(Topic ID: 224840)

About price or value of a PROJECT Laser War

By too-many-pins

5 years ago


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#1 5 years ago

We have a cosmetically nice Laser War we are thinking about selling but I am having a hard time pinning down a price point on this one. Both the cabinet & playfield are in very nice overall condition boards look decent overall with maybe a couple minor issues but they are untested. The issue with this machine is someone used it as a donor at some point. ALL coils & coil stops are gone, the apron is gone and backglass (translite) was also missing. I found a nice translite and am including that with the machine but it still needs the glass & lift channel.

We didn't want to plug it in to test boards because of all coils being removed so they are untested. It is also missing player 3 display. At this point that is about all I know about this machine.

I am thinking something in the $850 range as it sits? In some ways I feel like it is worth more than that since the boards & displays alone are worth 1/2 of that and cosmetic condition is so nice. On the other hand I value it at around $1600 as a finished machine so I don't know if $850 is too high or too low as far as asking price as it sits. I am "toying" with the idea of just fixing it up and selling it finished but I figured I would ask and see what other Pinsiders would consider a "fair price" as it sits. Also what is market value right now for one in similar condition complete & fully working?

THANKS!

#2 5 years ago

I wouldn't hesitate to throw $500-$600 at it just because I have a nearly complete playfield and a set of displays that have been waiting for a donor game to come along.

#3 5 years ago

I am into it for close to $750 not including the cost of the translite & fuel to pick it up so $850 is likely a slight loss for me (at a guess I think I am into it for around $865 to $875 as it sits). This is one of the last machines from my warehouse deal almost two years ago and with what I had to pay for those machines there just wasn't much "wiggle room" when it comes to pricing (or great deals).

Laser War is a great playing machine and I have been offered CRAZY money for the one in our collection so I know I'll have no trouble getting it sold if I put it together especially since it is actually nicer than the one in our collection. My issue right now is lack of time to work on machines so I am just trying to decide what gets sold as-is and what I need to fix up when I have time. I have turned down $750 a couple times because I don't need to sell it that bad but I hate to see it just sitting until I have time for it.

#4 5 years ago

I think no way on the $850 as is and you are better off getting it 100% to sell.
Good luck either way.
-Mike

#5 5 years ago

Should have taken the 750. 500 as it sits. Imho. Gottta find someone with too much time on their hands that likes painstaking work. And people like that are few these days. I could very well be wrong tho....

#6 5 years ago
Quoted from Phat_Jay:

Should have taken the 750. 500 as it sits. Imho. Gottta find someone with too much time on their hands that likes painstaking work. And people like that are few these days. I could very well be wrong tho....

What is tough is when you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a warehouse deal just to break even on it. I knew going into the deal there wasn't going to be a ton of profit but I don't want the deal to cost me money on top of the time I wasted moving nearly 80 machines over 450 miles. Now that the majority of the stuff is either in the collection or sold I need to figure out what to do with the 3 or 4 remaining machines to get out from under things without the deal costing me money.

What is a shame with this Laser War is overall it is exceptional and I don't think I will take a full day to make it a very nice machine again. 8 or 9 coils & coil stops, a couple screws in an apron, and a piece of glass cut for the backglass is really about all I see that it needs.

Between the fact that I have been offered over $1600 for the one in my collection (more than once), the average selling price listed on Pinside at $1400, the fact they only made about 2500 of them and lots of people are always looking for them, and the great overall condition of the playfield & cabinet I think when finished it will be a solid $1600 machine. So I really can't see selling it "cheap" just to get it gone. Yet every time I look at it I am sad to see such a great playing title just sitting in the garage with some of my other project machines.

I keep thinking I'll likely have to be the one to fix it up but I figured I would put this post up just to see what other Pinsiders had to say about a "logical" price point. I'll most likely just move it to the basement and add it to my stash of winter projects!

#7 5 years ago

Understand and agree completely. Hopefully someone who can give it the love it deserves steps up. I was just speaking to the mass market, if you wanted it gone.

#8 5 years ago

Friend of mine had a nice one for sale for a long while for $500 and ended up giving it away for free! Lets call the prices quoted “optimistic”.

#9 5 years ago
Quoted from snyper2099:

Friend of mine had a nice one for sale for a long while for $500 and ended up giving it away for free! Lets call the prices quoted “optimistic”.

