i have nothing to add, i just wanted to post

Jeff said he was sorry. He said he was wrong. From what he wrote it seems he learned something. Is there a better outcome we could wish for? Unless we have a time machine to go back and prevent Jeff from making the call this is the best outcome we can have. You’ve gotten your pound of flesh. Don’t scare Jeff off because of one mistake.

"I was wrong. I'll own it, learn from it, and move on."

So far you've done everything in the thread title except the "move on" part. Question for HEP: Are your restorations done for a specific customer negotiated pin and price only or do you restore a pin and then look for a buyer? If the former, then resale value of a particular pin is really not an issue with your business model at all I think. If the latter, I'd concentrate on restoring IJ TPA's exclusively. Many of us would pay for that I think.

life is very short, and theres no time
for fussing and fighting, my friend

Seller is not making money on the pin. TAF base game + HEP costs $13k+. Do the math.

Op seems like a good guy he sent me an email which was cool.
I personally don’t stress about these type of threads too much. I have been doing this full time for 15 years and have become the poster child for this type of work. It has created a sort of fan base and haters as well. When these types of threads pop up I already know how it is going to go.
The people that like and appreciate what I do are going to defend it and the haters are going to find any angle possible to take a shot at it.
The real outcome is typically nothing good or bad just some extra attention or drama to contend with.

Got to take the good with the bad and there is WAY more good than bad for me.
Every single thing you see in this gallery was done for hire and I had to quit adding to it about two years ago so that says a lot.
http://christopherhutchins.com/gallery/albums.php
As far as my business model. I don’t sell games or restore them on speculation.
What I do is provide a service restoring games supplied to me or sourcing games for someone to be restored to order. With my workload and output it doesn’t make any sense to get into the buying and selling of games or worrying about what they are worth.
My time is best spent just trying to turn whatever is sent into the nicest example I possibly can and charge a reasonable fee for the time,resources and knowledge I am providing.

Except it’s a standard!

a standard!!!

Not a gold.

NOT EVEN A GOLD!!!

Just curious, is it ‘newb’ or ‘noob’? Apparently, I’m both.

This dog is dead

“Newb” is someone who is new to pinball and figuring it out.

“Noob” is someone who is new to pinball, has checked the pinside rankings and price guide, and thinks they are an expert.

Same here. I like how crazed certain people get going on these threads.

This is the key point of this whole thread!
LittleBritainYeahButNoBut (resized).png

Op seems to admit he didn't know...Seller seemed in line.......

Bought my TAF for around 4k years ago. Chris worked his magic (a special game for me), and I wouldn't take 10.5k for it now. Game is off the charts, actually better than when it came from the factory, imho....(a standard, btw)

Why Is this thread still open?
Why did the mods allow private messages to be posted. I thought that was forbidden?

They were not private messages they were emails for a Craigslist add.

It’s not. And even if it were would Craigslist messages count?

Don’t send anybody a PM or email you wouldn’t want everyone to see.

Shit! I burnt my popcorn binge reading through all 3 pages.

that is the nicest addams family I have ever seen. If I had 10 grand to spend on a pin I would buy it!

Always blows my mind when people freak out over high prices pins?. More importantly, buyers submit way inaccurate prices, then get offended when their offer is turned down.

I have personally played this Addams, and I have personally dealt with the seller and he is a no bs, stand up guy. Additionally, I myself do what I would like to “call high end restorations” - but I’m no HEP by any means.

I know a high end restore when I see one and this Addams is without a doubt. The price is fair. As most have stated the HEP seal of approval should be enough.

I think folks need to do some more research when they go to purchase older pins. The price ranges can be all over the board, and in that sense I totally understand how there can be confusion for a buyer.

If you have done your homework, and truly understand what’s involved in restoring a pin to “better than new” aka high end, the price tag can go up exponentially, but you end up with a truly rare pin ready for years of fun.

Indeed, that's what I've learned from this experience.

I have a Cirqus Voltaire HEP Sample Game #65 and I can tell you, I wouldn't take $10,500 for it. The work Chris did to this game absolutely amazes me. I like to just cruze back to the Gallery from time to time and just go through all of his steps. (album 33) I also appreciate how Chris does his documentary process. It is like a little bonus gift to the owners. If I had the money, all my pins would be HEP.

This is a fuckin steal B yer too low bro.

HEP TAF be 15 at least. Wait. Is this a HEP gold?

Stop it! Just stop it!

You're gonna get Jeff'd

Sort of off topic, but not really. How long before a HEP is just another played pin and putting HEP in the sale description doesn't matter?

I think it would be a neat story if the OP actually ended up with the seller's TAF at the seller's asking. You could NEVER get an HEP version of this machine done for that price. It's a really good deal if you want an HEP version of an all time classic title. I wish I had the space and budget. Someone is going to be very happy.

Yes, but when does the HEP wear off and then it's just marketing?

HEP likes the Bad Brains so let's get it

I Against I be the bestest brains..

Hows that new T, J?

I've played a few HEP restored games and they do look real pretty and loads of work goes into them. Even seen a couple come out of the shipping crate-box, which to this day I have never seen a better packaging job by anyone.

Now as to how they played goes, each one needed to be tweeked like a NIB pin to play correctly and for the feeds to be spot on. Would think for the price the games would have been play tested and adjusted for smoothness.

Definitely commands a higher price than normal due to materials and parts being cleaned and/or replaced.

Yeah. I keep hearing that. Can't raise the price though. That would be bad form.

All this praise getting heaped onto my Addams is making it even tougher to let it go.

Should I sell my TWD Premium instead?

It's just a premium.

jeffro01 - I know a guy who has an imamaculate Baywatch pin at 1/3 of the price of NorCal's Addams Family if you're interested.

Sounds like someone is gonna get Dicked.

A premium.

Not even an LE.

A premium.

Good luck with that.

Hopefully the OP doesn't get Jeff'd

This mf sends me a yellow t with my name on the back.
DO I LOOK LIKE VIOLENT STEVE TO YOU MF?

I Against I is not even close to first album man C'MON.

Jeff, we have all been there...you don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t worry about the emails, they are not damaging on both sides. As a side note that is a really good price for a HEP TAF. Also you can change the ROM’s to the gold one for minimal cost.

Most TAF’s you see on the market come with 20 years of route and hacks, HEP are built better than the original manufacturer. This will have far fewer plays than your typical TAF and have all of the fixes from the beginning; no magnet burn, no chair wear and no sunken inserts. At this price, I am guessing that the seller is having inquiries. If you are new to pin ownership spending more for less problems is worth the extra $$$.

Tom

Op, spend the few extra grand and buy this beauty. Happy Hollywood ending

Sold a game to the OP and he's a stand up dude. Great transaction and super knowledgeable. Really enjoyed the transaction and meeting a fellow pinhead.

And I'm super tempted AF to pick up this TAF...

I'll trade you for it.

Maybe a 2 do 1 or a 1 for 1 plus cash.

I have a TNA butter cab.

yep!

Op has let it go, Hep has let it go.....hmmmm, so why not everyone else????????????

The seller stated: “Citing Pinside average values tells me you are totally unfamiliar with the value of high-end restorations.“

This is a factually accurate statement, which the buyer decided to get offended at. The buyer even welcomed a ‘hard no’ then seemed to persist.