We've all seen for sale threads turn into a volatile wasteland. Someone looking to sell a game lists a high price and the community flips out. To avoid turning every FS thread into that, I thought we could discuss our issues regarding Price Policing here. I've got some thoughts to share and would love to hear from you guys as well. I'll try and categorize my thoughts to make it easier to follow.
SETTING THE PRICE HIGH
Most, if not all, anger occurs when a seller sets the price high. I'll never understand this anger. It's within the sellers best interest to ask high and it's in the buyers best interest to offer low. You meet in the middle and have a deal. Too many times I see people taking a seller's asking price as a personal insult. Why? They are just trying to get the most for their game.
CONDITION VS PRICE
I'll say this, most pinball collectors keep their pins in damn nice shape. But when it comes to a restored game, it's much harder to determine a price. For often times a restorer may have more into a pin than it should be worth and they will try and get all they put in back. But for some buyers who want mint/restored games, they may not care about paying more than you think it's worth. For example, that minty mint GN'R that was shown recently, you know the one with the glossy black cabinet...how much would you say it's worth? With GN'Rs going for around 5K, how do you price a total restore that's made better than new? I'll say this...I offered the guy 10K for it and he said no, he had more than that into it...Now if he had started a For Sale thread and listed it at 11-12K, he would have been flamed out of town. But again, he can ask what he wants, is not a criminal for asking, and if someone wants it badly enough, they may jump for it.
ACTING LIKE BUYERS WITH MONEY ARE IDIOTS
This happens a lot. We hear stuff like, "Only an idiot would pay this much!" I got that all the time on KLOV and it's the main reason why I hated KLOV and the way those guys all felt every game was $800 or less. The reality is this: people who want what they want, when they want it, may not have any problem at all spending more. On top of that, they will not regret their decision later on. I paid $3,000 for an original Kong Off Edition machine that was played by Steve Wiebe and signed by him and Billy Mitchell. I got flamed to high hell. But I love the machine, the story behind it, and to me it was worth it. Same thing happened when I bought Fix it Felix for $6,500...Everyone said it was a joke game and worthless. But I love having a Disney original. In fact one just sold for $7,000 (with shipping) on eBay. The point I'm trying to make is people who find exactly what they are looking for may go above the so called "market price". These people are not victims that could be saved if only they listened to your advice. They are home enjoying their new toy.
THINKING ORIGINAL VS REMAKE MATTERS
Sorry guys, these aren't Shelby mustangs. New versions of the same game with updated everything. No brainer. Let's just all admit that a remake will cause the price of the originals to go down. Which is a good thing. No way MM's should have been selling for 15K, ever.
STATING A FOR SALE THREAD IS NO PLACE FOR AN OPINION
This is illogical. If you start a thread, which is where we have discussions, you have to expect a discussion. It's 100% ok for people to discuss how they feel about your pin and your price. But what we can do is stop getting so upset if someone prices a game high. Instead of flaming people, things could be worded more positive. Instead of, "No fucking way an MMR is worth $9,500.." You could say..."These are selling for $8K, you may want to rethink that price or offer free shipping."
REPEATING WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID
This seems to be the pinside MO lately, but if 2-3-4-5 people have already stated something, don't state it again. Just click the THUMBS UP button...I often find it much easier to read / understand what most people think by following how many likes/dislikes a post gets vs the sheer volume of people regurgitating the same thing page after page.
LASTLY...REALIZE ALL PRICES ARE HEADED SOUTH
Prices climbed when volume was low and innovation was scarce. So many amazing new pins on the horizon. The entire market is going to dip. It's true of any collector market. I'm not saying huge drops...but people who bought WOZ won't be breaking even once Hobbit comes out. But in the end, the market will decide. Not me. Much love...
K
Canton, OH
