Send it to me. I'll keep it safe for you.

Best thing in know what you are about. Area you'll be in. Game you are going to see. Things to look for. Is it a $6K game or a $3 turd. And take a friend with. Knowledgeable in pinball would help. So you don't feel like you have to drag a game home no matter what.

LTG : )

I always take someone with me. Cash in pocket. Now to piss off some folks, a 9mm in my back pocket.

Use google maps & street view to familiarize yourself with the area before traveling there to gauge what kind of neighborhood it is. If it looks sketchy or appears to be a high crime area, avoid. Be cautious with or avoid isolated, remote areas, especially after dark.

Be alert and mindful of your surroundings.

Don't advertise that you're carrying cash by taking it out and counting it, or patting you pocket every 10 seconds.

Buying/selling with someone who participates in the hobby is likely going to be safer than a random individual with no history in the hobby.

Take a friend with you if you have concerns.

Keep cash in your car until everything with machine checks out. A buddy to help can't hurt either.

tell seller you will come and look,come back with cash if you like the scene.You can have the cash available to you but no need tell seller your carrying until its a safe comfort level.

If you stash the cash in your car. Do it before you leave home. Don't park in the area the game is and put something in the car and then walk away.

LTG : )

I tell em I'm coming to look, but would have to go to bank after inspection. Then if it looks good, go to car and get the cash. Never let them know you're carrying with you.

perzactly

Deal with those in the hobby on larger purchases.

More likely to get what you think you are getting.

If possible, run a check here.

Don’t post on social media how much cash you have on hand.

I have sold a couple games recently and people bought 20's. PITA.

Seriously? Lol, that would kinda piss me off. Amateur hour.

use common sense, this shouldn’t be an issue

5’s 10’s 20’s are more than welcome. Heck, bring some quarters!

cash is cash!

All my purchases and sells have been through zelle, I don't do cash.
Don't like it, I'll just move on.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide

.....let's not talk about how I drove from Dallas to 30 miles outside Tulsa after work to buy a No Fear, then.

Or 20 miles outside Tyler in the middle of nowhere to buy my Demolition Man in the dark.

No risk, no reward, I guess. One of those two guys ended up selling me something "extra" as well, unexpectedly, as well as providing some treats.

Sorry; but that would be a no from me.
Cash on the glass or no sale.
Electronic payments can always be reversed; just like a cashiers check.

Having bought a 12k laser printer recently... the key was to talk extensively with the seller. He knew I was coming from out of state with a wad of cash. I was worried; but I had my wife with me... and I had shared my trip status with a close friend via google maps. I told my friend if I died... keep show the cops my trip so they knew who to talk to.

Must have been demo man

“Let’s go blow this guy!!”

I like 20s. Damn businesses won't take 50 or 100s anymore

Disgusting !!

I once sold 3 pins to a major operator. He paid me in mostly ones. SERIOUSLY.

Of course, he didn't disclose that at any point beforehand!

It took me longer to count it than the entire transaction before and after combined.

Was he built like a Chippendales dancer?

Just be sure the other person is actually willing to use that as a method of payment first. Venmo/zelle is still kind of a new idea, and a lot of older sellers don't know anything about it.

Obviously, you're an experienced buyer and know what you're doing, and can gauge what is/isn't an acceptable risk for you.

For an inexperienced buyer, they might not be up to the challenge quite yet.

A few times I've gone to my local bank to get 100s, but they didn't have enough and had to give me smaller bills. Plus not all banks are open at convenient times, so the only option might be ATMs, which only spit out 20s. I wouldn't exactly call a lack of hundreds amateur hour. It's not not always very convenient to be able to get 100s.

The biggest thing I can recommend is dealing with a pinsider with positive feedback. Also get connected with a local collector group so you can buy from someone you’ve met/know. You can also take a friend with you.

That's when having one of these comes in very handy:

Watch the auctions and you can get a used one for around $200 or less. Might have to refurb the belts, etc, but that's another $50. Know what model you're buying, too. They look the same, but the internals of them are different. Some have counterfeit detection built in.

