(Topic ID: 245879)

Do you ever feel like just selling them all?

By Mitch

4 years ago


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  • 180 posts
  • 132 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by Spencer
  • Topic is favorited by 9 Pinsiders

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    There are 180 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.
    #51 4 years ago

    Six months ago, we sold our home and bought a condo so I sold all 12 of my pins.

    I've been getting my fix on location but if I had a do-over, I would have hung on to either my BM66 or TSPP.

    #52 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    After 5 plus years in the hobby lately feeling like its lost that spark.
    Some days I just feel like selling the collection and being done with pinball.
    Anyone else ever feel this way?

    Sounds to me like it has become more of a job to you than fun and maybe its time to change that. Buying 200 games in 5 years is totally insane. I would sell a bunch of them and keep a collection of about 20 games max, then i would play pinball and enjoy it and work on other peoples games for extra money..

    #53 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    Quicksilver, stargazer, paragon, congo demoman.

    Well, there you go! Sell the rest! I agree w most everything but demo

    #54 4 years ago
    Quoted from AFM95:

    Every summer in Minnesota. Every winter, I change my mind.

    lol, I did that last year and we bought a camper with the proceeds. Then last winter stocked up on pins again. There is too much fun stuff to do in the Summer, but the pins aren't going anywhere this year.

    #55 4 years ago

    I'm relatively new to this hobby, and had thought I as I got older I would my free time building models or a model train layout, not loading up pins throughout my basement. Everything from the fun of acquisition to nostalgia/history to mechanical to electronics to art and design is exciting, with the added bonus that they are fun for everyone to play. Maybe I will feel different in five years but don't think so - the more I learn and expand my ability to repair/maintain/restore, the more interested I become.

    15
    #56 4 years ago

    You can sell these things? Interesting...

    #57 4 years ago

    Still dreaming of having a larger space to display my games. I could fulfill that dream by selling all my games but would be left with an empty room. What to do?

    #58 4 years ago
    Quoted from Electrocute:

    Still dreaming of having a larger space to display my games. I could fulfill that dream by selling all my games but would be left with an empty room. What to do?

    2nd mortgage, sell wife's SUV for a Yugo, two kidneys are overrated ...

    #59 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    After 5 plus years in the hobby lately feeling like its lost that spark.
    Some days I just feel like selling the collection and being done with pinball.
    Anyone else ever feel this way?

    You just need Jay and I to come over and fix your EMs. .......they will relight that spark.
    And it'll only cost a few SS machines in my mancave.

    #60 4 years ago

    What caused you to obtain all those titles in the first place? My guess would be the variety of themes and layouts. . . but at the end of three balls per game it will always be pinball.

    Variety is the spice of life (or so "they" have said), perhaps you need to spice things up a bit with a new or related add on hobby.

    I jumped from restoring tractors to remodeling a house (more of an obligation than choice) to restoring a camper for the wife to restoring a car to working on pinball machines. . . each jump included learning something new but benefitted from what I had learned from past projects. Combine that with all the day to day work/chores and the candle gets burned from both ends rather quickly. . . but right now I would not have it any other way. I have an issue with sitting still for more than like five minutes.

    I think I am maturing in my relationship with pinball as well as I'd like to get my collection first down to ten games then eventually five or so. I am getting to a point in life where I want to start travelling again. . . pinball will always be a part of things but it will be a slice of the pie when it comes to my interests. I still have tractors. I still have cars. I just do not have as many as I once did.

    (Still have the house and wife still has her camper -- selling any of those off is not really an option!)

    -1
    #61 4 years ago

    You gotta get rid of them all sooner or later, cause the kids don’t want them.

    #62 4 years ago

    Never all. Sometimes some, maybe even most, but never all.

    #63 4 years ago

    Buying is easy, selling is hard. I have sold off more than half of my games and it has been a liberating experience. I have a big stack of disposable cash, room in my house, less to maintain, and a few empty slots in case a deal comes up. The hardest part of selling games is not immediately filling the spot.

    You have an amazing collection, but it might be time to share it by letting some of them go. New collectors complain about never finding deals or classic games, so you could provide both. If you really care about making money on pinball, you might be in for the wrong reasons.