I have zero concern as far as selling it once it is finished - I actually have at least two or three guys interested already. But with close to 30 project machines sitting and limited time to get to them I am just trying to decide what should be moved to the basement & what I should sell as they sit. I just sold 5 project machines to a guy I have done business with in the past this afternoon and have sold 3 others in the past week so I never worry about my prices because I rarely have machines for sale for more than a week or two. The ones I am having a hard time with are just the handful of machines I still have for sale from that warehouse deal because I am into those a little to deep.

Without a long story getting longer I knew the numbers were going to be tough when I made the deal but I messed up on 4 or 5 machines. (Not realizing they were "major projects with parts missing" - one example is a Doctor Who with the entire Time Expander missing an $800 mistake all by itself! This Laser War is no where near that big of a mistake I just need to work my way around it.) Those 4 or 5 machines upped my average cost on several others by a couple hundred dollars each when trying to average the numbers to make the math work. Now I am just trying to figure my best path with these few remaining machines.

Anyway - thanks to everyone for their input!

#10 5 years ago

Historical reference:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/post-project-pins-for-sale-here-cl-ebay-pinside-and-others?tq=laser+war&tu=

Use these prices as a guideline but prices have gone up so take that into account.

Deduct $15 for each missing solenoid and stop. Deduct $50 for an apron. Deduct $25 for the backbox glass. That would be a good estimate for the value 'as is.' Since you have so much into it, you might want to get it working before selling.

I have an The Amazing Spider-Man that I am into way over it's value. It just sits at the bottom of the restoration queue. I don't know what to dueue with it!

#11 5 years ago

Just for the heck of it I wanted to see where Laser War ranked in IPDB top 300 machines and it is in the top 100. Then I looked though and realized of those top 100 there are only about 10 machines that can be bought of under $2000 these days. So as many people have said in their reviews (it is underrated machine that is often overlooked). It is actually one of about ten machines we have decided will never leave our collection and is one of the most played machines in our collection when guest come over. It is getting played while machines like Addams Family, Getaway, Champion Pub, etc sit without anyone playing them?

It is rated #162 on Pinside which is likely more realistic as far as ratings go when you include all the new releases but still in the top half of all machines rated. I know we will always have one but I just need to figure out how best to deal with this one and more & more I think fixing it is going to be my best solution.

#12 5 years ago

Can you post pictures? I might be interested.

#13 5 years ago
Quoted from lordloss:

Can you post pictures? I might be interested.

Right now it is folded up in the garage and I don't have the space to dig it out. Next week I am suppose to have another two project machines being picked up and at that point I might have room to get to it. Where are you located? I have ZERO interest in dealing with shipping.

#14 5 years ago
Quoted from too-many-pins:

Right now it is folded up in the garage and I don't have the space to dig it out. Next week I am suppose to have another two project machines being picked up and at that point I might have room to get to it. Where are you located? I have ZERO interest in dealing with shipping.

Shipping would be dropping it off and strapping to a pallet at fastenal.

#15 5 years ago

Not sure if it helps but I sold mine in players condition but working 100% for $1k recently. This is a really tough game to move, I just didn't see any demand for it at least around my area.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/archive/66755

#16 5 years ago

Why don't you just list a price, and if it doesn't sell, reduce it?

Easy and frees up your time.

#17 5 years ago

I sold a complete, very nice condition (nicest condition I had ever seen) Laser War that wasn't fully working for $750 and that included an NOS ramp. This was within the last couple of years.

#18 5 years ago
Quoted from LesManley:

I sold a complete, very nice condition (nicest condition I had ever seen) Laser War that wasn't fully working for $750 and that included an NOS ramp. This was within the last couple of years.

Killing me here john.

#19 5 years ago

I had no idea you were looking for one. It took awhile to sell at that price too. I also had Cliffy make new ramp flaps for it, I sent him my original as a template, plus I had NOS spinner decals. It was a really nice machine, but I didn't have room for it anymore.

#20 5 years ago
Quoted from LesManley:

I had no idea you were looking for one. It took awhile to sell at that price too. I also had Cliffy make new ramp flaps for it, I sent him my original as a template, plus I had NOS spinner decals. It was a really nice machine, but I didn't have room for it anymore.

Its all good, im not too vocal about what machines im looking for. Going for most of the data east machines eventually.

#21 5 years ago

Just back from a weekend of working on my son's house in NJ. After talking with my son some more I think we will likely just go ahead and fix it. Then play it side by side with the one in our collection and keep the one we like best. Cosmetically this project machine is nicer than ours but I never keep a machine over the one in the collection before I play them side by side since every machine seems to play a little different.

Thanks for all the input!

1 month later
#22 5 years ago

I have made complete set of cabinet decals and can print them se my Picture

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