"I just put new rings in it".

Get the pin home, find 2 old elastic bands still in place but not visible from the front.

"I don't have a key for the front, but everything's ok inside."

This is the Biggest pet peeve.

Posting photos from the internet, instead of photos of the actual game for sale.

"Never vacuum out that black magic dust, it's what keep's this game running".
"Its in MINT condition..., for being as old as it is"
"These things are easy to work on, and you should have no problem getting it going...I just didn't have the time".

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
269-979-3836

"Selling mint original Gottlieb High Hand, pickup in my garage"

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"It worked when I put it in storage"

"That clicking noise never bothered me"

"A couple of switches might need cleaning. "

"The backglass is really good, no touch up or loss."
I bought a K&Q on this description with no pictures from a guy 20 or so years back who told me that. He dropped it off at my warehouse when I was out seeing someone. When I returned a few minutes after he left, my guys had set it up. I took a look and it was just brutal, horrible, a total lie. I called him on his cell and told him how messed up it was and how he totally BS'd me. He basically told me too bad, tough luck.
I waited a few minutes, called him back, told him no problem, I was going to keep the machine, but reminded him that I had been dealing in coin-op for years, and started rattling off every name in my address book (before Outlook having my contacts) that I was going to call and email about what happened along with his name and contact details. I then suggested he come back before I reached C in my contacts list to pick up his piece of junk.
He came back within an hour or so with cash. I wouldn't even talk with him. I had my guys load up his crappy machine, count the cash and send him on his way. Decades of dealing in coin-op and thank goodness, I can count on one hand the experiences like this.

I like it when they say it's in excellent shape for its age. What does that mean

How can you guys miss the biggest one?

"They only made 3500 of them, RARE find..."

I was trying to negotiate for a Williams Dealer's Choice and was told:

"You aren't going to low ball us, we know this is worth a lot of money."

My most hated phrase of all, and its many permutations, goes like this, "On American Pickers/Pawnstars/Storage Wars/Super Auction TV Reality Extravaganza/Etc., we saw a pinball machine valued at $10,000. You aren't going to trick us into letting this go for anything less than that."

I was trying, yet again, to get a Dealer's Choice. I asked if the seller could knock a little off the already too high price because we'd be traveling hundreds of miles to get the game. He informed me that he wouldn't subsidize anyone's travel and that he would have no problem selling his antique game for whatever price he wanted, with or without us.

I'd bet it's still sitting exactly where it was when you walked.

Price is a funny thing. The value of something is what the buyer and seller agree that it is. So there truly isn't a "too high" price if the game actually sells. Sure it causes us who don't want to pay what we consider overpriced for a game, but you have to consider that P.T. Barnum has been proven correct for ages.

I wouldn't say they are lies technically, just a complete lack of information...and apparently googling and having pinrescue come up is the extent of it.

I have seen ads for machines that look like they have been sitting in a basement for years and the description is a copy from Pinrescue. With the last line saying worth 3500 , I'm only asking 2500.

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I tried to explain to one guy the difference between his machine and the one from Pinrescue ( I'm not putting Pinrescue down I know Russ and have been to his house playing his games, He gets his price) and his response was that's why I'm knocking off 1000 bucks

I've had some success reasoning that out. Emphasizing that there is only ONE place that gets that price and they offer warranty etc.

I asked the guy are you going to deliver and set it up and come fix anything that's wrong with it for a year? He looked at me like I was the nutty one

There was a wood rail pin for sale in Alberta, the guy has had it listed for the past few weeks. The first photo in the ad was taken from Clay's Gottlieb Pinball History. A few of the other pics were of the actual game. It just seems misleading to see an ad, then go see the game in person and it is not the one represented. This is not just an EM lie.

I went a few months back to look at a machine with a friend. The seller was telling us that they were playing it the weekend before, and it just stopped working. After briefly looking at it, I asked him, "How did you play it with no ball in it?" Seriously--no ball.

I am the original owner. My dad got it from his grandpa and it stayed in a dry basement it's whole life.

"Repainted"

Yeah...with latex house paint and contact paper star decals.

it is only a LIE if you believe IT.
i believe nothing until i see it myself

Really!?

