"1) I was stupid and overpaid to a local guy that was obviously not a part of the community because he WAY overcharged a naive new buyer"

Just because he "overcharged" you, doesn't mean he wasn't/isn't part of the community.

I have seen lots of RGP/Pinside people trying to get (make) as much as they can, regardless of the RGP/Pinside approved price.

I have seen on more than one occasion someone buying a machine advertised on RGP, then trying to flip it (for more) a couple of days later...on RGP. Of course he got called on it.

Pinball is a supply & demand market. So prices vary wildly based on those 2 factors. Combine that with "trying to make as much money as possible" business strategy, and you get taken advantage of if you haven't done your homework.

I just sold my JP, several pinsiders enquired about price (before I posted it). Most of them didn't even respond when I emailed them back. I assume that they wanted a great JP for way less than I was asking, or they would have at least responded back. So the pricing gouging goes both ways; individuals trying to buy at less than market so they can brag about what they got; and those that try to make it on the other end.

The guy that bought my JP, told me about a local guy (in south bay) that posts both here and on RGP that buys and sells machines. He bought a JP (that my guy tried to get) for ~$1k; cleaned it and then offered it for sale for ~2.2k. Not sure what he had to do for that, but that’s a nice profit. It’s sold, so he was apparently able to work both ends of the pricing spectrum.

I guess my message is this, Pinball has moved from being a hobbyist endeavor to a business venture. People who what to make their partial/entire living off Pinball, need to make a lot of money off each transaction. The best way to deal is to try to work with your friends and pay reasonable prices.

Robert