Not very from my experience. I've run several with no luck. But once I got a tip that one of the machines I was looking for was on Mr. Pinball.

The biggest joke of all is once I found one thru another source and went to cancel my pinside wanted to buy ad and pinside actually requested I pay a fee.

But keep looking. Judge Dredds pop up all the time.

I think it depends on what you are looking for. Uncommon parts (like plastics for a rare or undesirable game) don't seem to have much luck for me so far.

Looking for games it has been for me.

I have also found wanted ads to be helpful. Especially if it's a rarer game.

I found my Getaway (my third DMD pin) through a WTB on RGP; the price was fair, and it was only about 3 miles from my house!

I also found about the nicest Dracula I've ever seen at a reasonable price, but that took quite a bit of waiting, and I was offered several lesser-quality games at inflated prices before a nice one came up.

Other times, my luck hasn't been as great, but I usually haven't been looking as seriously.

As for your Dredd search, I think you're just having unusually bad luck. Nice, solid examples of Dredd are generally had under $3k. My buddy bought one near Detroit under $2500 late last year,and I got mine in the 2s locally about a year ago (from a friend.) I've seen other nice examples come up, almost always in the mid-2s. Hell, I think if you offer $2500-2700 in a wanted ad, that should shake one loose.

He has been, and I've been watching it. Ghost town !

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wanted-judge-dredd-bally-1993-2002

Remember a few years back, you couldn't give these away for more than $1400. I recently traded mine away for a Cyclone. But it's a sweet Cyclone.

I have had very good success with want ads but, you have to expect to be patient. It took me over 5 years to find a few games in my collection. You've just been unlucky. Dredd is a great game and people know it. I'm not really looking to sell mine but I would ask 2400 if I was looking to sell it. I think you will stumble across one soon.

placed a wanted MM ad a few years ago, great success. It worked then.

Wow, true story...

OP, if I may offer some constructive criticism, the way your ad reads makes it sound as if you're probably going to be pickier than I'd hope you would actually be on a $2500 Dredd. I've posted wanted ads without so many specifics of "X should look like Y, Z should be in Q condition" and just said "SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT." I've had some mediocre examples offered up at premium prices, but I've been offered some good stuff at fair prices as well. Stick to asking for what you really need (not looking for a CQ game, within a 3 hour drive of Detroit) and you'll probably get more offers. Better to have offers that you can turn down than no offers at all.

He will need a little more patience for sure. But the only two Dredds in the pinside market are listed for $3700 and $5000 right now, so he may be better off checking e-bay. lol.

They worked for me. Secured a quicksilver through a wanted ad here.

How does a game get destroyed this way? Struck by lightning and caught on fire?

Hey TigerLaw, when did pinside start charging buyers fees? I thought it was only the sellers that had to pay.

I have a Stars, so yes, WTB ads work.

Wtb ads that worked for me in the past

Stargazer
AG USA Football
Time Fantasy
Sopranos

Each one However I paid slightly above going rate but didn't mind.

I agree, tried to buy a few games, they get sold, or seller doesn't want to ship it, even after several conservations.
I've tried posting for a used Back box for early SS bally, nothing?
Tried to sale a part someone was looking for, never good enough, Christ, if it was in pristine condition, I would of use it myself.
Had someone desperate for a sys 11 transformer, I asked same price for what I paid for it, not good enough.
Seems even if you were giving it away, its not good enough...

Placed a WTB add for a fishtales on CL not too long ago. Picked up a NICE one for cheaper than most within a week or two. Had 3-4 different inquiries.

First and only time worked for me. Within a day I had five different offers, and ended up with a really nice HUO TSPP shipped to me from NC. Of course, there are exactly ONE ZILLION of them out there, so I guess your mileage will vary depending on the scarcity of what you're looking for.

Hi,
I was a skeptic myself about "Wanted" ads. And one day a year and a half ago I was really in a buying mode (I had reduced my pins because of a house move, and was really back to wanting to get a few more machines in my collection) and was talking to a Pinside friend of mine, and he encouraged me to place a wanted ad. His general response was "what does it hurt to try" type of thing. I didn't get very many responses, and the responses were slow to come in, but ultimately I bought 3 fantastic games, at fair market prices, all resulting from that ad (and, by the way, I encourage everyone who has a positive outcome on Pinside due to a "wanted" ad or a "for sale" ad to appreciate Pinside with a little donation in thanks for their great forum to help make such things happen!). Again, you just never know, but as my friend said, why not? I think one thing that helped me was stating my willingness to travel quite a distance for the right games (and I was certainly true to my word on that, all 3 of my games were a good drive for me). Also, if you have a "Wanted" ad, it makes it a lot harder to haggle on a price, you have put yourself out there as the needy one, so don't forget that. I get annoyed myself if I ever respond to a Wanted ad and the person ultimately wants something at low wholesale. I don't believe you should waste your time putting yourself out there unless you either give a price point, or you are willing to pay current market value. Best of luck!

