All depends on what you are trying to do....just sell it quick or maximize your sale price. Time is money. If the add says the machine "could use a good shop", no way am I going to pay top dollar.

Ill wipe it down but not gonna do a full tear down / shopjob or anything. I like to make sure it’s working 100% (unless there’s something I just can’t fix) and generally clean to get the best offer on it I can.

Sometimes I'll sell untested projects, sometimes working projects, sometimes quick shop jobs, and sometimes complete teardowns.

It really depends on a lot of things--how much time I have, how interested I am in the game, if I need space for something else...etc

But I'll also buy games in pretty much any state if the price is right.

There's a buyer for everything.

But yes, if you're trying to sell a clean, working game, it should be clean and in working order.

I typically try to make a game look decent before selling it. I'm not going to let a bit of dust be the difference between a sale and no sale.

Agreed, doesn't hurt to wipe it down and make it presentable. 15 min. I went to our local arcade auction 2 weeks ago and just can't believe when you drop off a machine you can't at least wipe the glass off.

I took my car for a wash and vacuum before I traded it in. Would always do the same for a pin to help with the value.

Yep...same thing with calling something an "easy fix" or "cheap fix". I caught myself doing that once with a broken playfield plastic. It didn't bother me, but as I was listing the game for sale I started writing something about how a cheap replacement plastic was available. I realized what I was typing and immediately hit backspace a few times and ordered the plastic. It's not worth going super cheap on a machine that's worth a few thousand dollars.

I know, right?
I even change rubbers, not all, but if it needs them. I even have a giant box of flipper rubbers, just put 2 new one's on. Takes what, 30 seconds?

I clean everything on the game if I am selling to a friend or someone I do not know. Wax, clean the rubbers, vacuum the cabinet, etc. I keep my games really clean so it does not take me that long to finish cleaning before the game leaves my house.

During college I would do a full tear down on every machine I got whether I planned to keep it or not. Over time these got to be more and more meticulous to the point that some take 100 hours+. Now I do that if I am keeping it. If it I got it clean I will just sell it as is. If it is filthy I will strip the topside and clean it, but I won't strip the bottom as well. It just doesn't pay to, no one really cares and certainly won't pay a dime more.