If you get them for less than $50 a piece, grab them. Otherwise walk away.

Most blatant troll thread I've read on pinside followed by the best anti-troll gif ever. I was laughing out loud to myself just reading this thread and then I get to this gif and lost it.

Jokerinthedark... how cleaver of a name. Watch me accomplish nothing of value with the stroke of my keyboard. Politics, Religion, Pin Flipping... the humanity... the horror NOOOOooooO!

Time is money and money is time, the question is which of the two do you want to spend to get a reasonable return. Unless the seller is a complete sucker or you have otherworldly luck you will not be picking up a machine that can be immediately flipped for profit for under $100. I recently picked up an EM in good physical/electrical condition that needed a lot of cleaning and replacement parts (Bulbs, skirts, rubber and replacement ball) for $300 (Which was a median price based on condition) and I invested a good 8 hours and about $40 in parts to bring the machine to a good playable state. If I were to charge a customer for the work I did it would have been at minimum $500 in billable time for a machine that would fetch no more than $500 at best on the sellers market without a full shop job so selling based on invested time is impossible just ask any person on this forum. To keep your credibility to your buyers be prepared to invest one or the other, if your choice is paying to have the work done right you will loose money unless you are incredibly lucky. My recommendation is to pick up one of the machines for yourself, learn how it works, how to fix it and get some enjoyment out of it then you will better understand how to proceed if you choose to move forward. Best of luck in your venture!

I thought we were all in agreement, there is no young entrepreneur. There is only a Jokerinthedark.

I figured I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and just give some straight facts, maybe somebody will benefit from it. It's been a fun thread to follow regardless.

And......20,000 pkp by next Christmas, I just hit 10,000. Thanks Jokerinthedark.

tough crowd

As someone new to the world of pinballs, you'll undergo a bit of a learning curve. Its doubtful you'll actually be able to analyze correctly the condition of older electromechanical pins and determine there value. Most, but certainly not all, EM machines in good operating condition are only going to bring a resale value of $300 - $500.

Here is a quick lesson. If the backglasses are broken, cracked, have lots of paint flaking or are completely missing, the machine is basically for parts only. Backglasses are rarely available, and if they are, its cost can easily exceed the price of the machine.

A non working EM pinball machine rarely is going to sell for over $200. EM pinballs that have been sitting for a few years almost certainly will not be fully operational. The extent of what it will take to get it fully operational is almost always a question mark.

Condition is of course everything. If the pins have been stored in a shed with a leaky roof, and they all show signs of water damage, they probably are worthless. If mice have taken up residence within the machine, know that mice urine is like an acid, and will destroy metal. Mice also tend to chew up wires, and of course, the smell of mouse poop is not something anyone wants inside there home.

I would recommend buying one of the pins, and getting it operational. Investment is low, and you'll see whats involved in getting it up & running. You might enjoy it. You might loathe it.

Hey, I think J-in-the-D is gettin' a lot of karma points out of this thread. Nice start on Pinside, amigo!

Since the OP hasn't posted since Friday, I suggest:

Abandon-thread1[1].gif

Yeah, I think if it was legit he'd be back by now...

Huh... I was thinkin' he was probably too busy to post, as he was cruisin' The Strip in the new Benz-o he bought with all his profits...

I believe that is total karma point spread out for each member that posted, not for the OP of the thread, correct?

No wonder my karma blows!