BUGS BUNNY ON EBAY ! PRICES RISING !

[Strangeways]

"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.

[Cow Corner]

Most pin dealers come across like dodgy used car salesmen...." youll love this one, it will be worth heaps next year!" " you won't find a better one than this again in your lifetime"
etc etc. Trust factor.....nil!

[Cow Corner]

hey brett!
i think you should bring in a container full yourself.
just a thought.
craig

Might be the way to go if the profits are so high.
Keep what you want and sell the rest.

[Caveoftreasures]

never wanted to, or bothered with getting a container of pins. I could have done it a dozen times over, but my focus is my security business.

i have just let everyone else do all the hardwork bringing in the containers, and I just pay what the machine owes someone plus a reasonable profit margin. I dont have the headaches, but pick up a great pinny at a great price. thats the best compromise.

most container sellers sell 80 percent of the machines in a "as is" state and still make plenty. pro-rata, unless its a high end title, it doesnt pay to fully shop something or re-decal it. most buyers would rather save some money and do the shopping themselves, thus it doesnt take a rocket scientist to buy a batch of pins in a container and offload them all very quickly without even touching them.

it does make you wonder though, just how many pinnys are left around Europe. as a percentage, stocks must have taken a real dint with the amount of machines being brought in to the land of OZ. a few buyers i know are now collecting machines from USA to fill containers. machines in Australia are still selling like hotcakes. Some titles are down in price, others have risen. its still fun to watch the prices some games attract.