The truth is, it's never been an affordable hobby. Even when NIB games were $4000 and used games were $1000-$5000 - those aren't impulse purchase prices for most people. One always needed space & disposable income for this hobby.

It's harder today than it used to be, but if you're patient & resourceful - you can still end up with a "cheap" pinball machine. Hunting them down and fixing them yourself used to be part of the hobby...you don't have to buy NIB Limited/Collectors Editions to be part of it.

Yeah it's def harder now as there's not as much inventory around any given town as there used to be....but, it can still happen with a little legwork and patience. I was buying a game or two a week off Craigslist for a while back around 2009-2010...there were plenty of vultures & flippers back then, too. Just had to be on the ball & beat them to the punch!

I think it's truly the "I want it now" and "I want it new" crowd that's driven prices up....and they're fine paying it, soooo...here we are. It SEEMS like it's bad for the hobby, yet it's expanded the hobbyists.

Every time someone says this...or feels it...I say the same thing. Only thing that causes a pop or prices to fall is too many people selling the same titles at once coupled with lack of demand.

I just don't see that happening.

Even if a bunch of one title popped up at once...there'd be plenty of people to snap them up.

There’s no one way to do this hobby. Everyone has different means, interests, time constraints, and abilities.

Some want to own one, some want 100, some just want to play on route. Some like tournaments, some just like man vs. machine. Some like to tinker, some pay a tech.

Ya know what? Good for those little guys.