My distributor is consistently quoting higher pricing on new sterns than other sources I've heard about,I'm on the west coast and actively seeking a better company to deal with.I'm not going to mention names or spew any venom just ready to look elsewhere and hoping to at least be in the ballpark on the pricing I see discussed on new sterns when I'm ready to buy.Any recommendations or suggestions would be appreciated.
JJ at Gex or Gio at Pinball Refinery are my two go to guys. I kind of go back and forth between them with my ordering. Both are great.
Quoted from Dr-Willy:Out of curiosity what prices is your distributor telling you?
Can't really say that here,
Quoted from golfingdad1:Can't really say that here,
Just to discuss this briefly, as it came up yesterday in a F/S thread that closed shortly after the statement was made so we could not address it:
Pinside has no policy on posting prices here. It is entirely a matter between Stern and their distributors about prices being posted. While we reserve the right to edit out a price from a post we certainly do not have a rule in place that mandates we do so.
I say this because my distributor has told me , since stern has set minimum sale prices distributors are at risk of losing there contract for 6 months to 1 year .
So this is out of respect to the distributor , not pinside .
For a nib Stern,here in north calif. i found Eric,at Gameroomguys! They are a Platinum Stern dealer.While Cointaker gets most of my money anyway,they are not! I have a Stern tech in Sac.who does all Stern Guarantee work! Same price as everybody else,delivered to your door! Example,nib GB/pre with shaker motor installed,delivered to me,7200.IMHO
Ask for a cash discount. You would be surprised what deals can had once you bust out a wad of 100s.
More paper trail with other payment methods that could get a distributor in trouble.
Quoted from hawkmoon:For a nib Stern,here in north calif. i found Eric,at Gameroomguys! They are a Platinum Stern dealer.While Cointaker gets most of my money anyway,they are not! I have a Stern tech in Sac.who does all Stern Guarantee work! Same price as everybody else,delivered to your door! Example,nib GB/pre with shaker motor installed,delivered to me,7200.IMHO
Not quite the same price as everybody else. You overpaid by quite a bit......
Quoted from golfingdad1:So this is out of respect to the distributor , not pinside . ?
Yes, that is 100% correct.
Quoted from ercvacation:Speaking as a CPA, lack of a paper trail is a bad thing.
Yes, the dreaded over stated inventory issue on behalf of a retailer. I've seen it ruin two entity sales in the past dozen or so years...as it is a problem that cannot be remedied once it develops and makes your business impossible to sell.
Quoted from Brian541:My distributor is consistently quoting higher pricing on new sterns than other sources I've heard about,I'm on the west coast and actively seeking a better company to deal with.I'm not going to mention names or spew any venom just ready to look elsewhere and hoping to at least be in the ballpark on the pricing I see discussed on new sterns when I'm ready to buy.Any recommendations or suggestions would be appreciated.
Keep looking for a distributor. Patience is key.
As stated earlier in the thread, you will likely get blank stares if you ask for prices in a thread like this. Easiest way for you as a first timer is to call a few different distributors on the West coast.
The cheaper the price you find, the more likely that you have found a distributor that deals with a larger volume of sales and hence, has a more reputable history and positive customer experience.
If you don't have to pay shipping, it's cheaper.
And for what it's worth, the more games a dist. sells for Stern, the higher they are on the priority list of who receives shipments of games for the NEXT title. It's just common business sense.
Quoted from golfingdad1:you probably had to pay sales tax, yes ?
If you live in Ca., no matter where you buy it from, you pay sales tax or use tax. It's the law.
Quoted from o-din:If you live in Ca., no matter where you buy it from, you pay sales tax or use tax. It's the law.
OH, That sucks.
Quoted from hawkmoon:OK AZTARAC,having said by how much?? Lets get some numbers going here!!
Call JJ at game exchange, Trent at tilt, and Melissa at cointaker and see for yourself.
Quoted from golfingdad1:OH, That sucks.