    #64 4 years ago
    Quoted from mbaumle:

    It's funny how dynamic life is. Just a month or so ago, I wanted them all. My appetite for pinball was insatiable. Then, not to get too personal, my fiancé decided to end our relationship of 10 years just a few weeks ago. She had lost the spark. I'm crushed, devastated, and feeling more or less hopeless. Normally, my place of solitude was in my basement with my pinball machines. I'd take out my worry and frustration by playing them, or take my mind off of things by working on them.
    Not anymore. It's weird. I haven't played a single game in nearly a month now. They just aren't doing it for me anymore. Maybe I used my collection of games to hide my insecurities? Probably. But what I thought would make me happy, isn't. And things that have never made me happy in the past, are.
    So, I'm slowly selling my collection. Piece by piece. Not sure how long it'll take. Maybe I'll get the spark back, but I've been happier cooking at home, going to the gym, or riding my bike until my legs fall off.

    Sorry to hear about your shitty situation, I feel I can kind of relate. When things are bad between me and my wife I lose interest in pinball pretty quick. Sometimes makes me want to just sell it all.

    When I'm feeling like that I try to remind myself about the joy I get from sharing my collection with friends & family. To me pinball games are fun to zone out to by yourself but I think the most fun is often had playing with others.

    #65 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    Anyone else ever feel this way?

    Quoted from Hazoff:

    ...now that I'm combfortable with a 2 or 3 pin line up its more relaxed.

    Quoted from Blackbeard:

    The more pins you own, the more anxiety you have, at least for me.

    Quoted from Coz:

    ...it’s kind of hard to justify having thousands of dollars in machines that you don’t use. I will definitely buy another pin

    Quoted from jkashani:

    I think for some it becomes a disease .

    Quoted from Aurich:

    They take up a lot of space to not get played ...

    Yes to all of the above. I love seeing the game rooms of the guys that have 20 or more, and it’s cool they have that much passion, but it’s just not for me. I can’t ever see not owning at least a couple of pins, but I can’t ever see owning more than 3 or 4 now either. I have plenty of other hobbies to feed!

    #66 4 years ago
    Quoted from WolfManCat:

    I think the most fun is often had playing with others.

    Of all the things I like about this hobby, I enjoy most sharing the pins with others, seeing them enjoy playing.

    #67 4 years ago

    I went through this about 15-20 years ago. I had just over 50 games. Between pinball, work, family, and fun it was just too much. I sold most, and keep around a dozen around. That has turned out to be my magic number - enough to have some variety, but not too many to be overwhelming.

    #68 4 years ago

    I do feel like it sometimes.
    I did bring my in house games down to three now.

    Also don't have any on location right now either.
    Working out of town now has lots to do with that.

    #69 4 years ago

    I look at my projects as future enjoyment rather than anxiety. I don't set timelines or expectations, only wanting to relax and enjoy doing something I love. As I slow down in life my mind is still active, and I am still able to do everything needed by myself in pinball. I see prices soaring, but I have a few years worth of enjoyment onhand right now. I get as much out of working on them as I do hunting for them and playing them.

    #70 4 years ago

    NEVER. I took a 5 year break from buying or selling. Many reasons but the biggest was my daughter was a year from college and I had a couple project games that were kicking my Azz to fix. Didn't want her to go thru the hell I did working and trying attend college full time. All disposable income went there. Still had 4 nice working games for people to play at gatherings. Since she's going to graduate next spring and I had the finances in order, I jumped back in.

    Sometimes you just need a break. For whatever reason.

    #71 4 years ago

    Nope. But if you are selling, I might be buying!!!

    #72 4 years ago

    Never. I honestly just peruse another portion of the hobby when feeling burnt.

    Seek out a new game, then play on route, then restore something, then host some people or an event, then learn a new pinball skill, etc...

    Pinball is a multi faceted hobby for me. If I get tired of one aspect then on to another.

    #73 4 years ago

    Good luck, Mitch! Sorry to hear you're feeling the pinball blues.

    Maybe just take some time off and reorganize? Maybe pare down the collection to 20-30? -- just the ones you really love. Sell the projects (I know you love the possibilities but that is a lot of potential work and must be weighing in the back of your mind). And get all your favourites pimped out and working 100%. The ones you *really* love. Don't forget that you got into this because you love the machines; hell, you can even fix them...unlike me.

