This is one of those more expensive hobbies. Although many are thrifty with their repair work and purchasing of games, there are still many collectors that still have money to buy luxury items. Members on the forums know the prices fairly well, so they steer clear of the "window shopping" on eBay. Ebay pricing never was, and will never be the true value of a game. It is more a case of fishing for the uninformed or impulse buyer. I know collectors that sell and trade between themselves, and would sell a game on a forum well before Gumtree and eBay to avoid tyre kickers and time wasters.
The price rises - like anything - Supply VS Demand. In Melbourne, it is as it has always been. Not enough games ! Also depends on the titles. CV has blown through the roof and is now an A list title is the eyes of suppliers. does not matter who it is sold to, they command a very high price overseas. So no one really imports them unless they have a customer desperate for one. CV was a $6000 ish game 5 years ago. It now commands $8000+
Importing pinballs from overseas has gone up significantly. The dollar was hovering around 80-85 Euros. It is now 70 cents. If importers pay more, this gets passed on to buyers. This is with any product.
The other point to factor in - quality of the game and the work done. I can show you a $9500 Addams Family. I can demonstrate exactly where the value is, regardless of whether you like the game done to that standard. There's $9500 worth of value in that game. Dealers are trying to sell $8500 Addams Familys. They are done to exactly the same standards as 5 years ago when they were $6000. The point being, there not $2500 more "value", but they are more expensive to buy and rather than reduce profits, the product is described as being of higher quality workmanship. But it is not.
Due to a higher level of workmanship becoming available over the last 2 years, astute buyers know they can have access to professionally touched up playfields, professionally re decaled cabinets using Next Gen authorized artwork and have detailed restoration work using genuine parts. It is a niche end of an already niche hobby. But it is there. So when "High End Restorations" are sold for higher prices, some sellers believe that that is where the prices should be set - regardless of the work being done or not. There are stories of sellers claiming games are done by restorers that simply didn't even touch the machine !
Basically, a weekend window shopping trip is not enough time to carefully look at a machine. I know personally, that in the last 12 months, the industry has undergone huge changes.
