Keep calling around. Don't pay a premium for a Premium.
I believe if you pick it up at the factory you will pay IL sales tax. A distributor should be able to tell you.

I heard they do not allow pick up from them any longer

Pm sent

There's things that add up in the price
1. Credit card fees 1.5% to 5%
2. Shipping
2.1 You can ship to a terminal to save some money, they are also open 24/7 so its easier to pickup then schedule with the delivery to the curb
3. There is wiggle room on the prices. Check with Cointaker and Trent at Tilt Amusements. The more quotes you see, the better the price will be.
4. NIB. Do you need NIB? It's an experience for sure, but if you can get a used game, this can save a bunch. Usually when the next game is released they often tank a little even if it's within the same year it came out. For instance if I sold my ACDC premium now, I'd probably take a grand loss from my nib price.

On a side note, Trent usually gives pretty good deals on shaker motors and after market things for your game. Cointaker sent me a small cleaning kit for a nib. Both excellent to deal with.

If someone quotes MSRP to me, Im hanging up. It's not worth dealing with a distributor who even gives me that number. There are plenty of distributors on pinside that will offer you a competitive number right off the bat. $6500-$6700 sounds reasonable, but you may be able to do better. I bought a Luci for a really good number a couple weeks ago.

So you don't actually have any pinball questions. Just shopping questions.

I'm curious about this because I'm thinking about getting a Star Trek Pro in the not too distant future. I have seen different prices out there, but they are all within $200-$300 of each other. How much room is there to haggle?

Also, I see that some distributors offer an in-home delivery and setup option. Being somewhat of a noob myself, I'm wondering whether anyone has done this and what their experience has been? It might be worth it to me if the price is right.

So you don't actually have anything helpful to add. Just being a jerk?

Here is my words of advice for purchasing a NIB pinball machine. Shop the rest and then go with the best-CoinTaker

Most of the distributors on pinside will be somewhat close to each other often. Mainly, I believe, because there isn't as much wiggle room on the games when you know your quote is up against multiple other ones. There is also likely more room as you go up in versions of the game (pro, premium, LE). I will usually just get a few quotes from reputable distributors and go with the lowest I get. But it's up to you how you would want to proceed.

Personally, I wouldn't bother having someone set up your new game for you. You can do it all yourself (with the help of a friend). All of the information you need is readily available on here, and through Stern themselves.

If you're really worried about it, it may be worth a few more dollars to have it done. But Ive unboxed and set up multiple games (even my first) without the distributors help.

Don't pay for shipping and don't pay for set up. Setting up a pinball game is super easy, just set up my StT by myself last week. . . Because i couldn't stand waiting another minute for hel-. I have bought a couple premiums from Trent at www.tiltamusements.com and got a great price with free shipping. Enjoy your new purchase. image-880.jpgimage-715.jpgimage.jpg

I was planning to set up myself but then have been reading some recent threads of people having problems with damage during shipment and the like. I have a fairly tight basement to get into. Paying someone a little bit to set up kind of seemed like an insurance policy to me, taking the risk of shipment, delivery and set up off of me. That said, I'm still on the fence as to whether it is worth it. Thanks for the comments.

Your first NIB is a really cool time. Let me second Trent at Tilt. And because of what he did for a customer recently I'd also say JJ. When I bought my first NIB from Trent he answered all my noob questions. I'd be sending email after email, and he was answering as best he could. In the end it worked out great. In fact it is funny that the game I bought from him is the next one that is going to get shopped. I guess the biggest thing is to go with someone trustworthy (just look at what people say about them here) and that will answer all your questions. The don't sign the bill of lading if it looks like the box was kicked around (my first came in a pristine box, and I drove to New Jersey to pick up my last NIB game).

Man, fun times. I love the tension of that very first game figuring out if the game is working 100%.

Let me third Trent at TILT. I bought my Star Trek Premium from him. It was a perfect transaction. I will def buy my next New in Box from him.

Nah just bummed cause this is such an awesome machine and I wanted to go through all the things I've done with it since I bought it, like trying to quieten it down a bit since its the noisiest machine I've ever played. From padding the coil stops and the problems that caused to remounting the flipper coils on rubber, which worked really well actually, and like changing the translite out for an alternate that I bought off eBay and then did a small review of, and how I specifically sold SM to buy the ST premium and how they compare and how I have been feeling about that trade. But then I opened the post and it was just pricing and dealer questions. Bummer. Anyway, to OP, good luck with whoever you buy it off. Playing the game will, though, be the main thing long after the purchase is complete.

What??? The threads not about you ??

Fourth for Trent........

Hate giving up my only private distribution secret in this industry. Wanting to buy more from him before everybody else finds out.........

And then of course price and demand kicks in....

Now you know.

If this is your first NIB, you want it to be a pleasant experience. And getting the right dealer and the right price is all part of that. True. I just want to point out that, for me, this exact machine has been an issue, and if there is any way at all you can get to the distributor and play two different machines it might be helpful. The actual machine I have is very noisy. The flippers and slings are banging like crazy, way more than any other machine I have or have had, but I suspect it is just my machine or a small number of them and not all of them. If things like this happen to you they hang around long after you forget how much you paid. ST is awesome. You will love it. But like you said, it can be a bit like a car, you want to make sure you get a really nice example.

Now that's your done with ST,pick up an AC/DC & let the good times roll!

I have been watching this thread because I am also getting ready for my first NIB. I am going to pickup a Metallica Pro. I haven't tried Trent but Melissa at CT quoted me a much better price than another distributor that a bunch of locals use. Most of this thread has centered on where to buy but what about things to do as soon as you have inspected and setup the pin? Anything that needs to be done with the PF before playing? I know a lot of people recommend skipping the Stern factory balls and immediately replacing them. What else should be done?

Hey! I clicked on this thread to see what noob pinball questions he would ask and was also disappointed. No fault of the OP though, his noob questions are "buying" questions which is noted in his thread title. I just don't see someone making a post and clarifying the OP's intent as being a jerk.

If you buy a NIB pinball; how can you tell it was not just repackaged by a distributor. What to look for?

Im not sure you could......if you had a shady distro. Not something Ive really worried about. Ive always had great interactions with the distros Ive ordered from. If your not getting a good vibe.....keep calling around.

Not sure how anyone would do this without it looking obvious. The box uses gnarly staples to hold it together, the packaging strap that is around the whole game is something you need equipment for as well. All the packing material, etc. not sure why any distro would go through the trouble.

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