Don't know. I will check and report back.

I have had great luck twice with would like to buy ads. The first one was instant and the 2nd took about 60 days.

I've had good luck when looking for specific parts - an old knocker assembly, trough switch, etc. These types of parts are sitting in games the owner is parting out, but they are not listing every single part for sale, and the WTB ad is helpful in discovering them. Games are another story, people generally post an ad for a complete game if they're selling, so you're probably paying above market if a WTB ad works.

I sold a game by looking through them. It was a super easy transaction.

Pretty good success, a want ad can open up a line of communication between a buyer and seller of a game in question. That said I have a pet peeve against generic want ads like "buying your pinball machines - top $ paid" and such. I'm specific when I am looking, and I have no problem with others looking for specific titles. If your want ad is for "buying pinball machines" - well, if it is on CL I will make certain to flag it. We're all looking for pinball machines, and those generic ads reek of money grubbing flipping.

Want ads have worked for me here. I picked up a Bone Busters, an Arena, and a Robo-War because of them. Watch out though, if you mention a price you want to pay the price pumpers come out of the woodwork.

I'm 1 for 1. Placed a wtb on cl. Got a msg from a guy who had what I was looking for. Got there, found out he was downsizing. Ended up getting the game plus 2 others.

I've had some success placing a "pinball machines" wanted ad in the free classifieds papers - Thrifty Nickel, American Classifieds, etc - that you get at supermarkets and convenience stores. Usually, people will call wanting to get rid of EM and early SS machines. But, since most of the people are non-collectors, you can get some very good deals...

I've sold a few games through WTB ads here on Pinside. If the person looking has a good reputation and is willing to pay a fair price, it can be a more hassle free and easy way to sell a game. It also helps when the buyer explicitly states the title, condition and price range in the WTB ad.

Agree there are flippers out there but there are none flippers that run these adds. Pinball machines are few and far between were I live. I have ran these type of adds looking for a pinball machine and have found some by doing so. But mine are defiantly not top $ paid and I'm not finding a BBB or any King Kong's just cool old games that I have mostly brought back from the dead.

I have put up a few want ads, most got no response, but a couple have worked

But,
If you don't ask, the answer is always 'NO'

I also find that it pays to be an active forum member. People holding on to stuff are more happy to deal with members who are not going to be difficult to deal with

50/50. Some work some don't. Worth a shot if it is something you want.

This is 100% correct. You get so many more responses to want ads when you are an active member of the community participating in threads than you do if you lurk and no one knows who you are.

It is easier to do transactions as well as a lot of the worries with pay pal and taking checks and latent defects to games is reduced when you know the person through the forums...increases trust on all sides.

I use the WTB ads. I also scan them when I have a game for sale. Sometimes I get interest or they tell a friend and that gives me a lead.

It's like chumming the water. Sometimes it takes a while.

I got a game I was looking for for 2 years from a random person on the internet responding to my want ad. It wasn't even a Pinsider.

I have purchased 2 pins with wanted listings. My advice is to check those games very close. Out of my entire collection those are the 2 games I question the most if I should have purchased, because of some many problems with them.

That's what happened with my Quicksilver. The guy that had it was not a Pinsider but he saw my wanted ad and made an account and contacted me. It was the only machine he had and it was just left in the house he purchased.

Secured a Maverick at the right price from a fellow pinsider in just two days from a want ad. They do work

I've gotten many good responses from Pinside want ads, and have ended up buying games from those responses. Some have gone without any response what-so-ever, though.

I think a want ad is a great idea...if you're really looking...they aren't hard to find. I would love to own some day.....

O-din, I am not seeing any buyer fee on the market. Please open a moderator feedback thread and include a screen shot of the buyer fee.

Thanks!

Marcus

If you end your wanted to buy ad and say you found what you were looking for (even if not here), a fee request will come up. No need to start a feed back thread.

I've had success from 2 or 3 wanted ads. Expect to pay top dollar or close to it when posting a want ad though. You kind of hand over leverage to the seller.

I'm 1 for 1 with my want ads. Took about a week to get the deal in place.

Single data point: Never put up a WTB, but seeing a WTB led to me sell a game that I wasn't actively looking to sell.

Putting up a wanted ad DOES NOT automatically mean I'll pay top dollar.

Someone else may be looking for a good screw; I am not. I keep my logic ahead of my emotion.

I lay out the terms of what I will and won't settle for when I put my wanted ad in place. Just because you're ready to buy doesn't mean you should expect bruises on your monetary ankles.