Yes it does! Especially when they come knocking at your door to collect the use tax. It's happened to a few pinsiders already.
Quoted from hawkmoon:OK AZTARAC,having said by how much?? Lets get some numbers going here!!
Lets put it this way. If you are paying over $5K for a NIB pro, you should probably keep shopping.
You should also keep in mind that prices change based on how many games are available from Stern and the dist's as well. There is nothing written in stone. If a distributor only has one title left and two people are wanting it, the price may jump up. 
I've had really great service from Jason at Classicgamerooms.com
GB will be my 5th NIB from him. I ask for a price off Ebay of course.
Quoted from o-din:Yes it does! Especially when they come knocking at you door to collect the use tax. It's happened to a few pinsiders already.
California has the resources for that, wow!
Quoted from golfingdad1:California has the resources for that, wow!
Apparently the shippers reported delivering these games from out of state.
Quoted from golfingdad1:Can't really say that here,
It's not against the rules to say what prices he was quoted. It is extremely frowned upon to say name the distributor and the price they quoted, he said he wasn't going to name the distributor which is good, but he can say the price. None of us will know who it is.
As Most of you know now.. Stern has created a Minimum Sales price. This means all Dealers of Stern Pinball cannot sell below a Minimum Price. This includes not being allowed to include anything in the price but free shipping.. No Shakers. Gift cards, Terminal Discounts Ect.
We would hope you would take into consideration what your dealer provides. Which in our mind includes Full Time Parts, Tech and Service Support, involvement in local tournaments and shows ect.
Thanks,
JJ
With Sterns new pricing policy you will probably find that if you call (not just look at the website but call) most of the distributors mentioned this thread you will be quoted the same price. That said I've had great luck with JJ, it is very easy to get him on the phone, he responds very quickly to emails, and on a couple of occasions he has been able to get me replacement parts provided very quickly under warranty at no additional cost to me.
Quoted from Gexchange:We would hope you would take into consideration what your dealer provides ...
involvement in local torments
I've heard some dealers are difficult to deal with, but didn't expect any would be bragging about it!
I always order from Trent at Tilt...he's been great to me, and I'm a loyal customer.
A lot of my friends order from JJ at Game Exchange, and I've heard nothing but good things.
I think Chris and Melissa at Cointaker are great people, and I've bought a lot of LEDs from them over the years.
Quoted from hawkmoon:OK AZTARAC,having said by how much?? Lets get some numbers going here!!
As others have noted, call around. Personally, I use GEx, but it's not my place to list their prices......
Troy North @ Top Score Gamerooms in Festus,Mo just south of St. Louis gave me a very good price on my Met Pro Led.
Quoted from HighVoltage:I've heard some dealers are difficult to deal with, but didn't expect any would be bragging about it!
Opps Thanks!
Quoted from Rarehero:I always order from Trent at Tilt...he's been great to me, and I'm a loyal customer.
Weren't you one of the guys that got hit for Ca. use tax?
Also want to say if you have a local dealer that takes care of his customers and give you good pricing Go to him first! He's the guy you want to keep around the most! He can help sponsor local shows, Launch parties, Stock parts, and (some) have a showroom where you can come check out games. I do Understand sales tax can be hard, but to offset this for local Colorado guys, I offer free white glove delivery within the Denver Metro area to pinside guys. We deliver, Take down to the Basement, Setup and haul away the trash.
JJ
Quoted from o-din:Apparently the shippers reported delivering these games from out of state.
Wow! Since when did the shipping company become obligated to do that (as I am certain that was not voluntary)?
Quoted from TigerLaw:Wow! Since when did the shipping company become obligated to do that (as I am certain that was not voluntary)?
Not sure. But RobT and Rare both mentioned they came to collect and it was the shippers that reported them. Even if they didn't, when you fill out your 540 Ca tax form, you are supposed to report and pay use tax. If an individual purchase from out of state is over $1000, that's when they hit you the hardest.
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