Full Throttle. No problem with my game. I really enjoyed it. It just wasn’t popular. I paid full retail and sold it at a substantial loss when I was ready for something new.

Traded out a Tron LE so that I could preorder a Transformers LE. This was when Tron LE was a $6k game.... Ended up selling the Transformers a year later for 4800.

I would say Guardians of the Galaxy Premium. I saw it upon its reveal and had to have it. I still really enjoy the game, but given I rarely have time to play it, I could have just waited and gotten it cheaper. The funds would also have come in handy on my other pinball purchases and now I can't even trade or sell the game to help offset the cost of my next pin, though, again, I want GOTG in my collection, so I guess it's not so bad.

LEP (low end pin) men need not worry about such things. I think my average purchase price has been like $140 or so.
Including my $100 Seawitch

Almost every NIB pin purchase ends in a financial loss. Like a car, as soon as you drive it off the lot it depreciates a couple grand. No one can possibly know if a pin "example Tron" will become the new GOAT or not. Either be OK knowing full and well you're losing money or just buy an older pin and your loss will be minimal if any.

Never made a bad one. Worst I’ve ever done is lose a couple hundred bucks on something I just needed to clear out.

If you want to buy brand new expensive games, expect to lose
A few bucks. If you can’t bear that reality, only buy old games.

I’ve probably lost far more on concert tickets over the years. Far less rational on those than pinball buys.

Back to the Future. This was a game that we really wanted, and found one local. The price was fairly high but we thought it was worth it. The seller disclosed some issues, but misrepresented others and left some out altogether. After over a year of troubleshooting and more than $1K in parts it still wasn't working 100% when I sold it out of frustration at a significant loss.

Every Rob Zombie owner just about. All those LE's decked out with extras and seeing them try and sell it for $$$ is amusing.

One should almost expect to lose something, perhaps 10% or more, when buying new in this hobby. The new pins that turn into 'grails' are so few and even more difficult to recognize before hand. Hard to be amused at anyone losing too much money though...

Unfortunately my big losses have come from getting excited and buying pins that haven't been produced when making initial purchase. Ugh!

XMLE nib was iirc $6600 sold for $4800.

Paid $1400.00 for a Paragon, pf wear, but decent cab and BG.
It then needed an Alltek ($200), sound board ($100), bought all new LED displays ($250), and then add in new glass, LED and rubber, and quite some time polishing it up and getting it together.
I've got one expensive Paragon!
oh yeah, new drops and bumper caps...

Predator. PrePaid in full.

Alien. But only lost a small fraction of down payment.

I was all about trying to support the new guy in town but now that trust is destroyed. Make the product THEN I’ll buy.

I've mostly only bought older, used, re-import (directly), kinds of games. Fix them up, play or sell. Since I'm a bit anal, I spend a lot on parts... backbox missing a latch? Let's put it on, even if it isn't totally needed. Coin mechs lira? Let's change them.. info cards, flipper buttons, etc. So, a bit more costly then just making them work and leaves the "profit" a bit but I am not ever really planning to buy and sell right away, flipping them (heh), but usually just to keep them and play, all the while making the game better and more profitable once I do want to sell. I probably, usually, come close to breaking even or making a small amount which then just goes to another game. My JJP POTC LE was bought used but still really close to new price, so that's probably the one I'll lose the most on. My WOZ SE was heavily routed and worn, but I got a really good price on it and I'm working on fixing it up to sell since I'm replacing it with a WOZ RR. I have to do the 2.0 light boards, $800, so that's really hurting the bottom line.

Owners, or speculators? RZ was on fire because of the AMH used market. I don’t feel bad when pinball speculators get crushed.

The dude with the bowler appreciates all the business.

For me it was AFMrLE. But I must admit, the experience helped me define to myself what kind of collector I really am. What is important above all else for me to enjoy the hobby. I really love the pinball 90's era. The artwork, the sayings, life's paradigm, the themes, and the memories. I truly believe in the Williams/Bally originals for long term collectability as well. The quality that was used in building those games have been proven to be difficult if not impossible to duplicate. Yes I know, that is my opinion but that is what makes me enjoy the hobby. Others have their own drive to enjoy the hobby, Players, hoarders, operators that hate playing pinball, operators that love playing pinball, Techs that love playing pinball, Techs that hate playing pinball, Restorers that love and hate playing as well. Then their are those NIB collectors..... Hmmmmm cant understand those guys!

Somehow I managed to even re-sell even my 1 year old NIB Ghostbusters Pro without loss (due to exchange rate fluctuation a NIB game got significantly more expensive, so reselling mine for the original price suddenly was a good deal) but I bought Star Wars Pro NIB and was ready to sell it after 3 days, sold it 2 weeks later with ~500$ loss.

