As a newbie to the hobby myself, I always knew that buying my own pin would be expensive. When I made my first trip to a dealer a couple of weeks ago, the machines were in excellent condition. I spoke to the techs and they impressed me with how much they knew and their experience with the machines. The prices I was quoted seemed very reasonable... around $5,000 for a Johnny Mnemonic, for example. Of course I like to think I'm an educated newbie. So I compared the prices to eBay. The prices seemed similar... must be legit! I considered buying one straight off the dealer's shop floor.
But then I came here and saw the prices the same machines were going for. Not exactly half the price... but close in some cases. Easily 30-40% cheaper than the dealer's prices. I'm eager to learn a bit about pinball machines and how they work so I can repair them myself when things go wrong. But I think this is exactly where dealers will always have a market. The fact that you can take your broken machine (which came with a warranty!), get it repaired and have it back at your place without swapping out boards or taking the playfield apart is a godsend for people who don't want to deal with the insides of the machine.
So, are dealer prices unreal? Maybe. But I suspect some people getting into the hobby now aren't like most of AP. Most just want a pinball for the games room that they can install and forget about, then just take to the shop when it breaks. Most of AP (myself included) like the idea of fixing machines ourselves. Thus the idea of doubling the price of a machine just for the warranties and other guarantees isn't worth it.
Either way, I'm glad I found AP!
