Depressing pinball epiphany

[vinito]

Well folks, I may just be thick for not knowing sooner, but since I first got into this hobby it has changed a lot for the worse in a couple ways.

First, my introduction to pinball was bringing a basket-case machine home and bringing it back to life eventually. When I was loading it up I figured the worst I could do is find that I could find no information or parts or both and I'd just kick it back to the street. Imagine my delight when I found Clay's pinball repair guides and several parts suppliers online. With the guides just out there to click and read, no game was without hope. So that pretty much died of course and it was a major blow and loss to the pinball community. Some things can be found and of course you can go to a forum and ask, but it used to all be in one place and done well. So in sum, that really hurts the hope that most newbies to the scene who find a game can restore it to working condition and enjoy. The reality is that there will be a lot more games going to the landfill than otherwise. Bummer.

So then about the same time I noticed prices going up. At first it wasn't too much, but I've been watching Craigslist for a long time now and at least around here there is A) virtually nothing much happening on CL for pinball, and B) when it does the asking prices are about 3 to 5 times what they should be to actually sell, at least to me. I'm lucky to have kept a couple of my project EM games when I sold my lineup off a few years ago, plus I have a project ball bowler too so I can still have some fun. But I guess within a few short years it seems like Pinball has changed from a hobby I could afford to deal with even back when I was relatively broke to something I just can't see paying for anymore even though I'm making close to three times what I was back then.

The funny thing is that parts from suppliers have gone up too, but it's a reasonably expected increase. So the value of parts is following inflation but games for sale seem to have been hoarded up now and increased in price by obscene amounts. What a shame.

I was just ruminating on this because I have always wanted two machines - DE Checkpoint and DE Time Machine. they never turn up on CL so I looked at eBay and there are three Checkpoint games there for over $3K. Hell just a few years back you could pick up an Addams or TZ for not much more than that and Checkpoints were in the sub $1K range.

So I guess I will probably give up on that idea unless something falls in my lap someday. It's not a big deal that I can't get those particular machines really. I guess I was just startled at how it used to be that a few years ago you could about expect to find what you wanted if you saved up a little money and held out just a little while, but now simply finding a machine you want for a reasonable cost seems extremely unlikely. The golden age of Pinball appears to be over.

There is no shortage of hobbies that interest me. Slot cars is a new one I'll be developing in the coming years (I'd LOVE to have a Checkpoint in the same room as the slot car track). There is 3D printing for fun and tinkering with electronics. Home renovation is never-ending and geeking out in front of this computer is always an option. I have more things I can do than I have time for in the rest of the time I have left. At least I was here to ride the pinball wave for a while when it was still doable. And of course I can fix up and enjoy the couple games I still have.

OK thus ends my ramblings.
As you were.

[Strangeways]

Usually, us Aussies are a few years behind with the "pinball trends", but over the last 5 years, our market has been completely saturated and demand SHOULD have slowed down. But it is not. A scan of eBay Australia is not an indication of where the market lies, as it is full of overpriced and under done machines. Projects at 5 times their values, and "rare" games ("rare as in "Raven Rare")..

It is simply a global trend. Pinball has been "back" for 2-5 years, and the demand is increasing. Therefore, the market prices are high (but not to the over inflated prices on eBay). But like all trends, it has cycles. Once demand drops, or the market is over supplied, prices will change as suppliers struggle to move stock. You just need to look at the inventories of dealers to see the high priced games are not moving. We may be close to the tipping point.

I'd say you will find the games you are after, but not on eBay or CL. Both are used as advertising to find the newbies that have not done their homework. Have you tried Mr Pinball Classifieds ?

[joele]

I don't know how the dealers move anything at the prices they charge. I also notice many of these high price games stay on ebay etc for months on end and simply don't move.. I guess they hope that every now and again they strick it lucky ripping someone off in the extreme to make it all worthwhile?

My strategy for ebay is watch people (not dealers) list a half dozen times dropping their prices and going nowhere and then contact them directly and do a reasonable deal offline.. Often they are not too impressed as they bought off a dealer and a hugely inflated price originally, but they accept they were ripped off eventually.