I bought a used AMH in mid 2016 when they were selling so fast you were lucky if you could get one. I paid $7500 for it and just recently sold it for $5000. When I bought it I figured it would hold its value due to the fact that there are only 150 of them and it was so popular at the time. I guess all of the new games that have come out in the past few years have contributed to the lowering value of AMH but it doesn't matter to me as I never buy games with concern about the value of it down the road.

Alien LE. Paid in full, including the additional charge for the full screen. Learned an expensive lesson on that one.

Predator paid in full, Ghostbusters LE nib
Rob zombie nib.

Learned my lesson will never buy a nib again.

Luckily rob zombie probably isnt going anywhere.

Funniest thing is those were my only 3 NIB ever.

I have a Vacation America in my collection currently, but no regrets yet! It did cost me something, so maybe I have more money into it than it is worth!

Up until a few years ago, NIB games were selling for *more* than retail price on the secondary market. Then more manufacturers entered the picture, manufacturers started making more games, releasing titles more frequently, and raised prices, so that was the end of that.

Bought a nice Hobbit from a guy 3 hours away. The dude had thoughtfully shrink wrapped it for me before I got there, said everything worked fine. Made him unwrap it and played it on the ground for a few. Seemed okay. Got it home, dragon mouth didn't work. Broke the dragon even worse trying to fixit, and half his mods broke in transport. New Dragon and parts for mods were over $600. Dude still owes me the certificate of authenticity. So that.

Traded a Houdini fully loaded for a RZ SSI,took a loss,but really like my RZ better!!!!

I haven’t lost anything yet, but when I buy toys I am prepared for them to be virtually worthless should I ever decide to sell.

NIB and Mint HUO.

Narrowed down collection and still have a restored MB and MM. Refuse to sell them because not willing to take loss after the remakes came out. For example I have around 13500 in my MM and would be lucky to get 9000 with color dmd and full premium LEDs.

Luckily got out of restored AFM before the remake was announced.

Out of all, I’m guessing my HEP Funhouse was the biggest loser for me when I sold it.

Lesson learned was find nice original and enjoy. No need for high end restorations anymore.

There will and there are. Like Alien or The Big Lebowski.
If AP would close doors I think Houdini could skyrocket also. Same with Dialed In.
(I don't wish that to happen to AP or JJP tough of course.)
Spooky always potentially has a new "grail", with their limited runs.
Interrest in Alice Cooper seemed nearly lost, now it's Little by litle gaining momentum and the game is sold out.

Every JJP I have owned has lost anywhere between 1500 and 2000. Just sold my Hobbit for a 1500 loss. Sold myGBLE for 1000 loss. I really enjoy NiB experience and I understand I am going to take a loss. I currently have a WONKA on order but in the back of my mind I know that if I wait a year I can probably find a nice HUO at least 1000 less.

IMO Sterns premiums and pro’s depreciation is in the hundreds. Except for a couple of their misfires; some you can see like WWE and Mustang, others you can’t like X-men and Transformers. I know this has been said many times but currently when you cross the 8k+ price point on a new pin your loss goes up significantly. So far in the past few years the only one that has been the exception, besides the orphans, has been JJPOTC.

Haven't lost anything yet on my used games, mostly a wash. I'm sure I'll lose around 1k on the nib games I bought but it doesn't bug me since between quarters, booze and food it would probably cost me as much to go play them on location. This way I get to play them in the comfort of my home and actually hear the game sounds. Plus nib means when I power them up everything just works without hassle.

I had a sweet road show. Total impulse buy on eBay on my birthday...you get the idea. Got it home and it definitely wasn’t as advertised but since I took it home she was mine. Spent $1000 fixing her up added ocd led board gi ocd rebuilt both heads and all flippers. Color dmd etc the works. Sold it a year later for $1000 loss overall. I’ll never buy a pin on eBay again and I always play the shit out of a game to ensure it’s all working before handing over the cash.

Does it? Does it, REALLY?

I really hope so. It is an AMAZING game that so few people have really been able to experience.
If there were a run of 2000 or so, and you could find them on location, I think it would easily be a top 10 pin on most lists.

I don't think Houdini will skyrocket at all. Too many people keep listing it for sale. I keep seeing them for $5k, $4800, $4600, and a couple for $4500. The price on that one keeps sinking. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes down to $4k in the next couple months or so.

I'm in if it gets down to $4K!

don't!

not even worth the space in the game room TBT.

I’m way in on a Houdini at $4k. I think it’s a great game for a medium sized collection. Tough shots but very satisfying when you are hitting them.