(Topic ID: 8952)

Any info on starting a route/becoming an operator?

By Winball_Pizard

12 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 62 posts
  • 32 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 7 years ago by pinaholic
  • Topic is favorited by 22 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    20141028_132619-707.jpg
    20141028_135343-498.jpg
    20141028_132623.jpg
    20141028_132632-488.jpg
    20141028_134920-164.jpg
    image.jpg

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider vid1900.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    #15 12 years ago

    $50 in a month is realistic in many locations.

    50/50 split with locations that know the biz, new locations will sometimes accept 25/75 because they don't know any better.

    Back in the day, a machine might cost $2000 and a replacement ramp $15.

    If a ramp cracks nowadays (often $125), you might be out 3-5 months earnings (and the ramps are much more brittle now than when they were new).

    A new machine is $6000 and would take 8000 plays (@ 75 cents) to break even. If your game gets 150 plays a month, it will only take 5 years to pay it off.

    In 5 years, you have replaced many parts (bulbs, transistors, plastics, rubbers), have shopped the game, came out to unstick balls, swapped the game with others (2x a year or so you have to freshen up your line up as the till starts to go down), paid for your gas and time, paid insurance, paid city and state vending license, paid Uncle Sam, and paid 50% of your income to the bar owner.

    Still think you can make a profit?

    #22 12 years ago

    Not trying to be negative, but the OP asked if he could make money and I gave my opinion.

    No need for some of you to start crying like babies about it.
    -

    I used to have a good size route, and know how much it costs for insurance, taxes, licenses, parts, fuel, mileage, repairs and time.

    You can run a game without insurance (the bar's insurance does NOT cover you at all), but the first time someone gets hurt by your machine (electric shock, hits their head in a fight, flips it...) you will lose all of your life's savings just defending yourself in court. Don't kid yourself, ask the bar owner how much the INJURY portion of his liability insurance is. Ask your wife if $20 a week "profit" is worth the nest egg.

    You can run a game without a license, but when the city or state confiscates it, you NEVER get it back. You might be allowed to buy it back at auction, but some states forbid it.

    Most of the people here are in their 50s & 60s, so that means they earn $50,000-$70,000 a year (the old "you should earn $1100 per year of age" formula). That means you are worth $25- 40 dollars a hour.

    Finally, being in your 50s, you are probably near the 30% tax bracket, give or take.
    -

    Now if you are just operating a machine as some sort of pinball ambassador, spreading the goodness of the silver ball - more power to you.

    But truly making a real, on paper profit... I don't think so.

    (just my opinion, based on my real life experiences. No need to start crying like I peed on your parade)

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider vid1900.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/any-info-on-starting-a-routebecoming-an-operator?tu=vid1900 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.