Gotta act quick.. I've learned my lesson.
On cars and pinns..

Apparently, the sellers did want to sell, hence them selling to someone else. Just because you say you are trustworthy, the seller doesn't know you.

I sell hundreds of machines every year, and if I don't know you, then I wont hold the game without a deposit. Once a deposit is made, the game is no longer for sale, even if a person offers more. Especially if you tell them about a hardship on your end. To Sellers, that's an excuse implying that you made an offer that you cant afford and have to buy some time to get your money together. I have had many buyers doing what you say, wanting several games at once to save on cost. I can work with that, but will not without a deposit. For you to complain about it for games that you haven't paid for, or set up an actual date (not tentative date) I would have done the same thing that the sellers did. The only person to blame is yourself in these scenarios. Sellers sell games for various reasone, and often, one of them is to fund another purchase. So you playing around trying to save yourself money, may actually cost the other person a deal that they really wanted.

You're not getting it. You sound completely wishy washy and I don't believe you ever told a seller you'd be there at such and such time with the cash to take the pin. That would be a 'deal' that you could complain about if they didn't honor it.

You're talking about coming to look, that doesn't mean squat. I wouldn't hold it for you to have a chance to come look at it either, I may hold it if I knew you and you said "I'm coming to take it for $xxx" in two hours. Otherwise you'd have to send me a deposit and a time/date. If you didn't make it you wouldn't get the deposit back and I wouldn't be holding it any longer either. Because at that point, you broke the deal.

It's real simple, cash talks and the first with the cash gets it. if you haven't paid cash for it, you have no reason to complain, talk bad about the sellers etc. Simply put it's their property and they can do what they want with it until someone else pays for it and takes possession.

How about dont agree to buy a pinball unless you are willing to go get it.

You seem to think it's the sellers fault that you are out of state, need to rent a truck, have a broken furnace. Your problems getting to the machine and handing someone money is no ones problem but your own, and when I sell a machine all I care about is what time you are going to show up and inspect, then hand me cash, and that is all I should care about.

I had a guy tell me that I had to give him money off a machine I was selling to pay for his gas money to get to my place. I guess it was my fault as the seller that he didn't live next door to me.

Does the overwhelming opposition to your handling of these "deals" mean anything to you?

Most of the games I have purchased have been out of state. I state I have cash and I'll be there at a certain day and time. I offer a PayPal deposit if they want it.

I don't haggle trying to get the price down by some stupidly low amount just so I feel I got a deal.

I bought an out of state Centaur years ago. It was posted online and when I went to pick up the game the guy said he had 25 inquires about the game. I was #12 in that list - right in the middle. The reason he picked me and not the earlier potential buyers is because my inquiry was simple: I'd like the game, I have cash, a vehicle, and I can come on this day/time. Would you like a deposit? It was literally two sentences.

He stated all the other inquiries we're filled with bullshit... Want the game but need to sell something first....not sure when I can come... Would you accept 50% less than your asking price, would you take another 100 pictures of the game, blah blah blah.

The out of state buying process is incredibly simple. I've probably purchased close to 100 games over the years like this... I have never had a problem.

Money talks, bullshit walks

Bingo, this is a smart buyer right here. Be like Bayou Billy. Every successful buyer I know does the same thing, it's what I was taught. Make it simple and to the point.

Five is more than enough to establish a pattern. Either you have extraordinary bad luck, or the problem is you. Your posts suggest that you're not really interested in reflecting on or changing your behavior, but for what it's worth I would ask yourself two questions before getting irate at this remarkable string of "bad sellers."

Question One: Were you really making "deals" to begin with? Did you agree that you would purchase their pinball machine for $X? And that you would close the deal on Y date (or within Y days)? If not, then what you probably had was an arrangement to come look at their machine at Y time. Unless they expressly promised not to sell the machine to anyone else until you had a chance to look at it and decide if you wanted it, you never had a deal in the first place. Just assuming that a seller will hold something without a promise is setting yourself up for disappointment.

