My entire collection is part of my "emergency fund" and I would let them all go if I had to. My wife is also under instruction to sell them if something happens to me.

If I was facing some sort of "grim" situation, then the hobby goes. Until a later date when things are better for me and I can work on the hobby again.

Yes, did that last year to pay for an unexpected hospital bill. I've picked up 4 machines since then, most of them ridiculous deals, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford them.

I have never had to sell off because I "had to" financially. I did have to sell a bunch of pins when I first got in the hobby because of a space issue.

Also, I think people may naturally read this thread, look at your current collection and shoot you a PM. So if you are thinking about selling be ready for that perhaps.

Remember there will always be pins available. If you have to sell them all you will be able to get another or more later.

Hope everything works out for you.

I sold all my games to help with college. Three kids in college right now is expensive !

Go make some Kiss protectors

I am looking at having to do the exact same thing as the OP. I sure as shit don't want to, but in the end they are expensive toys.

for me many games come and go. when I left my job last year, I sold 25 k in arcade games. I did not have another job and did not want to tap into my savings. well I got another job 4 weeks later, one door closes another opens. glad I sold off all those games as it was becoming overwhelming and heading into hoarding territory.

I built my collection back up again with many better games and pins. this past weekend I was cleaning my storage and sold off 3000 worth of stuff just sitting around doing nothing.

sell what you have to, then buy some stuff back when you can! its not a big deal, don't revolve your life around the hobby as many other things should come first. good luck!

It's tough, but once the first one goes, you go into liquidation mode. It'll feel good to know that you're doing it for a good reason.

I did once. I had 12 pins in a home in a smaller community 12 years ago. All A games. I got a promotion and moved to Toronto. I purchased a house 2/3 the size of my prior home, and had to get a mortgage, whereas my prior home was paid off. I sold my pins with some regret, but looking back on it, it worked out. That allowed me to put the money into an investment that really paid off, so any money I would have made on the appreciation of the pins over that period of time, was a wash. It all worked out.

My new home can accommodate about 5 pins comfortably. I have two now, with one more coming soon. The hobby is more manageable now. I usually find that when one door closes, another door opens. It all works out somehow. Trials make you stronger, and build character if you let it. Good luck on whatever happens. The three priorities are : Roof over your head, food on the table, healthy family. It sounds like you are taking care of the roof over your head. You've got your priorities right. Good luck.

Same. I keep savings on hand for emergencies, but if I had to I see my pins as the quickest way to get back a large amount of money, probably the same or more than I bought it for. Can't say that when you buy a 70" TV or expensive laptop.

Can't imagine selling a few of them short of a truly dire situation though. I can replace a TZ or WCS, but I can't replace the months and months of my life that went into some of these games.

I don't. I tend to buy to keep and only sell every 3-4 years, if that. It sucks because I know if I do sell, I will NEVER find them again at the prices I paid. (If I find them at all. Some are hard to come by now.)

I recommend approaching local collectors who will agree to sell the game back to you when they want to get rid of it for the same purchase price. That's what we typically do in my circle. It helps when you regret selling a machine and then you at least get first right of refusal if they want to put the machine on the market.

Ouch, 3 at the same time, that will not be an inexpensive endeavor. A TFTC Mantis protector would be an awesome new product for you to help defray the cost of higher education.

Good luck.

Gord

I've never had to sell anything, but I would in a heart beat if it became a necessity. Sounds like you have your priorities straight.

I would never regret selling one of my toys because my family needed the money. The games, instruments, tools, whatever, will go before my family struggles. That being said, I have family items that were passed down and will never leave, period.

Have only owned five and have only sold one. I would dread the day if I ever had to relinquish the whole lot

+1

I had to sell off many of my newer/collectable DMDs awhile back. Sucked. I'll never be able to get em all back either. Sucks.

Yep, this is the same here......its actually a pretty safe and "liquid" item despite their size.....not an investment but there if you need it.

You still have 17 machines. Doesn't suck.

Yep sold off a nice collection because I had to.

Yeah I don't factor it giving me 100% back on the dollar, or a rise in value, but that with little effort each one could be liquidated for a mortgage payment or whatever else was needed.

For my own net worth calculations I value the games at "sell it now" pricing, not top dollar or what I would try selling them for in reality, but if there was an emergency what would I price them to go out the door asap.

I had to do this 2x. First is when I went through my divorce. Only kept 1 pin and that was my LOTR. We had been through a lot. Recently I had to sell all my pins to fund a side biz. Thought it would not hurt, but selling my LOTR still hurts today. Need to get that back someday but it wont be the same. ME and LOTR have been through a lot. So what im getting at is if one of your pins is like a friend to you and have been with you in some dark times and it kept your head up, Don't sell that one, just sell the rest.

Its only stuff. I certainly agree with the idea of liquidating toys to pay for necessities. Perhaps you might even find a sympathetic buyer that would sell them back to you when your situation changed. My guess is that, once gone, you would be inclined to try something new when your disposable income returned.

Most of which don't work because I had to rob parts off of mine to fix ones I had to sell. Sucks.

But hopefully soon I can start work on mine again and get the game room back up to snuff!

Sell the pins - fix the house and after "dust settles" buy some pins again.

Unless you have something you really love or is super rare there are always going to be pins for sale. So what if you pay 20% more than you sold them for to get them back in two years it is still cheaper than a loan and odds are you will be able to replace them with something you like as well or better anyway.

Pins are always coming & going here. I never fall in love with any of them!

Pins are just toys. Family responsibilities should always come first. Sucks, but that's reality for good people. Hope it works out for you.

Yes, 3 times I have had to sell them all. I call them my savings account that I can play & share with friends & family.
Whenever my business needed additional capital to grow.... goodbye pins! Now because of selling those pins & growing my business, I have more "pin funds". It's fun when a plan works out!