    You know my collection. The entire layout is planned to do a "circuit" that has its own unique flow. Start at one end and play one by one to the other end. Where does each one sit against the wall? Where does it fit in relation to the others? How does the flow of the collection inspire or entertain me as far as theme; shots, layout and rule set; or just how the darned things look against the wall when they're in attract mode? I love playing -- more and more (not less and less). I usually play each table 1-3 times depending on how I feel...and I move to the next one. I do the circuit anywhere from 3 to 6 times a week. Or some weeks I just don't play at all, it depends on life and how I feel. It's a slow way to learn games but you don't burn out on any specific game and you reinforce your love for your collection.

    ...and if you *EVER* want to sell that Quicksilver, remember that I'll overpay worse than that other guy and I live 10 minutes away

    #74 4 years ago
    Quoted from PismoArcade:

    Six months ago, we sold our home and bought a condo so I sold all 12 of my pins.
    I've been getting my fix on location but if I had a do-over, I would have hung on to either my BM66 or TSPP.

    Love the Strange Brew avatar

    #75 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    After 5 plus years in the hobby lately feeling like its lost that spark.
    Some days I just feel like selling the collection and being done with pinball.
    Anyone else ever feel this way?

    I was gonna buy a G4 once a few years ago. I was close to selling off about 400 pins to raise the capital. I decide not to but I wonder what it would have been like. Haha

    #76 4 years ago

    Some times I think of the money I spent to get my collection and it’s sickening but then again you only live once and you can’t take the money with you. The way I see it, it’s something I enjoy that will always be there and can always sell when I’m ready or if I need the money. 5 is the max I can have so under $25K, I’d have to shoot myself if I had any more.

    #77 4 years ago
    Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

    48 machines in 5 years? And perhaps another 50 that you've owned and sold in that span?
    I think you overloaded yourself and burned yourself out.
    Plus, if you aren't putting on tournaments or events, what's the point of just having them? Are you fixing any up to make it more interesting?
    Just theorizing over here...

    I've only been in for 7..

    #78 4 years ago

    Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No......................

    11
    #79 4 years ago

    Mostly I just think about donating them to the 79th poster in my threads.

    #80 4 years ago

    Things that interest me come and go, but I already went through a small crisis when in the early 2000s parts were impossible to come by and sometimes when things broke you were just screwed. Now that the market has taken off and prices are up the hobby is better than I can remember.

    This thread is great, as it has brought the serious collectors out and I enjoy looking at what people own, especially when the numbers are so massive. I can't even imagine owning 48 pinball machines!

    #81 4 years ago

    Sometimes I think of selling them all but never did.
    I've enjoyed playing my whole life but didn't start collecting until about 2000. At my highest number I had over 100 pins at one time. 90% of my games were projects. My first time I thought of selling everything. I wanted to spend more time with my wife and daughters so quit buying and just started selling until I was down to about 65 pins. That was 2009. Then moved all games to my one building and locked the doors for about 5 years.
    We bought a new house and I moved a handful of games over to play at first. I was hooked again for a couple of years. Then around 2015 I had to move the rest of my games over. Once my house was filled with games and no room, that was my second time thinking of selling everything. So started selling more off. Eventually I ended up joining a local league and rekindling my love for the hobby again.
    I'm now down to 35 pins. Out of them 15 work and 20 are projects. I do host a couple pin parties every year now and still play in the league. But I only have enough room to set up 30 so probably gonna cut down some more.

    #82 4 years ago

    I love this hobby as much or more than any hobby ive ever been into and ive had some really fun hobbies like drag racing. This is the only hobby that i dont lose my ass on also so thats a good thing.

    There have been times like when i have friends over and we play non stop all nite that i get burned out and maybe don't want to play for a week or something but i could never give pinball up no way.

    This will be the last hobby of my life and its something that i can do even when i get older. Pinball for life for me! My only regret is that i didn't start collecting games sooner.

    #83 4 years ago

    My interests go up and down in this hobby, but I know better then to sell everything... every time I lose interest, I give it a few months and I'm back loving it.