Question Two: If you did have a deal to actually buy the pin, or even for them to hold the pin until you could see it, did you yourself break the deal by changing the price or timeframe based on your own issues with furnaces, U-Hauls, etc.? They have zero moral obligation to "stick to a deal" after you've shown that you can't or won't do so.

You have also made clear that you are above offering deposits. If you're actually interested in buying games instead of complaining about games you missed out on, why wouldn't you take simple steps to make the seller as likely as possible to hold onto the game until you can come get it? Even a small deposit shows that you're serious, and just as important makes the seller feel like they've already "sold" the game to you.

I hope this guy listens to all the feedback he's getting here. It's all good advice - common sense even.

Venmo? Paypal? Put a check in the mail? If you can't figure this out why are you trying to buy out of state games?

With you so far...

And you lost me... what if you can't get together your multiple deals? I don't even know how you can put together a SINGLE deal with your whole "I don't do stupid" philosophy.

I just read all of this because I had about 15 minutes to spare. This guy will not listen to any of the feedback. He is a drama king, and is actually getting off on all the posts about his idiocy. Flake of flakes!

Wow he should read Miltown's story on buying a BOP.

Had to look at the OP's location, thought it was an alternate Otaku account...

This is the same guy in the Pirates Gold for sale thread, wanting to buy it for nothing, and it was a nice looking machine & rare.

Haha..

Is there a link so we could see that story?

This is pretty much the definition of your typical flakey buyer.

Game is sold when money changes hands. Make an agreement on when and where to make exchange. Any discussion that involves " but then..." or "when I can" = you are already behind the eight ball and at the graces of the seller.

You make an arrangement to see and buy the game. Don't ask sellers to sit around and wait for you to save up money... or when you can be free, etc. If you can't make your commitments or don't have the money... then understand you can't buy the game and they may or may not wait for you.

I'll bet the OP is really glad he started this thread. lol

I initially thought that because you're new to the hobby, you were looking for advice, but statements like this make me feel otherwise. Lots of good people with years of buying/selling are trying to educate you. You might want to take their advice and also dial down the snark.

Just follow the Golden Rule: First guy to lay cash on the glass takes it.

Simple, easy, no hassles. Too many craigslist flakes out there to deal with anything else.

Also not a good thing to lowball when a seller offers to deliver to you to help out someone new to the hobby (8 hour round trip). Lowballing gets you nowhere on this site, we know too much.

Last night I made a deal on a Flash Gorgon. Seller (from here) offered one in response to my WTB post. Offered one at $1500 plus $200 to ship. Countered at $1500 delivered. Seller asked me meet them half way, $1600. Within 2 minutes I agreed and asked payment & shipping questions. Next email is the price is now $1700, husband didn't approve the selling price. WTF is wrong with people? This seller deals new Sterns and JJ pins so you'd think they'd know what they're doing.

You should respond that your offer is now $1400 delivered, your wife didn't approve of their negotiating tactics.

Move on to the next deal, plenty of places to spend your $$$

Learn your lesson

Don't whine about it

I only have one bit of advice---if you come to an agreement on price and pick up, then maintain communications until the deal is complete. If you leave a seller hanging, you will probably lose the deal ☹️

Buy a truck...

Off topic >but I'm worried what will happen when Grayman_EM finally gets an em project and starts a new topic asking for help getting it going and trying to explain what steps need to be done and just frustrating the shit out of us for not listening.
-Mike

Did you ask to speak to the seller's manager about your negative experience?

This is legit. I disagree with a lot of what is said on here that I just completely overlook. The pinside community has helped me get so many machines up and running.

So are you saying....please nobody sell this guy a pinball machine?

This situation goes past buying pinball games and is generally a life lesson. As an example I will use buying a car or leasing an apartment. Want that apartment in the nice neighborhood with a great price or that used car? Well a lot of people likely want the same thing you want because it doesn't come up that often. Putting money down on said object is laying down a lot more claim than saying "I want X". Yeah you and the next guy who says the same thing. Once you put down money though, you are a SERIOUS buyer and not another CL troll. Cash talks as they say! Even a credit card number would work across state lines. Don't give out the security code for obvious reasons. What does a hotel ask you when you reserve a room?

