USA Pinball pricing - CRAZY Dealer pricing for 2nd hand machines !

[Caveoftreasures]

Guys, is it just me or is the USA dealer pricing for 2nd hand pinball machines very very expensive compared to Australia ?  

It used to be the other way around, with Australia being too expensive, but a good long check today at multiple USA Dealer sites shows our pricing now is VERY very reasonable compared to the USA. Even USA Ebay pricing from various pinball dealers is WAY up high.

An example would be for the following machines.
Addams Family - $6500 to $8,000 USA $$
Twilight Zone - $6,000 upwards minimum USA $$
Spiderman - close to $7,000 minimum and climbing USA $$
Monsterbash - min of $9,000 to $12,000 USA $$
Scared Stiff - $7,000 to $9,000 USA $$

These are just a few examples. You can buy a brand new STERN from $4700 ish in the USA, but alot of 2nd hand games are at least 50 percent higher as a minimum, and they are 1991 to 1995 ish machines mostly, apart from the occassional later model 96 to 98 Bally games. Even 2nd hand STERN games from dealers are higher than the original BNIB pricings. It seems as soon as the STERN model isnt avail anymore, the 2nd hand price skyrockets over there. But that doesnt happen here luckily. Good 2nd hand Australian Sterns go for $4,000 to $5,000 ish max, and are always home use only and in great condition.

It just seems that all the second hand games seem to be much higher in the USA from a dealer?  
Any reason I wonder for the higher dealer prices of late.??  It seems the only cheap way to buy a 2nd hand pin is directly from a home collector, and the same goes with ebay USA adds. Private adds are a bit less, but not much.

Has anyone else noticed how high the USA pricings are for 2nd hand machines of late from most USA pinball dealers ?  

[Retropin]

Yes mate... been checking out USA prices for quite a few months now and spoken to a few dealers i have known for a few years about the crazy pricing... answer seems to be that MOST pins are now in private collections and sourcing has become an issue... this is right across the board from woodrails to DMD's.
Ive just bought a few woodies from US and im paying almost double for them... some sellers are asking prices so high that it would be nigh on impossible to resell if you had to without taking a huge loss.
There is one guy who " restores" pins.. he has been on Hardcore Pawn.. cant get anything from him for less than about $3500 and thats a standard wedgehead price... crazy stuff!

In saying all this though.. ive still picked up a few bargains from different dealers....1959 WMS ROCKET for US$850 is priced very well... another dealer wanted US$2500 for one in lesser condition

[Caveoftreasures]

Gav, well done on the good pick-ups !
I guess the USA doesnt import containers of machines like we do in Australia. Sooner or later we will start paying alot more when the Euro stocks finally dry up. Some people say Euro only has junk left, other people I know who import containers still tell me there is a massive glut of machines in the Eurozone still. 
Could you imagine USA collectors even looking at Euro machines ? 

[Homepin]

the advantage for us is that Euro machines are already set up for 220V - suits me.....

[Marty Machine]

Any reason I wonder for the higher dealer prices of late.??  

Sheer GREED, there is no other answer!!

I find it VERY amusing when pins/parts become rare and hard to source, that anyone with those pins suddenly jacks the prices up "coz they're rare now".....absolute LEECHES, and that's not just limited to pinball communities...
Those guys may as well sell petrol too...

MM.

[Retropin]

USA are a funny lot mate... most wont touch a pin thats been outside US.. many wont sell outside US.
When i started looking a few months back with a view to buy i figured that our high dollar and US economic downturn would see me easily pick up a few very desirable games at good prices... how wrong was i?
Im now getting asked for top dollar for a worn out to the nubbin piece of crap simply because the title EXISTS for sale... fact that the PF artwork is nowhere to be seen had nothing to do with pricing!.. im talking games like MINSTREL MAN.. MYSTIC MARVEL.
I picked up a  stunning VERY RARE prototype game ( only 10 made as Add a Ball).. for the same price i could have had the replay version that had been painted out.. Ok so i lucked out on the proto.. but it came down to the fact that this title is here for sale.. condition was not a valuation point... bloody madness

[Freiherr]

NIB may be the best option in future for private collectors.
A used title would need to be extremely good to fork out more than $3K for a 12+ year old pinnie.

[Caveoftreasures]

NIB may be the best option in future for private collectors.
A used title would need to be extremely good to fork out more than $3K for a 12+ year old pinnie.

I totally agree with you there. Thats why i have never forked out anymore than aprox $4,000 for any 2nd hand machines. Some titles, mostly later Bally titles, are way over-rated and way overpriced. Played alot of those, collected none of them. Just couldnt bring myself to overpay for a supposed A title when u can pick up much better playing games for between two and four thousand dollars max.
I dont mind collecting new Sterns now, cause a new AC/DC or X Men plays better than a Addams Family for example and people want $6500 for one in good nick. Addams is a great game, dont get me wrong, my wife wants one, but at the same price, STERN gets my money first.

In the USA, Addams Familys are much higher again compared to here. Gettin crazy over there.

[Ant68]

Prices are crazy in the US , and it is seem like there's more people buying them from craiglist then flicking them off again within days on the pinball forums , thus driving prices up on the bread and butter pinballs . You have to be there at the right time to sang an good deal .
Some dealer are selling NIB Xmen now for $6000  , can't believe the price drop so quick for a good game .Is it the theme, or could it be Avengers that maybe around the corner ? where ACDC is still fetching a good price .
But $6000 for an LE is pretty good IMO .So its obvious that these dealers are working on lower margins in a competitive NIB market to move stock .
AFM , TAF and MB have gone through the roof ,crazy prices .
Gavin sums it up pretty good there are some good deals out there but you have to look for them .

[Cow Corner]

When you see AFM and MM selling in the states for 12k-16k you have to wonder wtf is going on.
Good pins, sure...worth that sort of coin no friggin way!

[Caveoftreasures]

When you see AFM and MM selling in the states for 12k-16k you have to wonder wtf is going on.
Good pins, sure...worth that sort of coin no friggin way!

At least Aussie prices have stabilised to sensible levels.
I saw a minty AFM sell recently on the Gold Coast for $6,000, fully redecalled with a excellent playfield.
Same seller sold a Medievil Madness for $8,500, also redecalled with excellent playfield. I thought those prices were realistic.
Alot of people are now comparing prices of 2nd hand games to buying a BNIB new STERN for $6600 with shaker n delivery included etc, and are realising that past prices paid for some titles were way high/overpriced. Even late B/W titles are getting on to 16 plus years old etc.
New Sterns like AC/DC and X Men play even better which makes some of these 16 yr old games drop in price generally.
The market ebbs n flows like the surf i guess.