This is a both a hobby and a business for me. I buy machines that i feel that I can clean up, add LED bulbs to, add a few other mods, add a warranty and a trade in guaranty of 80 %, and then I shoot for a 25% profit. I also offer a trade inventory of 30-50 machines at all times. Most people appreciate being able to buy a machine that is error free when they get them home; especially the ones that can't fix them themselves. However, there are times when I have people that wrongly flip out because they are not getting what they paid or full value for a machine towards another when their machine has several issues, is not shopped, has no warranty, etc. Its obvious that in most cases someone that can recondition machines is not looking to buy from a retailer, but it is not wrong for someone to try to get the best trade value for their games, and for the same reason it is not wrong for someone to sell their games for as much as they can get.
For the same reason a hobbyist is not wrong for making money for the time that he spent in reconditioning a machine; nobody should frown upon a business or individual that needs to sell his or her games at the highest price possible. These machines vary greatly in price for many reasons, especially condition. The same exact game can be worth 2-4 times as much depending on the condition, and a rare game can be sold to the a hard core collector for even more if its new in the box or close to that. If I had a Batman Forever brand new in the box and never opened, someone would pay $5000 or more for it, because it is worth that. Would that be wrong to do ?
There is no way that the prices of these older machines can stay the same or decrease when there is a fixed amount of them available and a large influx of new hobbyists which does not seem to be slowing down any time soon. As many people have said; it is supply and demand, and if someone is willing to pay for it, there is no reason not to sell it to them (as long as it is being represented properly of coarse). People are not wrong or stupid for buying or selling at what the current market dictates. If you don't like the price of something, don't buy it. Look for another deal, and don't judge the person that is trying to get the best deal for himself.
If you are dealing with a friend, or someone you have known on this site for a long time; it is a given that you should hook each other up, but expecting people that you don't know to take money out of their pockets and put it into yours makes no sense at all.
People often try to sell their used games for what I can buy the same game for brand new, and I don't judge them; i wish them luck and say maybe next time the deal will work.
Pinball is fun. Have as much fun with it for the least amount of money possible.. Don't ruin your experience trying to control what other people are doing.
Just my view...
Manny
Lights Out Pinball