Haters....LOL....Flake-O-Zoid

**Added to drama queen list.

Sigh...... This is why you didn't get these games. You have to bring your warm money when someone wants to sell a game, not when you can finally get your act together.

I’m thinking that people probably just are Leary of dealing with you after they talk to you. I can only imagine some of the things that you say when trying to set up a deal lol. The bottom line is money talks and BS walks. I’m not holding a game for someone that I don’t know that lives far away when I have people in my own town with cash in hand and ready to buy. A person would have to be an idiot to do that.

Some of you guys are saying "the game is still on the market until the money is in my hand". Personally i am okay with giving slightly more benefit of the doubt than that -- if i'm the seller, the game is off the market once there's an agreed-upon pickup date. If that falls through for some reason (hey, shit happens) then it goes back on the market.

Either way, it sounds like the OP here met neither of those requirements and regularly expects sellers to hold games indefinitely with no deposit. Ridiculous.

Oh and bragging about how you like to make lowball offers ... probably not a great move.

For what it’s worth, if I ever have a game for sale on here, I’ll hold it for anyone for a reasonable amount of time to get your affairs in order and come get it.

You contact me first and agree to the price, it’s yours until I hear from you or I don’t hear from you for a while if I follow up.

If you disappear or back out, I’ll move down the line.

That being said, if I sell it almost always gets snagged offline before I even need to post here.

Yet you can't find a problem with your own logic.

If you want a game out of state, that other people want, you HAVE to put a deposit on the game or no seller is going to hold it unless you are a friend.

I have bought plenty of games out of state and only way to do it was to do due diligence on the seller, get good photos and send them the money as NAVL picked them up.

At some point you have to trust the seller if you want the game.

Communication is the key and it doesn't take long to work people out.

So I haven't bought pins off CL but I have bought tons of video games off it and the same principles apply. Respond quick,ask a few questions,agree on a price, set up a time. Buyers are flaky all the time,I've asked questions and told them I'm not interested if I don't like what I hear. I dont expect them to hold it for me, as they're not a business looking for repeat customers.

I think you need to rethink your role as buyer. They're not supposed to be swooning you in a "customer is always right" style. You shouldn't be expecting them to hold pins if all you said is "I'd buy it for $X" with no further details. Also, unless youre chatting it up, they don't care about ancillary details in your life. If anything it makes you a worse buyer.

Who would you rather sell to?
Guy A: "ill be there tomorrow 5 pm, cash in hand, to pick it up after a quick look over"

Guy B: "I can probably make it this weekend, but my lawn mower broke, so Idk how long that will take, but maybe the weekend after that. Also, I won't do a deposit cause you're a stranger and I dont trust you, but I want you to hold the game indefinitely and trust ME to pick it up at my convenience"

I seriously think you'll be less disssapointed if you get out of the mindset that this is a business, and think more of it two parties making a trade. While I understand videogames are a lot cheaper, easier to transport etc.. You will 100% have more success the more expedient you are.

We seen this thread a million times. Who cares.

You mean the one where a guy with horrible buying tactics loses out on a game because of it, immediately looks for sympathy and refuses to listen to logic and reason?

If you don’t have a Pin hauler, you are screwed pretty much.

I’d suggested saving some pennies, sell your current car for a decent mini van or truck then use that for your day to day and a Pin hauler. Then you can jump on a game quicker. Most sellers will wait until you’re off work or the weekend.

Is this the "Buyers to Avoid" thread!?

Ahem
As a Canadian living on Vancouver island I have beat out local buyers on about 8 arcade items on Seattle Craigslist by using the following technique:
First contact
Be genuine
Talk to seller and get a sense if he's a straight up guy
If price is fair pay full
Establish pickup time
Send deposit
Only time it doesn't work is if seller wants stuff gone today and you're unable to make it.
Just picked up asteroids deluxe,defender and Phoenix last weekend!
Op is a whiny dumbass frankly!

The original post reads like flea market mentality with Sotheby's auction entitlement.
Used pinball machines aren't the venue of Wall Street bankers