Was there a secret handshake involved?Gonzo spilling the real secret entry methods to the secret club
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Underpricing pins is harming the hobby
- Thread starter VeeMonroe
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The point that I think several of us are trying to make is that it’s neither realistic or unrealistic. This is a very small hobby, there are a finite number of each machine in the UK, and the vast majority are in private collections. It’s pure chance whether one of the machines you are looking for is available for sale at any given time. Why are you expecting someone to sell you a machine just because it’s on your list? What if everyone who owns all the machines on your list enjoy having them and don’t want to sell them?
It’s remarkably entitled to simply expect that someone out there will sell you a machine just because you can theoretically afford it and want it. It just doesn’t work that way.
Yes, but you have to provide your own vaseline.Was there a secret handshake involved?
Also, Pinballinfo is a brilliant place to buy and sell games when the market is calm.
The site has always required a selling price to be stated on for sale adverts.
But what happens in a fast market? I think most of us struggle to know what a fair price is right now. I had my banzai run down as a 3k game and one sold for 5.1k.
If someone advertises a game too cheaply, what happens ?
The "a deal is a deal" crowd pipe up. "That game was advertised for 200 quid and we agreed a deal" .... Some sellers either accept it, get raped and put it down to experience. Or they up their asking price and folk call them greedy. How many naive sellers want to feel that hate ?
So what is the logical response of sellers????
1. Advertise at a high fixed price - like the 10k TAF that may or may not exist. Get a load of hate. By doing this they foster an informal auction via private messages
Or
2. Ask what the game is worth and foster an informal auction via private messages
Or
3. Auction it on eBay and get 5.1k for a flippin' Banzai
The site has always required a selling price to be stated on for sale adverts.
But what happens in a fast market? I think most of us struggle to know what a fair price is right now. I had my banzai run down as a 3k game and one sold for 5.1k.
If someone advertises a game too cheaply, what happens ?
The "a deal is a deal" crowd pipe up. "That game was advertised for 200 quid and we agreed a deal" .... Some sellers either accept it, get raped and put it down to experience. Or they up their asking price and folk call them greedy. How many naive sellers want to feel that hate ?
So what is the logical response of sellers????
1. Advertise at a high fixed price - like the 10k TAF that may or may not exist. Get a load of hate. By doing this they foster an informal auction via private messages
Or
2. Ask what the game is worth and foster an informal auction via private messages
Or
3. Auction it on eBay and get 5.1k for a flippin' Banzai
I’d trade my Dirty Harry for EATPM
I think you’ve nailed it. That’s exactly what I’ve been seeing.
I think we’re working off different assumptions. I could understand that if I thought the average collector had a couple of much-loved pins. Obviously, expecting them to sell them just because I had money would be unreasonable.
However, looking on Pinball Owners, it’s obvious there are some unknown number of people with tens of pins, many ‘in storage, awaiting restoration’. It’s not unreasonable for me to want to prod those people to sell those pins - they’re not using them and it’s not unreasonable to assume they value them less than someone with three pins… or, even better, no pins at all. The world of pinball is much better with those pins spread over tens of people, who can restore them, play them, and share them with others.
I think this is a slight change of topic, but I’ve seen those huge dead collections mentioned by other people and it’s definitely inspired my thinking about prices. It’s a little bit “How much would we all need to pay to empty the pinball graveyards of Europe?”
I've just read this whole thread.
@VeeMonroe you joined in August 2021. @Lecari also joined in August 2021. I think @Lecari's post is the best and most relevant post in this thread. My advice is read what she said, she seems to be having lots of fun
The Pinball Graveyards of Europe. Holy ****. You really earn a living from writing? That's unbelievable.
Yeah. I have a serious immune condition, a special needs son and run my own business. I’m also painfully shy. So, of course I’m going to be able to do all the same stuff as someone with a completely different personality in different life circumstances.I've just read this whole thread.
@VeeMonroe you joined in August 2021. @Lecari also joined in August 2021. I think @Lecari's post is the best and most relevant post in this thread. My advice is read what she said, she seems to be having lots of fun
But, erm, thanks for telling me I’m not someone else… I’m fully aware of that
Jib
Site Supporter
I don't think it's unreasonable to contact them and ask if they are selling. I do think it's unreasonable that you think they should sell them for less because they 'aren't using them' and you will
See, you’re coming across as entitled again. Someone with a large collection doesn’t owe you a sale, and who are you to judge how much they value them? The fact that they have a large collection would indicate to me that they value pinball highly.
This whole thread just comes across as ‘the way things are doesn’t work for me, therefore it is broken’.
Jib
Site Supporter
Yeah. I have a serious immune condition, a special needs son and run my own business. I’m also painfully shy. So, of course I’m going to be able to do all the same stuff as someone with a completely different personality in different life circumstances.
But, erm, thanks for telling me I’m not someone else… I’m fully aware of that
I understand your shy personality limiting how you feel you can interact with others, as I said before I suck at social interactions, I worry I often come across as rude just because I struggle to know what to say in person. I've been to Electric Circus maybe a dozen times and I think all I've ever said to Steve is 'Is the arcade open?' and 'my balls are stuck in Elviras back door'
When I've been to Tilt my husband who isn't even really into pinball has talked to Kirk a lot more than I have. I haven't been to any league meets or chat to anyone I see in arcades but then I don't complain about feeling like an outsider because of the community, it's because of my own actions or lack of. As I said in my previous post, the community as a whole seems extremely welcoming, enthusiastic and generous.
Jib
Site Supporter
Nothing to wait for, turn up to place with machines and like minded people, play games, talk pinball
Unless you're really in it to win it, the scores are irrelevant!
Which reminds me, I really need to look up the SW league - haven't been to a meet since I moved - and that was 5 years ago!
I do think the forum has be rinsed by resellers at some point , I did suggest an informal , “I sold my machine to “rule but it was shot down
Tbh with every post I’m even more confused as to what you are trying to sayFolks. I've just clarified above. In the nicest possible way, you're now having an argument with someone who isn't in the room
Just to be clear, I had a long list of 10+ pins with people suggesting other alternatives too - all of which I researched on Pinside/Youtube. I appreciated, and still appreciate, that the likelihood of me getting a Laser Cue (or a US Black Hole) - for example - was near zero. I don't think it was unrealistic, however, that I was expecting someone to sell something off a quite long list, especially when some of those things had big production runs.
It's not like ordering a specific shed. It's more like going "Hey, does anyone have a nice shed of dimensions X, Y and Z where I could keep three spades and a lawnmower" and then being offered a really small shed, a really huge shed, and told you're being unrealistic about the condition of the shed. You'd start idly wondering what's going on with the second-hand shed market...
Great thread, got us all chipping in.
Was that the set with the skill whipping-post?
I’ve ruined that gimp suit mate, used to wear it, look at myself in the mirror & beat my self like a ginger step kid. You’ve got 1st dibs if you want it back though
I think 95% of us are all saying the same thing though.
Umm, ok. You wanted to know why for some reason you and all the other newb's weren't in this fictitious club where you get games for a steal. My point was to show you that someone else who joined at the same time as you has had a lot of success of buying lots of games that they wanted at prices that they were happy with.Yeah. I have a serious immune condition, a special needs son and run my own business. I’m also painfully shy. So, of course I’m going to be able to do all the same stuff as someone with a completely different personality in different life circumstances.
But, erm, thanks for telling me I’m not someone else… I’m fully aware of that
At no point did I intend a slight on your personality.
Maybe I missed the point of this thread!
This thread
Just read through this entire thread, was hoping for some real hatred and nastiness. Fell asleep 3 times. Time I’ll never, ever get back 
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