Model 4062 - Magnetic Counterfeit Detection
Model 4065 - Magnetic & UV Counterfeit Detection
Model 4068 - No Counterfeit Detection

Without adding too much to this thread:

Common sense is the rule here - if there is a lot of money at stake and you know the person from Pinsider - Zelle can work fine.
I prefer cash on the glass/to the seller's pocket personally but as stated, there are risks and considerations to take into account.

You should always know your buyer/know your seller/know your location/if the person is coming to you protect yourself accordingly by having friends, family around and don't show too much around if you don't know the person.

Oh and as much as I love the cash counter - what are we doing here? Is this a pinball thread or auditions for Scarface II: The Pinball Machine Connection?
Say hello to my little friend (turn on Funhouse pinball machine).

Leave the money hidden in the car, minus $100 in your wallet. Ask the pin seller for a $100 cash discount then get the money from the car when you feel safe. A thief will be happy with a $100 bill if they rob your person and if all goes well, you have the exact amount $5900 to pay for the pin even if you get robbed beforehand. Don't let them see you take a $100 out of the stash and put it in your wallet.

If you are receiving money , have these on hand just in case...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pen-Gear-Counterfeit-Money-Checker-Pen-Marker-Money-Tester-Pen-Black-2-Count/749565364

If you sell pins a few times a year, well worth it to have one. Also, they run fine off the 115v power outlets in a Honda Odyssey (and I suspect all other card with 115v plugs). If you have the model with counterfeit protection, a LOT faster than pen testing the bills and it counts them, too.

I bought a RFM a few years ago in SE DC in a drug infested neighborhood. I just made sure to go late morning. Brought a capable friend and kept the cash in the car with him until it checked out.
The guy had a renovated house surrounded by run down drug dens with boarded up windows.

I have found this works early late morning works as most the meth heads are cashed out for the day...

Be safe. Travel in numbers. If it does not seem right go with your gut and pass!

My beef would be with someone who came to buy a $6500 game with $20s and $10s. 300+ bills is basically a brick of cash and a huge pain in the ass to count for both the seller and the bank. Obviously if the bank runs out of 100s there’s nothing you can do or if it’s a cheap game it’s no biggie.

Dang straight, makes my pockets bulge out even further and feels like even more money in my pocket. It's a good problem to have.

John

Don't take your Wife with you.
If you take a friend, make sure he is a badass. Don't take a third friend that is not.
The agreement is we get this thing loaded, and you follow me to the local Police Station for the cash transfer.
Or, "I have made arrangements at the local Bank for a large cash transfer.
Perhaps rent armed Security?
Better to stay at home, let it slide and look for another one local.
Follow the Star Trek Red Shirt rule.

It’s pretty common for sellers to not want anything larger than 20’s. The big bills are more often counterfeited.

Take all the 20s you can get and head to the bank to swap them for 100s.

Leave a few extra days to get over 5k from your bank. It took a few phone calls a month ago to find a branch of my Credit Union with enough on hand. When I got to the branch I was sent to, I got a, "I don't know why they sent you here. You are cleaning us out!" Don't plan on withdrawing more than 10k in a single transaction either, it becomes a paperwork mess for you and the branch.

Travel with these guys!

(Ive had to do it many times!)

pasted_image (resized).png

I simplified your quote

While that's true, this is also true:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuring
Structuring is the act of parceling what would otherwise be a large financial transaction into a series of smaller transactions to avoid scrutiny by regulators and law enforcement.

At the end of the day it's the sellers prerogative what and what not to take for payment method, and if that doesn't suit the buyer either party walking from the sale or bending their preference.

I get the utility and value of doing cash transactions, but I usually prefer PayPal myself. With friends and family paypal there are no fees and it can't be reversed.

I've worked with some people that insisted on cash and many were fine with PayPal f&f.

Unfortunately, this is not true.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide#post-1813448

If there is a single person in this hobby who is going to allow someone to load a pinball machine into their truck without paying them first I haven’t met them.

Pretty bizarre scenarios you propose here.

This is what I do, money in the car.

Ya, you're right it can be reversed through the bank, but not through PayPal itself. I guess it something of a risk, so while I haven't done a huge volume of transactions they have all.worked out ok.

Guess it's one of those its fine till it's not things, but in the cases I did it, I had built up some rapport , and trust with the person so rolled the dice

The seller sets the rules for payment type and the buyer agrees or disagrees.

Doesn’t seem to hard.