Gavs post was spot on.

2008 was high for new pins but che apish for imported USA models.

Then around the mid 2008 mark, mass euro container imports started.
At first the prices were high but the machines weren't from the USA home collector market so people wanted discounts on euro imports. Then prices soon dropped and any title u wanted was easily available. If u knew the container importer, you were set. You could get bargains over n over again if u were buying volume.
I had never seen Twilight Zones and Addams Families lined up a dozen each at the time.
All the high end Bally games were prolific. It was a smorgasbord for people with cash wanting to create big collections.

A lot of people were buying games, cleaning them up and putting them on ebay and making a very healthy profit.
Some guys did this over and over again and ended up with collections paid for.
The container mass importing times that started in 2008 was a magical time.

I personally got to see a good 25 containers worth of excellent pins unloaded and sold like hotcakes.

It's probably something that will never happen again in Australia to that size of importing all at once.
At the time it was a pin lovers dream.
Kid in a candy shop type stuff.

The prices for a new BNIB Stern Pro at just under 8 grand to me now is fine.
The price people are asking for 90,s DMD titles is way expensive.
But as Gavin rightly pointed out, people know replacement cost is going to be very high so they are only selling if they get their ideal money.

Never has the demand for pinballs been so high for pinballs in Australia than what it is right now.
Not as big as the 70,s but very high all the same. Long live pinball.