(To avoid scams when people pick up games in person, jump to here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide/page/7#post-4366586 )

PROFESSIONAL CON ARTISTS

=================================

These guys really are pros. They make their living ripping people off. They use the very roots of human nature - Greed, False Beliefs and CONfidence to steal from you.

Professionals have NO shame in taking your money. They believe that you are rich and they are poor.
Now on to the true story:

-----------------------------------

You are selling your TAF on Craigslist, Mr. Pinball or Pinside. You have it listed for $7,000. It's a high price, but you left wiggle room so you can haggle.

You get a bunch of emails. Tire kickers, Choggards offering you $3,500, people wanting a bunch of close up pics, people asking very technical questions, - but then one email stands out to you because they have just one simple question "Do you still have the item?" . This looks like the path of least resistance, so you answer this email first, and start the downhill process to you getting scammed.

--------------------------------------

(We are going to pause the story here to look at what is going on in the background.

The email you received likely came from Nigeria, Romania or Ireland. This is where many professional "boiler room" scam operations are located.

These Boiler Rooms send out millions of emails each day.

They need to be efficient in sorting out likely victims over other people who are going to wise up during the process and waste their time.

Read the above sentence again.

You have passed the "likely victim" test. You answered an email that no normal person would ever answer. You answered an email that does not even name the title of the item for sale.

They asked about "THE ITEM". Not the Adams Family, not pinball table, not even "the game".

They asked about "THE ITEM"; and you, like an idiot, replied to them.

The people working in the boiler rooms **could** just put the name of the item into the email, and that, of course, would draw in more responses . But they don't want more responses, they want responses from the dumbest people. And the dumbest people will be the ones who answer someone inquiring about "The Item". See how you passed the test? You have been pre-qualified to be scammed.

Back to the story.)

------------------------------------------

So in a few hours the "buyer" has sent you a reply to your email.

He says that he is satisfied with the condition of the item and feels the price is fair at the agreed upon $7000 USD.

He would like to buy it!

He is currently traveling abroad on business, so his agent will pick up the game once the payment clears your bank.

He asks for your name and address to make the Cashier's Check or Money Order out to.

He signs the email with a "God Bless" and his name is Dr Richard Smith.

You call out to your wife with joy "Honey, the guy is going to buy the game and is not even coming out to look at it!!!

--------------------------------------------

( At this point, any intelligent person would see so many red flags that they would never reply to that email. But not you, you are blinded by greed. You are going to get top dollar for your game!

Let's look at why that email is toxic to people of normal intellect:

1. He says he is satisfied with the condition of the game.

Did he ever ask you any questions about the game's condition? No.

Did he ever ask for more pictures? No.

Would any real person buy something for $7000 and not ask a few questions about its condition? No.

But you just "figure" the guy is rich and too busy to ask normal questions.

2. Agreed upon $7,000 USD.

Have you EVER used the term "United States Dollars" in a normal transaction? No.

This would tell you that the sender of the email is very unfamiliar with the way US citizens converse about currency.

"Agreed Upon" Did you guys ever discuss the price? No.

3. Price is FAIR

Your price is high. There are 20,000 TAFs in the world and this guy found you, and your high price, and now wants it without seeing it? You believe this? Really?

4. He is currently traveling on business

If you were traveling, would that be the time you were also shopping for a major purchase like a $7,000 used pinball machine?

Would that be the ideal time in your life to get Cashier's Checks made up? When you are in another country, far from your bank?

It's not like he was traveling in your neighborhood and saw it at your garage sale.

A suspicious person might think it was a convent situational set up to scam you. But not you, you are going to get top dollar for your game!

5. His "agent" is going to pick up the game

His agent? What is he a famous author or a rock star?
Again, normal Americans would say a shipper will pick up the game, never their agent.

6. The payment has to clear your bank first.

Here is the CONfidence part of the con.

How could it be a scam, if the payment is going to clear your bank first?

He can't take the money back once the check clears, right?

He is actually trusting YOU that you won't just keep the money and the machine. He has confidence in you! You like that.

