Quoted from La4s:

About 6 months ago I was the first at an estate sale to look at a machine in which they originally wanted $2000 for. I left my offer, which was signficantly less than the asking price. The guy running the estate auction said he had been getting calls and higher offers all week. Two days later, I get a call asking if I would still like the machine at my asking price. Maybe the the guy was b.s.ing me about the offers, but if they were real offers none of them were serious, otherwise I wouldn't have the machine today.

Quoted from RonSS:

I'm confused. You were basically 1st in line, then said "I'll take it!", followed by later saying "I want a cheaper price!"?
I'm not understanding "claiming the pin".

Quoted from jibmums:

The people that run these estate sales are such lying sacks of sh-t. It's almost like there's a script that they read:
- Whatever condition the machine is in, they will ALWAYS tell you that "we were just playing it last night", or that "it was just working this morning", even if it's obvious that the batteries are dead or worse and the machine is unplayable.
- They will ALWAYS tell you that they already have "several much higher offers" from people that are ALWAYS coming in from out of state.
- Their ads ALWAYS state "no previews" and "no early birds" but even if you're first in line on the day of the sale, half the time the machine is already sold.
Don't believe a word that they tell you.

Quoted from silver_spinner:

they were already sold to newbees who pay higher and are not gonna flip so it is what it is. Virtually no deals are out there anymore unless you are lightning quick before any one else gets in if something is listed cheap. Or, if the first person that responds to an ad, like the non working quicksilver on marketplace a couple weeks back for 1400, gets it that cheap bcuz the seller waits for the initial first person who says they will take it, even though people are offering more than asking price to the seller since the seller is clueless on that title. (then that person lists the game on here for 5k the next day in same condition)..lol. The internet wrecked most deals. Someone in the boonies back in the day didn't have people from all over making offers, they had to rely on the immediate area. People now will have it shipped, send a shipper or drive many many hours to pickup themselves no matter distance. It's to easy for anyone to list on c list or marketplace even if they don't have a clue about games.
days of deals are about over! flippers usually have no real job so they can go anywhere at the drop of a hat and have every notifier out there when something is posted and often use sob stories to get the deal. Then they buy, do minimal (like ad purple or blue leds and call it a day), flip and don't pay income taxes.
hard to compete with that.

Quoted from 27dnast:

I was first. About 10 others came right away and were hawking over it... everyone knew I was first on list. I said I was buying it. About 1/2 said I was an idiot and overpaying . Lots of gamesmanship going on. They all left within about 20 min.
It took a while for one of the estate sale people to come over... she got there once everyone left. I told her I thought I wanted it, but she couldn't find the key. So we started talking... I told her it was way overpriced (which it was). She asked me what I would offer for it. She got on the phone with the owner of the home. She told the person she had someone there that really wanted it and what I was offering.
The owner said yes. I bought it.
No shenanigans. Just what happened.
I'd never been to an estate sale before. The week leading up to the sale, I did some research online and read that people start arriving at these sales as early as 3AM to get a place in line. Me not knowing up from down, I got there at 4AM. Nobody else was there. In fact, no one got there until 7AM and that person was from the ES company. Truthfully, if I hadn't driven an hour into the heart of No.VA, I probably would have left.
Anyhow, the salesperson took my name down and noted what I wanted. She told me I could leave and come back at 9am and jump to the front of the line.
So, went and grabbed some breakfast. Got back there at 8:50. It was PACKED and the line was long. A bunch of people had a problem with me walking to the front of the line. BUT, I was so exhausted I really didn't care and the ES people read names off the list...
The rest is history.
It was a fun adventure... had some funny moments (like one of the neighbors knocking on my car window early in the morning, asking what I was doing sitting there, telling me they were about to call the police). And I really don't think I'll ever do anything like that again. I'm to a point in this hobby where I'm willing to pay a little more for convenience... and I don't have a big workshop space anymore, so major refurb jobs aren't as easy to pull off.

Quoted from mamemaster:

It's funny - regardless of the debate here about the value of an Estate Sale - it makes me sad to see someone's collection being sold because they're either too old to take care of it - or are gone.
There's something sad to me about these sales as these are machines of fun. The thought of person that bought them to have fun - and now they're getting sold off likely because they're dead.
My wife promised not to do this - but keep my arcade as my shrine!

Quoted from RonSS:

Got it. That makes more sense. Thanks for the explanation.

Quoted from Coindork:

You think that's sad, you ain't seen nothing.
Start going to estate sales and you will see some fucked up things.
Especially when the heir is some more distant relative that doesn't give a shit and just wants the money.
Sometimes that family member is present at the sale and you will see things like family photo albums in the trash pile.

Quoted from La4s:

People are heartless sometimes, and all the care about is the inheritance. I worked with the elderly population for a long time and have seen some really messed up things that much worse than throwing away family photo albums.
We all give value to items that have no value to others, and that is how people in hobbies rip off little old ladies.

Quoted from mamemaster:

It's funny - regardless of the debate here about the value of an Estate Sale - it makes me sad to see someone's collection being sold because they're either too old to take care of it - or are gone.
There's something sad to me about these sales as these are machines of fun. The thought of person that bought them to have fun - and now they're getting sold off likely because they're dead.
My wife promised not to do this - but keep my arcade as my shrine!

Quoted from jwilson:

Yes, god forbid the family get the best price for their stuff.

Quoted from 27dnast:

I was first. About 10 others came right away and were hawking over it... everyone knew I was first on list. I said I was buying it. About 1/2 said I was an idiot and overpaying . Lots of gamesmanship going on. They all left within about 20 min.
It took a while for one of the estate sale people to come over... she got there once everyone left. I told her I thought I wanted it, but she couldn't find the key. So we started talking... I told her it was way overpriced (which it was). She asked me what I would offer for it. She got on the phone with the owner of the home. She told the person she had someone there that really wanted it and what I was offering.
The owner said yes. I bought it.
No shenanigans. Just what happened.
I'd never been to an estate sale before. The week leading up to the sale, I did some research online and read that people start arriving at these sales as early as 3AM to get a place in line. Me not knowing up from down, I got there at 4AM. Nobody else was there. In fact, no one got there until 7AM and that person was from the ES company. Truthfully, if I hadn't driven an hour into the heart of No.VA, I probably would have left.
Anyhow, the salesperson took my name down and noted what I wanted. She told me I could leave and come back at 9am and jump to the front of the line.
So, went and grabbed some breakfast. Got back there at 8:50. It was PACKED and the line was long. A bunch of people had a problem with me walking to the front of the line. BUT, I was so exhausted I really didn't care and the ES people read names off the list...
The rest is history.
It was a fun adventure... had some funny moments (like one of the neighbors knocking on my car window early in the morning, asking what I was doing sitting there, telling me they were about to call the police). And I really don't think I'll ever do anything like that again. I'm to a point in this hobby where I'm willing to pay a little more for convenience... and I don't have a big workshop space anymore, so major refurb jobs aren't as easy to pull off.

Quoted from 27dnast:

They all left within about 20 min.

Quoted from gac:

Yes, I'm sure they need the extra $1,000 for a pinball machine because their 7500 square foot house in Kinnelon NJ isn't worth much.

Quoted from Eryeal:

It adds up.

Quoted from Eryeal:

This is the wrong (and backwards) kind of thinking. You don't waste $1,000 regardless of how much money you have. In reality most people who are well off manage their money more closely than others (and is a reason why they are well off). It adds up.