Enlighten me, then. Why is $50 an hour akin to slavery, and why does that make it okay to underhandedly change what you charge based off the person's perceived wealth? I would think that if word ever got out that you were doing that, it wouldn't be a good look.

Well, let's just say that pin repair techs tend to be underpaid and under appreciated. anyone who buys a pin at those prices? without even checking current values? I mean, pinside is very visible to even a casual search. Let's make certain the noobs understand techs deserve to be paid a good fee.

I brought this up months ago when people were questioning the use of Captain's Auctions and again after the first weekend where MoP auction is getting 5x market value where PAPA struggled to even sell everything, let alone get multiples of market value.

Screen Shot 2021-09-28 at 11.56.15 AM.png

And again after the auction started
Screen Shot 2021-09-28 at 11.56.39 AM.png...

The marketing of this event as the Museum I do think helped contribute to the message, but I think it was more the 'biggest collection...' kind of thing... no one knew wtf MoP was. So I don't sweat any potential misleading there. The general confusion over what the MoP was vs the private collection is something that transcends the auction.

But this is where I say Replay had a huge missed opportunity because they had a MUCH better potential pitch over desirability/provenance/condition/etc, but they took the path of just advertising to the hobby. The Weeks took an auction and advertising route and it paid off in spades.

Not sure I saw anyone say that here (slavery comment). As to the second half - I agree with you, and yet runaway American capitalism seems to use that as one of many mantras, and sometimes, in reverse - charge the poor guy the highest rate.

Enlighten me: when did I use the word "slavery?"

Very nice try on the "when did you stop beating your wife?" gambit. Please find someone dumber to try to use it on.

I also don't care about "perceived wealth." If you are dumb enough to pay several times market rate on a game that needs work, you can expect to pay a tech fairly to bail you out. Not sure why someone in the pinball hobby would disagree with that.

I was being hyperbolic. Here, I will rephrase the question. Why is $50 an hour so exploitative? The market decides how much a service is worth, and if it's worth more than that then they can raise their rate. If it isn't worth more than that then they will have to deal with $50 an hour.
To your second point, it's not about being in the hobby, I don't think it's right to change your rates left, right and center to try to squeeze as much money out of people as you can. Maybe that's how other techs (pinball or not) do it, but I don't think it's right.

Because it's about half the fair rate.

I have no idea what you do for a living, but cut your earnings in half and then explain to me why that level of pay would be unfair. It's kind of like that.

Then why are they taking the jobs if it's half their rate?

Charge what you want for tech work. Don't hire the tech if you don't want to pay their rate.

I personally find that someone's years of experience is worth something. When I can't do it myself I'm glad to have someone to call who know wtf they're doing. And if you spend $10,000 on a game and then nickel and dime the guy who's going to get it working for you you're just an asshole. No, they're not going to cut their rates for you, ffs.

I cannot fathom why it's even worth discussing further. This user is really only in this thread to stir up shit, that's been abundantly clear for a while now, I'm over the schtick and moving on.

Because they are idiots who underestimate their own self-worth.

Shame on them!

(though to be fair, please send any competent pinball techs who are willing to work for $50 an hour my way, I definitely have a ton of work for them!)

Okay then you can't get mad at the market or the people looking to hire techs for that. When you said

Pinball "techs" are almost universally underpaid and underappreciated.

I took that to mean that you thought the market rate wasn't high enough based on the amount of labor/knowledge needed to provide the service. They should raise their rates if they can then!

Im Grateful as hell if I can find pin help I need beyond my knowledge or abilities for $50 an hour!

Will this auctioneer ever speak publicly? Is he a genius? A master manipulator? Overly lucky? A villain? I can’t tell but this whole thing makes me think of this:

I have a friend who has ONE game. A Sonic Butterfly. And he wants to sell it.

Naturally, he thinks the best way to do it now is "via auction."

To the moon!!!

When did I say anything about having techs cut their rates?

Meanwhile... on Amazon... the Timex Weekender Pacman is only $42.

38mm case, 9mm thick, moving Pacman on the second hand, and Indigo blue maze function.

Forget the high auction prices and have some fun. But don't wait... they sell out.

timex (resized).jpg

All right, people, kindly de-escalate the tech service price chatter and move it to another thread please.

Thanks for the heads-up, just ordered one! This should tide me over until Claytor's pinball watch comes back on the market!

$125/hour unless it's up in Big Sky Ranch.. Then it's $200/hour. There are many burdens that go along with servicing richies in gated communities deep in the mountains.

Imagine the prices if both of Claytor's watches had been in the MOP auction too!!!

I find this escalation in watch chatter troubling!!!

What is happening to our precious auction thread?!?!?

Side note, if anyone here bought either of the two restored Jr Pacman machines, they were both mine and I made Youtube vids on the restorations. So if your curious about the details just pm me and I'll get you a link to the videos.

Getting paid a fair wage for someones technical capabilities and "ridiculously sum" as you so put it are two different things.
I don't disagree that someone should be paid a fair wage, nor do I have an issue paying a fair wage based on someones skillset.