7. Cashier's Check or Money Order

Here is where the False Beliefs part of the scam comes in.

We all know that Cashier's Checks are "as good as cash", right? (NO!)

We all know that Money Orders clear the bank in two days, right? (NO!)

We all know that as soon as your bank statement shows the funds are available, the Check has cleared, right? (NO! How friggin' stupid can you be ????)

If you only come away from this guide with one idea in your head, make it this one:

PERSONAL CHECKS, CASHIER'S CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS ALL TAKE 3-4 WEEKS TO CLEAR YOUR BANK !!!!!

Got it?

Your bank is not special.

The teller at the bank knows nothing about the length of time a check takes to clear. Tellers are minimum wage workers who cash your payroll checks - same as Rocco at the party store.

8. He is a Doctor and says "God Bless"

Here is the CONfidence game again.

He is a Doctor. We like to trust doctors. We often trust doctors with our very lives.

He says "God Bless". He is a religious man. We often feel more trust towards people who are deeply religious. Thou Shall Not Steal, and all that…..

Back to the story.)

---------------------------------------------

So you have sent the good Doctor your name and address and now he has OVERNIGHTED you the check.

Wow, you are impressed. He must REALLY want you game, because overnighting anything costs money!

And look at that, instead of $7,000 he made the check out for $8,700 !!!!!

Sheesh, this guy has so much money, he does not know what he is doing with it. No wonder he is paying top dollar for your game.

You email the doctor and he gushes with embarrassment and apologies. He got your check amount mixed up with a different one he was sending. Or his bank made out the check and accidentally included the Taxes or Duty. Oh my.

He asks that you go ahead and deposit that check. He trusts you.

Then just send him back $1,500 and keep the extra $200 for your inconvenience. And he stresses, don't send him the money until your bank says the money has been deposited.

----------------------------

(OK, I've got to ask, have you EVER, even a single time in your life, accidentally overpaid anybody by $1700 ?? No?

How about by $100? No? It does not really happen, does it? )

--------------------------

You take the check directly to the bank.

The check looks good. Thick paper, red white & blue logo, the payable amount embossed in a rainbow of ink. This check certainly was not printed on some scammers ink jet printer with all that embossing!

The teller dutifully takes the check and gives you back a deposit ticket.

You ask how long until that check clears and she says "Funds are generally available in 48 hours".

Nice. You will know if that check is good in two days!

The next day you check your balance online at lunch, and the $8,700 is not in your account yet.

The second day it's there! The $8,700 is in your account.

You tell your wife, who was suspicious about the whole transaction, that you were right, the check was good.

You send an email to the Doctor and tell him the check has cleared.

He sends you back an email apologizing that he is embarrassed to tell you, but he has been robbed while traveling! They took his Wallet, Credit Cards, and his Passport. He is in great peril.

He needs you to Western Union that $1500 to him right away so he can pay his hotel bill! Otherwise the police are holding him for non-payment!

You of course, feel really bad that this happened to the Doctor, so you rush out and send him back his overpayment. You feel so bad you send him the entire $1700 overpayment back.

He thanks you for your kind help. He lets you know that his agent will be in contact with you the moment the Doctor can get everything straightened out in his life.

You go out and buy a NIB game with your $7,000.

Four weeks later, your wife calls you at work.

A letter came from the bank.

That check from the Doctor, it was fake!

You got a chargeback for $8700 , a $30 bounced check fee. And you sent him $1700 of your own money.

Nice.

PERSONAL CHECKS, CASHIER'S CHECKS, CERTIFIED CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS ALL TAKE 3-4 WEEKS TO CLEAR YOUR BANK

========================================

There is a Federal Law that states that banks have to make deposited funds available to you in 48 hours (with a few exceptions).

That does not mean that the funds have cleared!

Funds Available ≠ Funds Cleared <------- These are two totally different things!!!!!!

-

Banks don't cash checks directly from other banks.

When you take my check from Bank of America and deposit it in your Chase Bank account, Chase does not get the cash directly from BOA.