    #84 4 years ago
    Quoted from DK:

    Mitch, what would be the first 5 games you’d pull out of your house if there was a fire? Keep those and sell the rest

    Lol, sadly I lost my collection to an arson fire while is was 1000 miles away, only one survived, and it took me until very recently to get back into it! 6yrs to get over it!

    #85 4 years ago

    Nope..... 20 plus years in the hobby and it still fascinates me.

    #86 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mr_Tantrum:

    The thought of having to get them out of the basement alone should be enough to squash any thoughts you have about getting rid of them all.

    Yes! Even getting one out is a pain for me.

    #87 4 years ago

    Sometimes I feel guilty because there are machines in my collection that I have not played in months, but I never have the idea to sell-still have the buying bug following me around.

    #88 4 years ago
    Quoted from Who-Dey:

    and keep a collection of about 20 games max

    20 is the exact number I’ve been working my way down to. I didn’t get overwhelmed, it was the amount of space they took in the house. And realistically, I’ll probably work my way down to 15 over the next couple of years. That would balance it out better.

    #89 4 years ago
    Quoted from hoby1:

    Nope..... 20 plus years in the hobby and it still fascinates me.

    I'm with Hoby...but we're kinda rare. I think pinball attracts many people, and many of those burn out over a period of time that's different for each person. The somewhat rare birds stick with it for the long haul, and others come and go, and many others leave and never look back...

    However, the number of keepers like hoby and I increases over time - this is why you see demand stay high - a combination of more longtime collectors coupled with a constant stream of noobs. Occasionally we see a large uptick in the number of noobs...a pin-boom if you will...there was a huge one when I joined in the late 90s/early aughts due to so many folks discovering the internet, Clay's Guides, and RGP. When folks made the jump to Spinside, it again created a smaller boom of noobs due to the more welcoming interface - RGP was archaic to many, especially younger folks.

    Today it seems like the ebb of that boom has hit the hobby a bit - you see it in the "where's this or that Pinsider gone", and "what's happened to this place", and other similar type laments, but from my perspective it never seems to drop in overall popularity - even though many, many people have seen the demise of the hobby right around the corner...I think usually those people are seeing their own interest wane, but just haven't realized it yet.

    Sean

    #90 4 years ago

    Whoa, 200 games in 5 years..... so that’s why I haven’t been able to get anything off of kijiji. Save some for the rest of us.

    Lol. Just kidding. I haven’t even been looking to buy in the last 5 years, but I find myself looking again from time to time. I sold off everything a couple years back when we bought our house, but bought a NIB to keep me occupied. I’d like another project soon, but it’s not priority now.

    One thing that I realized with my collectibles. They’re a lot easier to acquire then get rid of. But I did clean house a bit, it took some time, now I’m glad to have the space back....maybe there’s enough space for another pin...

    Mitch, we’ve only met once or twice, but the hobby would suffer if you sold everything. You’ve always been helpful and kind. I can’t say that for everyone I’ve met through pinball. And thanks again for that old piece of glass that you hooked me up with for an old project. It cost you nothing, but really made my day.

    #91 4 years ago
    Quoted from Stoomer:

    Today it seems like the ebb of that boom has hit the hobby a bit - you see it in the "where's this or that Pinsider gone", and "what's happened to this place", and other similar type laments, but from my perspective it never seems to drop in overall popularity - even though many, many people have seen the demise of the hobby right around the corner...I think usually those people are seeing there own interest wane, but just haven't realized it yet.

    I think those sort of posts are indicative of the changing of PINSIDE and not the hobby.

    I have noticed that # of pinsiders online at any given time seems to have dipped. Some of that is summer slow, but much of it is because people are just not on pinside as much. Hell, I was a hyper poster for years and my use has dropped way off. But I am still in pinball just on different places.
    I see the same thing with others that are not on Pinside as much, but posting on Fbook groups, in private groups, on Tilt, etc...
    So much pinball content now with dozens of podcasts, streamers, insider clubs, etc... It dilutes the population in one spot which for a few years was all Pinside all the time.

    I think some of the burnout is around the changes here and for some that was a big part of the hobby for them?? just guessing.

