I know this topic has been hashed and rehashed, but I'm sure there is always new and useful information...
I've been doing a lot of looking at buying a game sight unseen and shipped. Not NIB, but refab/used. So much of what I've looked at has seemed little shady and the thought alone makes me a little hesitant. Are there recommendations for places to deal with? Who's had good luck dealing with who?
Definitely have to go with a reputable dealer such as GAP, HEP or Treasure cove. There are others. You will pay more but shouldn't have any suprises. Just because they sell a lot of pins doesn't necesarily mean they are good. Will have to check around.
Also persons with a lot of rep on a forum are less likely to steer you wrong.
Ask for LOTS of pics and then ask for more. If they balk, walk away. If you get the slightest nagging fealing, walk away. There are other pins out there.
I have yet to purchase a used pin unseen though because I am too cheap to pay top dollar and too suspicious to buy from a person I don't know on a good deal.
Well my feelings are dont do it - always see what you are buying in person
However I would rather buy a pin from someone who has been on pinside for a few years
then an unknown dealer/flipper like on ebay or other online sites. 
About 3 years ago I went out to buy a pin off C-list the guy was extremely cool to talk with,
we talked for a bit after I bought the pin and he told me this story - he drives a truck that picks up dumpsters off construction sites and the like and was about to load up outside a clients warehouse and found the container full of pinball machines and back boxes - mostly EMs but also solid state pins and of course he had to dump them at the landfill.
Was his company policy not to save anything for the employee-drivers .
So what happend ? the way I see it someone rents a building buys 3-4 containers of pins from Europe or Brazil (45 x 4 = 180) what ever games turn on/boot up they sell right away, other popular pins they take X-amount of time with the part time help they have hired and the rest that take too much time are thrown out.
So I never want to support big operations that have no qualms about throwing away a machine that could be saved and would rather pay a private collector like one of us who is part of the hobby and not feeding off the hobby.
-Just the way I see it 
SC - What is GAP? I know High End... And thanks for chiming in. I know you're outside CONUS, so I assumed you would have thought about/looked into this quite a bit...
HDC, I hear ya. The main issue on why I would like to have games shipped out to me is because there is a short supply here. Not only would it help the community at large, but since the amount of games available here is slim (and what is available generally is trashed and costs a mint), it would be great to introduce some "new" titles into the area. The problem is finding someone to do it that is trustworthy and inside a "decent" price range for a refab that is willing to ship. I don't think most collectors or enthusiasts are set up to pallet and ship, which is the hard part, because I'd much rather buy a game from a private individual than a shop.
GAP = Great American Pinball http://www.greatamericanpinball.com/
In my experience, the best place to buy pins is from local collectors. Collectors, particularly if they are a friend of yours, will generally sell stuff at reasonable prices. Trading is another good way to keep the collection fresh. If you do buy from a dealer, I would still recommend doing it locally so that you can see/play the machine before purchasing it. I would not recommend buying a pin and having it shipped unless it is from a VERY reputable seller. If you do find a pin that you are interested in purchasing sight unseen, always do your due diligence by checking out the seller's reputation on RGP and the various pinball forums before pulling the trigger.
Quoted from gweempose:In my experience, the best place to buy pins is from local collectors. Collectors, particularly if they are a friend of yours
True to that!
if you don't have many friends with pins, try to join a Pinball club, get to know people and check and see if they sell or trade.
Quoted from The_Gorilla:GAP = Great American Pinball http://www.greatamericanpinball.com/
The only thing I don't like about this places is that when you check inventory on pinball machines, they are sold out, I don't understand why they keep the listing live. why would they put SOLD instead of erasing the ad? I hate that!
Quoted from tk375:The only thing I don't like about this places is that when you check inventory on pinball machines, they are sold out,
A fresh, accurate inventory would be better, yes. I wouldn't mind pricing listed, too. We KNOW they are high end restorations, searching for the prices kind of grates on me...
Still an awesome company though and they post here!
Quoted from tk375:I don't understand why they keep the listing live. why would they put SOLD instead of erasing the ad?
I think the reason Mike does that is because if someone sees a pin they are interested in, he can find one for them. He should make this more clear on his site, though.
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Pleasant Hill, IA