Since pooling/chipping/dimpling/cratering/ghosting complaints went huge and mainstream about 4-5 years ago, I have yet to see a SINGLE "fuct playfield" discount on a for sale ad. I guess the closest was the GNR for sale for the exact same price it sold for new? That hardly seems like a defect fire sale though.

Maybe people just aren't selling them? Or maybe nobody really gives a shit about these minor issues that you don't notice unless you are looking for them and they just want to play pinball? Also, lots of complainers ended up with free playfields for their trouble, not to install, but just to follow the games around from owner to owner till the end of time as playfield insurance in case the entire playfield just collapses on itself one day.

Who knows. It just seems like the worries people had that minor playfield issues were gonna leave them underwater on games was misplaced.

If a game commonly has an issue, then it doesn't really affect the value. If you aren't going to pay going rate someone else will. Games that don't have the issue will typically pull more. BSD planking playfields are a good example of this.

If a game has issues that are uncommon to that title, then yes it does diminish the value.

I would pass or have to get a monster 40-50% off normal pricing before I would touch it. That is just me, but there are lots of suckers on here.

Never understood the diaper wiper mentality. Game has to be mint or I won't touch it. We play games batting large ball bearings around at speed. Things get damaged.

Great. Now all you have to do is find someone willing to give you a significant discount on a late-model game due to these issues.

So far these sellers don't seem to exist.

I am fine with $3000 games having some issues and I prefer games with bumps and bruises, but if I am dropping $8-10K on a pinball machine it needs to be problem free.

If it was a stern pro that goes for 5300 in excellent condition on the used market id list it for 4999

I mostly agree with dung and think it depends on the amount of damage, just like with older games. Minor pooling around 1 or 2 posts? I’d probably ignore it. Major pooling with chipping and loss of art? The seller should have asked the manufacturer for a new playfield.

If the seller got a replacement playfield. It should go with the game if he didn't install it. Not sell the replacement playfield separately.

LTG : )

I recently had the opportunity to purchase a WW (casual discussions mostly) and it came up the playfield had chipping around one of the posts. Saw pictures.

Since this has become somewhat of a hot topic, and I'm a fan of JJ's work, can someone really pinpoint the cause(s)?
I've heard that people play the pins with a loose post and the banging from the ball causes the post to shift violently and thus, causes playfield chipping (which would most certainly be operator error). I've also heard the playfields don't cure enough (which would be manufacture defect).

I'd love to get my hands on a WW but this seems to be the most common pin I heard about having playfield issues regarding chipping.

This exactly is how I feel ... minor pooling, I personally wouldn't lose any sleep. Chipping is a whole different beast and I would be beyond upset to see that happen on my machine (at least while it is basically new) and would expect a replacement playfield.

I was lucky to get a Wonka NIB with no pooling or chipping issues (knock on wood, have been playing it a couple of months), just an SE "born" in Feb of 2020. But to me, the biggest issue I have is the dimples. I'm told "oh that happens, that is normal", but honestly that seems much more visually distracting than a little bit of pooling around a post. But it isn't noticeable unless you view the playfield at an extreme angle with the right reflection, and no normal human is going to not enjoy playing the game because of it, so I can live with it.

And my $0.02 related to the specific question that was asked that started this thread, sure, significant pooling would make me ask for a couple of hundred bucks off the price of a used game, and chipping would have to get me a huge discount ($500 or more) ... BUT if a brand new playfield was thrown into the deal, I would rather have a machine with a few cosmetic issues AND a spare playfield than a perfect machine no extra playfield. Ultimately, these are pinball machines and they WILL develop wear and cosmetic issues if played, it is just a matter of time.

Ask POTC prices if chipping diminishes value.

To be fair here, the question should be if you had 2 available POTC's and one had chipping/pooling and one did not and everything else was the same, would one be worth more than the other?

damage usually effects value!

Seriously, why even go inspect a used game in person if condition doesn't matter? Why show photos? Why are restorers like Kruzman and HEP overbooked? So those restored games should be worth the same as a routed beater with dings all over the cabinet and chunks of playfield art missing? Personally, I have yet to sell a game where the potential buyer doesn't look at the playfield. We live in a world where people pay thousands of dollars for a few additional color LEDs on a playfield, or an inert plastic topper on the backbox, but defects and chipping on the same machine don't matter? Yeah, right. Nobody is going to look at two of the same machine for sale at the same price and take the one with a trashed playfield over the one with a nice playfield.

well said

Thanks. I probably should have posted it in one of the more active pf threads!

I personally wouldn’t buy anything JJP. They have some seriously flaws pins. If I didn’t already have my deposit down I’d back out. If artwork falling off the playfield is your thing, we’ll JJP has you covered there