    I will say that Pinball is still growing hugely in popularity and just watch the #s here when the next new game drops. They are bigger than ever cause this is still the #1 site in pinball and where all flock when something cool and big happens like a new game.

    #92 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    After 5 plus years in the hobby lately feeling like its lost that spark.
    Some days I just feel like selling the collection and being done with pinball.
    Anyone else ever feel this way?

    All the time bud. Some days I feel like just dumping it all. I have a buddy with cars and it's the same thing I think with every hobby.

    #93 4 years ago
    Quoted from Blackbeard:

    Something breaks or isn't working correctly, it has to be fixed NOW. My anxiety goes through the roof.

    this kind of thing tempts me to sell off my machines and maybe get one or two newer Stern pros. Less things to fix.

    #94 4 years ago
    Quoted from Whysnow:

    I think those sort of posts are indicative of the changing of PINSIDE and not the hobby.
    I have noticed that # of pinsiders online at any given time seems to have dipped. Some of that is summer slow, but much of it is because people are just not on pinside as much. Hell, I was a hyper poster for years and my use has dropped way off. But I am still in pinball just on different places.

    I agree Hilton...that slow-down in posting is a natural progression IMO of the typical pinball enthusiast. On RGP I posted ALL THE TIME...for a while, but that hyper-posting slows over time naturally for most of us, and for me it happened around the time Pinside was taking over as the goto forum.

    I think people generally can't get enough of talking pinball at first, and there's always lurkers who've already had all those convos...so what's the point in saying it again - especially since someone else is usually saying basically what you would say...so eventually you only post occasionally when someone isn't singing your tune, but even then sometimes not because all these words we type don't really mean much in the end - just passing the time till I can get back to my games. LOL

    #95 4 years ago

    Man I was about to post a poll with the same exact question! Having pinball machines is fun and exciting and to me nothing beats playing them at home, but they are freaking expensive, require tons of maintenance etc. I think about selling the load all the time! but I thikn I would be sad.

    #96 4 years ago

    Was about to sell out 8 (?) years ago. I had 4 B/W pins and Stern Potc. But I was not playing them much. I had been buying from a dealer who had a shop and I would go visit every few months to see what he had and he would service my pins. But he closed shop and moved away like 11 years so I was quite stagnant and not interested in pinball. Didn’t have any pinball friends in the area. I didn’t follow Pinside even tho I’d joined 14 years ago.

    So a dealer wanted to buy all pins for a low price. I didn’t know a lot about what they were worth so I posted on Pinside and got a fair idea of price these pins were TZ, IJ, CFTBL and TotAN. Found out they were worth much more that the dealer offered.

    This was back when AcDc has just come out and Tron a bit before and Woz and XM were about to come out. I really got into pinball a lot more because of Pinside. This was when Metallica, ST and TWD were starting to drop as well as IM Vault and Tron second runs.

    Instead of getting out I got more into pinball and sold my older games replaced with a lot of great new pins. Also got a larger network of pinball friends in the process. So I’m up to 14 pins now.

    #97 4 years ago

    Sometimes I feel like "You fool, why would you have this much money sunk into these things"...then I go to someone's house who has 2 or 3x's the number of games I do and I feel like I'm just getting started.

    #98 4 years ago

    Been there, done that.

    Now buying again !?!

    #99 4 years ago

    Absolutely. I get an itch probably once a month but these streaming videos don't help
    as always looking to pick up strategies and better game play for myself.
    Watching all these videos keeps you on edge to continue flipping and find enjoyment
    in something that helps break the cycle of everyday life.
    I took a break from NIB for a while with ST Prem and MET Pro being the last. Got back into
    Williams/Bally 90s pins for a period and picked up a few here and there.
    With recent releases one after the other it is just too hard to decide on anything right out of
    the gate. If I go NIB I usually wait for kinks to work out if any and mature code. For newer
    games I'm finding on location to enjoy and take my time in deciding what to do next.
    Looking in the other direction I just picked up an outdoor ping pong table for family to enjoy.

    #100 4 years ago

    I'll probably never sell them off, but it has crossed my mind over the years. Sometimes I go a few months without playing them, but eventually I always get back into the zone.

    There are 180 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 4.

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