A lie is a lie whether anyone believes it or not.

this is a purchase, walk into it with your eyes wide open. most people are selling something they know very little about. their perception of the truth is clouded. so most believe what they are saying so is it a lie?

That makes sense. I don't think most of these types of sellers intend to deceive. On the other hand their knowledge is so limited that their attempts at marketing a game are pretty transparent.

Absolutely agree with you about keeping your eyes open. The truth is solid no matter what is said. Truth or lie implied.

Sometimes the biggest part of talking the price down is pointing truth out to the seller. Sometimes they are sensible and will bend... Sometimes they are solid as a rock and won't budge... That's where I get frustrated

I think was JoeNewberry said earlier is true....most of the facts they are getting are from these shows; "On American Pickers/Pawnstars/Storage Wars/Super Auction TV Reality Extravaganza/Etc., "

So it's not a lie, just media creating greed! They think we'll fix it up and make thousand of dollars, when in all reality I'm happy to make a couple of hundred bucks!

I suppose it's more the lies the seller believes, than the ones they knowingly tell. Ignorance is definitely different than deception.

I had a person say "Elvis" played a local non working "Champ" pinball for sale, so it makes it a really special and worth about $5,000 when fixed up.

Would this be an ultra rare undocumented EPP (Elvis Played Pinball)?

That's hilariously ridiculous

On a side note, o-din owned and played my Tron LE, so it's worthless now

Everyone who owns a Diamond Lil should claim it's the one Elvis is playing in that picture. Same thing if you have a Deluxe Carnival gun game. "Prove it's not the one Elvis is playing!"

joe that hit it right on the head! well said.
but the case can be made for the true lies that are told by those that really know and and choose to deceive. this isn't something done by the run of the mill CL sell but is done by the flippers and carnival barkers that sell used pins.

on ebay:

This is my Williams "Apollo" 1967 Pinball machine,The machine worked the last time i used it, Have not played it for a while and do not know if it still works on not and I don't care as it is being sold as is where is It is being sold as is used for restoration only The back glass is damaged and not on machine now No test runs or time wasters wanting to "play it first before purchase. It is stored in a dry attic and covered It will take 2-3 people to move it out of the attic, The back glass is damaged. The glass is complete and could be repaired or sealed (don't know the procedure) or it can be replaced by a number of places (you send it to them , they scan and reprint the back glass) the costs are in the $200-300 range or less depending on where you take it. This original my be salvageable, Because the back glass in damaged I'm selling for less. The machine is for local pick up no shipping,

At least he not lying.

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"I think they fixed that with a software update"

Heh, my brain slightly mis-processed this series of information and was trying to understand how a software update fixes a broken backglass:

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Reminds me of a story John Hodgman tells about a woman looking to buy laptop with a broken screen from a street vendor. He tells her not to worry about the screen, all it needs is a program.

So he knows about scanning back glass but can't be bothered to try to plug it in.

That's right. He doesn't have time to plug it in. It's just, hurry, hurry, hurry and buy it without thinking about it!

It's for restoration only, too. So you can't buy it and just play it, or buy it and part it out. I guess you have to sign some kind of agreement that you promise to restore it?

It is stored in a dry attic and covered It will take 2-3 people to move it out of the attic.

Not likely to plug it in

coin op warehouse is good for this. they will post a game untested but list another game works great??? they only plug in the working games?

Or how about the EBay sellers who are selling more than one of the same boards on different listings. One will say fully tested works great and another says untested, no way to test.

They only have the one outlet. Once it's filled by one of the good games, they can't test any others until that one sells.

"Williams System 3 PCB, refurbished and works great! With warranty"

"Williams System 3 PCB, untested, no way to test"

I can definitely see that happening.

Isn't that what service outlets are for? Pinball machine conga line!

That would be an interesting mythbusters, how many of a given era of games can you conga together before "something" happens?

And will the voltage drop off quietly, or will something heat up and cause some fireworks?

Inquiring minds want to know...

You'd probably blow the line fuse in the first machine after a few are connected before any fireworks