"Pinball as am investment" is car salesman spin. Pinball is a hobby, an asset not a commodity that you place your earning capacity on. Having said that, 40 years ago, Pinball WAS an investment as it's ONLY purpose was to earn money for the operators. It is important to understand this difference. Pinball was an investment as it had an earning capacity. Today, our machines don't have that earning capacity. They are an asset that we hope to get our money back on - at the time we sell them.
Not all importers are making good money on containers. The flood of games into the country, and the cost cutting during the reconditioning process make it a cut throat industry. They SHOULD be making good money as the Aussie Dollar to the Euro has jumped 20% - so buy prices are down, but the local market price will not reflect that change - so the importers make MORE money that say three years ago. Having said that, the private importers have lowered the price on games because of less overheads. This really hurts dealers.
There is a niche industry that is growing with the private importers, and those that choose to spend the extra time and money restoring machines to a high level will survive and thrive. Those that import with the expectations of making good money without knowing the product and industry are sorely misguided.
