love having lots of pins for the sake of it!

Good luck in your search, @Nilos - I spent a long time looking for my dream pinball machine, Diner, and eventually I managed to find one. It's a very popular machine and no one wanted to sell theirs! But I waited and eventually one came up for sale in the community - a friend was collecting another machine from an eBay seller, and noticed they had a Diner as well, and asked what their plan for it was. He knew I was after a Diner so made the seller an offer, and brought it over that lunchtime! So I'm sure one will come up for sale for you - you just have to be patient. :)
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Thank you for support @Lecari, great to see that opportunities show up
 
As with anything, you'll pay more if you want something now rather than waiting for it to pop up.

I tried to find a Road Show nearly a year before I got my house because I knew I wanted that to be my first pin. I had a few prospective ones and they fell through, it was frustrating but it worked out in the end and I paid a little over the odds.

Same with Bk2k who I got from the same dealer Veemonroe is talking about, because it was on my list. 👍

Others were opportunities that popped up at the right time 😁
 
Lecari said:
If anything, the impulsive one is ME - I'm the one who bought Locomotion without having ever played it! I'd been wanting an older game and Zaccarias are beautiful games, and since David is a train driver it seemed the perfect match - not that it's anyone else's business why I choose to buy certain machines... But the machines we have, we own because we enjoy playing them and they make us happy. It's not because we love having lots of pins for the sake of it!
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Sorry, I wasn’t trying to imply that you folks indiscriminately buy anything to have lots of pins for the sake of having lots of pins!!!!! :oops: Of course it’s all about the fun!!! 🥳

I was trying to suggest your wishlist, or possible universe of pins you’re actively open to, is larger than ours, so - at any given time - you’ve got more choices and it’s a little less frustrating than @Nilos is currently finding it 🥰

As you and @David_Vi say, if you want something very specific, you either need to wait or pay slightly over the odds :)
 
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Games that have come and gone
GOTGLE,CONGO,DRACULA,CACTUS CANYON, DIRTY HARRY, INDIANA JONES (W), INDIANAPOLIS 500, ATTACK FROM MARS, LOTR- even BBB

TAF is stone cold classic. Will never leave my collection. Many have tried

F5FDD883-8FE7-4128-A212-5416A0676C81.jpeg
1154FEE7-D516-49CF-8034-82C90CA221D8.jpeg
 
Yeah because it was built 30yrs ago 😂. For its time. Magents, spinning bookcase, Thing coming out, Things flipper..

Re-release it as a LCD game with film rights and deeper code and it would give other games a challenge.
 
Dave Bishop said:
Yeah because it was built 30yrs ago 😂. For its time. Magents, spinning bookcase, Thing coming out, Things flipper..

Re-release it as a LCD game with film rights and deeper code and it would give other games a challenge.
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Brian Eddy tried that with Stranger Things and it didn't actually work. ST is a fun pin, but it lacks the charm of the B/W-era equivalents.

Paul R Owen said:
...... but miles behind most modern Sterns.
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Yeah, I think that's the point I was trying to make. I don't want @Nilos to be waiting for six months without a pin to get an Addam's Family when he could pick up something newer/different from the back catalogue now and have a whale of time while he waits.

The Addam's Family has a good combination of toys, humour and complex story-based gameplay (for its release date):
  • Stern Godzilla Prem has the same complex story-based gameplay, and also has the toys and humour;
  • Deadpool has humour, cartoony graphics and a very accessible ruleset for a modern Stern plus a couple of fun(ish) toys;
  • Roadshow offers all of humour, toys and complex mode-based gameplay (just without the film licence);
  • Cactus Canyon is a good solid humorous B/W-era pin and you can get a new Chicago Games Company remake with better code for less than a second-hand Addam's Family;
  • Stern Spider-Man doesn't have the toys or humour, but it's a popular and accessible favourite on here with simple-to-understand mode-based gameplay, a classic fan layout and good solid flow.
And these are recommendations coming from someone who is writing outside of my own interests as I personally rate Addam's Family about 66 out of the 94 pins I've rated, and Deadpool, Cactus Canyon and Spiderman lower than that! :)
 
Is TAF classed as an all time BW classic like MM, MB etc ?
It seems it’s got a little niche all of its own.
Think it’s ranked 20th on pinside, which I know isn’t definitive but must say something.
 
AlanJ said:
but you don’t need to learn a 25 page rule book to play it to the full, like you do with modern lcd sterns.
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Yes, but you don't need to understand every rule to play the best Stern LCD pins in a non-tournament setting.

Stern Godzilla is literally 'shoot right ramp, shoot left ramp, shoot scoop to start monster battle' 'battle four monsters in four cities to get to wizard'. Otherwise, you can shoot Mechagodzilla to start a multi-ball, or shoot the ramps/building to start a multi-ball. You don't need the rule for every hidden combo straight out of the gate. It's actually easier to understand the basics of this game than it is, for example, the basics of Flash Gordon, which was made in 1981.

My understanding is Deadpool is even simpler (haven't played for a while). 'Shoot something to qualify battle' 'Start battle. Complete five battles in order'.
 
Anyone on here manage to snag this Night Moves from eBay the other day, seemed a good offer and a genuine listing.

If I only I stayed closer, I would have certainly went and viewed this. Looks and especially sounds great from the videos I seen online.

Screenshot_20220925-162224.png
 
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