Instead, Chase cashes the check through a Clearing House that takes checks from many different banks. The Clearing House gets the money from BOA and then it is placed in a Chase account.

So when scammers put odd routing numbers or international numbers onto fake checks, it can take weeks for the depositing bank to finally get the returned check stamped as the dreaded AIFI - Altered Item / Fictitious Item.

You have probably taken a check from somebody, and then said you would ship the item as soon as the funds clear. Often the person will watch their account like a hawk and email you the moment the money is deducted from their account: "Hey, I just checked and that check cleared at 1pm today. Have you sent my package????".
Just because the money was deducted by the clearing house, does not mean it has been cleared by the Clearing House to your bank, so don't let people rush you.

PAYPAL

================================================

Well, if Checks and Money Orders are fraught with dangers, Paypal must be safe right?

Paypal is good if you are a BUYER, but you should never accept it as a seller.

Of course if someone rips you off for $50 on a display glass you sold them, you are not going to lose much sleep, but if someone rips you off for $7000, that's a different story.

Don't accept Paypal for payment on large items.

There are 1000s of Paypal scams on the net, but the two that probably apply the most to Pinheads is Chargeback and Counterfeit.

CHARGEBACK - a Chargeback is where someone files a dispute with Paypal.

If you are a regular Paypal user, you have probably found out that it is simply the flip of a coin as to whether Paypal sides with you or not. Sometimes they ask for evidence, sometimes they don't. Sometimes it takes 2 days and sometimes 2 weeks, but however they rule, the ruling is final. There is no appeals process, no submitting more evidence, it's just a crap shoot.

IF SOMEONE PAYS ME AS A "GIFT" or "FRIENDS AND FAMILY" THEY CAN'T FILE A DISPUTE, RIGHT?

Ah, here is another False Belief that is exploited by scammers to steal from you.

Paypal says that if you pay someone by "F&F" there is no disputing of the transaction through Paypal allowed. So people get the idea into their heads that this must the only safe way to accept money from Paypal.

What Paypal does not tell you is that all the buyer has to do is file a dispute directly with their Credit Card company and then the Credit Card company will chargeback Paypal, who will then Chargeback you, the seller.

And as a super bonus, although Paypal's dispute period is 45 days (180 days for some items), most Credit Card companies allow chargebacks for 6 months. So even months latter, you can get a chargeback from Paypal.

If you have already removed the money from your Paypal account, Paypal will try to take the chargeback amount from any bank account or credit card you have attached to your Paypal account.

If they can't get that money from any of those sources, they sell the debt immediately to a collection agency.

COUNTERFEIT - Another great scam is the buyer files a dispute with Paypal that the item or a substantial part of the item is Counterfeit.

Under Paypal's rules, Counterfeit items can not be returned to the seller - they must be destroyed by the buyer in order for Paypal to refund the purchase price.

No one at Paypal is a expert on Pinball authenticity, so they simply request the buyer send photo evidence that the machine indeed has been destroyed, and the money is refunded to the buyer.

You are out the machine, the shipping costs and the payment at this point.

---------------------------------------

Here is the $2,500 150 year old violin that Paypal made the buyer smash in order to get a refund:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/04/paypal-forced-ebay-buyer-violin-counterfeit-_n_1183687.html

MONEY WIRING SCAM
===============================================

Another favorite of the CONfidence part of the game is the Money Wiring Scam.

Everyone **knows** that if someone wires money to your bank account, they can't take it back. So you are confident that wired money must be a safe transaction.

But of course, that is not the case.

Here the scam works by the buyer saying he want's to wire money to you "because it's safer for both of us".

You give him your bank account number, your address, your bank's address and wait for the money to be wired over.

Of course the scammer has a different plan:

1. He overnights a check made out to you, directly to your bank's branch.

2. The bank receives the check with your name, address and account number on it, and deposits it into your account.

3. You check your balance and see that a deposit has been made for $7,000

4. You believe that the money was WIRED, so you are CONfident that the funds are good.

5. You ship or allow pick up of the item.

6. 3-4 weeks latter, the bank gives you a Chargeback for $7,000 + a $30 Bounce Check Fee.