I had a guy come over to the house to quote me on building a Palapa in my back yard.
Guy shows up in a 75k car wearing flip flops and rocking at 25k rose gold rolex. He quotes me 35k after sizing me up because I live in a 1m+ house.
I told him thanks, now get off my property.
Same experience with a jackass plumerias that quoted me $2500 to fix a leaky t-joint, where I had already cut away the drywall and showed him where the leak was.
The guy tried to get me to redo the entire plumbing in my house because "its old" built in 1982 with all copper pipe.
I believe I told that one to "get the fuck of my property".
My normal plumber fixed it for $125.
It's no different.
If you want to size up people based on where they live, how they dress, what you perceive their wealth is, you're an asshole that's needs to come up with a more sustainable business model.

The knowledge to fix a pinball machine. Tools and common parts on hand. A vehicle to get you there and back.

Expect more than $50 an hour if you want quality work.

LTG : )

Back in the day on RGP there was a landscaper who when he bought a new machine, would pad it into the next bid for work he did. And bragged about it to who ever he bought the machine from.

Always good to do a little checking when hiring something done.

I have no problem for a fair price for good work. F'ing people is never right.

LTG : )

Had a satellite tv repairs job that will likely entail replacing some (external) parts. Called what is supposed to be the best outfit for this in town. Was told, "We don't do estimates." and "Best we can say is less than $10,000." (Not sure whether that was meant as a joke.) I don't recall EVER not being able to obtain an estimate -- from any service provider, for ANY sort of work. Understanding that under real-world circumstances, it might not be etched in stone. What would you reply in this situation ? (Well, if printable and civil, that is.)

I have vendors here that won't come to do estimates - they will come and do a service visit for a minimal fee, and allow you to roll that into their bill if you pay for the repairs. They basically are just cutting down on the free trips and opinions... I refused to use that company too

In a previous life, I used to do professional wrenching on powersports for a living. I would always get people calling in saying "I was riding it, and it quit running, how much is it going to be to fix it". After many of of these calls, I my answer became "between $100 (our diagnostic fee), and $8k (a new motor cost)". Nothing worse then giving an (rough) estimate over the phone and the real problem is not a plugged fuel filter, but a piston exiting the block. The customer will do everything to hold you to the fuel filter estimate price.

Yet somehow the dentist can tell me precisely what a complex procedure will cost . . . .

I understand the basis for your example, but suspect that the sat repair example is much more pinpointable, as in "shouldn't take much more than 5 hours work at worst." (Probably over-estimating that guess here.)

Sorry Bob, if you truly love a thread you must set it free.

This is a tech fee thread now!!!!

And it’s an important discussion. People need to be ready when these auctions patsies start desperately calling us up to get their auction mistake disasters running for them.

And I think we’ll be ready. The answer is anywhere from $100 (our diagnostic fee) to $8k (the cost of a new pinball machine).

?

NOT everyone paid 18% plus tax. I bought an extremely rare game and paid +15%. Plus $30 for a wire transfer. I can’t wait for Bob Cunningham to deliver. I’ve only EVER seen 1 other for sale. I’m not a newbie, been collecting for close to 35 years. I love my collection & can’t wait to add this one.

I think Bob said he is delivering 141 games, NOT going overseas. Yes, some went for crazy money but please don’t paint us all with the same brush.

Wow, Eric those pictures really hit home, seeing the dismantling makes it pretty real (or surreal) RIP MOP

It also got me thinking about something I mused before. What are some games that we never saw at the Museum ? A few titles that I've longed for at MOP (and haven't seen anywhere else in a long long time) come to mind. These were production games not just one-off or prototypes.

Oh what I wouldn't give to get a few of you guys together for a rousing round of TECMO BOWL!!! Goofy as hell, but loads of fun.
How about a personal favorite Ramtek Clean Sweep,
Midway "Wheels" or Wheels II
Sega Gain Ground, or Crackdown,
Atari Touch Me,
Midway's Amazing Maze,
Atari Jaws
Maybe some were there and I just didn't see them , what can you add to that list?

The difference is that I wasn’t selling something.
And yes, I completely judged him by that.

Sprint 8 or indy 800
Omega Race cockpit
Atari Baseball just like the roller ball football
Atari 4 player Demolition Derby
Woodrails!
Drag Race
Boot Hill, the first game I ever played at Noah's.

What's a palapa?

A Hipster tropical themed Gazebo.

Tahitian style cabana.
Something like this.

CEB6C65F-7794-4979-B766-CD9E15B112A3 (resized).jpeg

No wonder he was charging you so much - you think palapas are Tahitian.

WELCOME TO THE WATCHES THREAD!!!!

I asked because I'm a carpenter. I've built many pergolas and gazebos, but I've never been asked to build a palapa.
But maybe we don't have those in Canada eh!?

Popular in the Tiki culture etc.
I just wanted a small one by the pool for a bar area.

Have you ever built a SOLARIUM?

Glad we agree. But spare us the stories of how tough you were to corrupt contractors. Sounds like you have some bad contractors, makes me wonder why you didn't call your normal plumber in the first place, and not waste anyone's time.

Because the pipe started leaking at 12:30 at night and that was the nearest 24 hour plumber.
Cheers

Is there a site that has price estimates for video games? When I process all the auction data, I thought I might join it with some price estimates and display a % overpaid estimate. I thought KLOV used to have that, but I don't see it anymore. Anywhere else? I don't follow arcade games much. I'll just use the pinside estimates for pinballs.

ELO out of the blue.... well it more like this

elo (resized).jpg