The last ten years seem to have really embedded the idea that we should get our money back when selling a game. I suppose with the rising price and decreasing quality of the Stern games, the added pressure on the prices for classic DMDs has contributed as well in the last couple of years. But really should we be expecting this? How many other two,three or five thousand dollar items can you buy and not expect to loose?
I suppose the collectibility aspect and lack of replacements, increasing demand creates the opportunity to buy, play, and sell for similar money.
This might change for some classic pricing with PPS and Medieval Frankegame - and quite topical given the AFM discussion here and the prices being sought given this will most likely be the next or one after that game. I suspect $15K AFMs will disappear then too.
My thoughts exactly.
Most games that sold 5 years ago would not be sold into today's market at the same price. There would be noticeable games like MM, MB, TAFG and CC that would not have a problem selling for the same if not more. The buyer's from 5 years ago were limited in "where" they could source their games from. The norm was to pay way too much from dealers. One of the reasons they were sold high is exactly so buyers didn't smarten up and "flip" the game after a couple of months.
Today, the landscape has changed quite a bit. There are more and more enthusiasts that have impacted the pricing dealers have been setting due to greed. Dealers set premium prices, with minimal work, whereas enthusiasts take a lot more time and because the game is "theirs" they don't take shortcuts. When these better machines hit eBay, they are often cheaper and in much better condition. Then you have the High End market, which again, some enthusiasts excel at. The standard is high, so why shouldn't the price be set high ? Buyers have been allowing dealers to set prices for years, and to make it worse, they WERE happy with the standard of the games ( Flintstones - $4500 and Lost In Space for $8000 ! ). Again, minimal work for maximum profit.
I have no problem with a High End Pinball demanding a High End Price. AFM fits this category. If the work has been done, and there are no short cuts - I have no problem with a collectible and rare game being advertised for a High price.