-

In the USA, most banks charge a fee of $30-50 to accept a wired money transfer. If you see your account received the $7,000 without the transfer fee - be very afraid!

In Europe the wired money fee is often only .60 cents for the same service, so it is harder to notice such a small fee.

POSTAL MONEY ORDER SCAM

===================================================

Scammers tend to "know" how things work in real life vs. how everyone "understands" they should work and they exploit that gap in knowledge.

US Postal Money Orders would seem on the surface to be a great solution:.

You cash them in at the Post Office, so no Chargeback weeks latter from your own bank account.

Watermarks on them to prevent forgery that anyone can see for themselves.

Post Offices are everywhere to cash them.

Since you are already at the Post Office cashing the check, you can ship the package at the same time.

-

The Scammers will say, "Cash that check at the Post Office, and send my package at the same time".

But the Scammers know something you don't: The Post Office will almost never cash a check for more than $100. Even if you call ahead and ask them to have money on hand to cash a big check, when you get there, the employees will always say they don't have enough funds to cash it.

So you box up the item, you drive to the Post Office, you pay for parking, you stand in line 25 minutes, you get to the desk expecting to cash the Money Order and the employee says they don't have enough funds on hand. You ask what are you supposed to do, and they tell you to simply deposit it in your own bank account (exactly what you did not want to do).

Even though there are 30 people in line behind you, a lightbulb turns on in your head and you ask "Hey, can you at least check if it is real?". The employee begrudgingly takes the check back a second time from you and scans the check into the computer. The number comes back as a valid check in the system, so the employee says "Yep, it's real".

With this reassurance from the employee, you decide to to ship the package as you have already drove, paid for parking and stood in line.

The next day, you deposit the check at your bank. 3-4 weeks latter it bounces back. WTF? The check, although it was "real", was purchased as a $1 instrument. The scammers reprinted the amount on it, and passed it onto you, knowing you could not cash it on the spot at the Post Office.

-

No Postal Money Order is ever issued for more than $1000 - if you get one for a larger amount, it's fake.

All PMOs have the amount printed twice - if you have one with a single dollar amount, it's fake.

Although there are about 30 countries that accept PMOs, they are only issued from the USA. So a US PMO sent from Romania is always fake.

-

So if you get a Postal Money Order for more than $100, you are likely going to have to deposit it into your bank account, just like any other check. Give it a month to clear before you ship anything.

PAYPAL LOCAL PICK UP SCAMS

=====================================

A guy calls and after a bit of conversation, he says he will buy your pinball machine!

He allows you to share his excitement and hey, that was easy, you say to yourself.

But just before heading over to your place, he calls and says he wants to pay you with Paypal.

He **really** needs to pay with Paypal because:

1. His bank is closed, and he wants your game right now.

2. He wants to use his credit card so he gets some points, or....

3. He needs to use his credit card, and because you are not a merchant, he can only use Paypal to buy from you.

Hmmmm.....you say to yourself; everything involving Paypal is stupidly risky to an intelligent seller....

"Hey! Tell you what, I'll even pay you the 3% Paypal fee ! I don't want you to have to be inconvenienced because of me. " he says, interrupting your thought. "In fact, I'll Paypal FRIENDS & FAMILY the money to you. No fees or anything!", he adds.

Alright, you reluctantly agree. At least he is buying the game and he has not even seen it yet.

-

Your wife is of course skeptical, but you tell her that you are going to take down the guy's driver's license and his license plate; **just in case**.

-

Guy shows up, is excited about the game. He pokes at his phone paying you by Paypal.

You check your phone, you have funds!

You: Hey guy, can I see your driver's license, you know, just in case?
Guy: Really??? I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Well..I guess.... (hands you his license reluctantly ).
You: Great, you know, can't be too careful...
Guy: Yep, a lot of crazy people in this world, that's for sure.
You: And....can you sign this paper stating you picked up the game?
Guy: Wow, I did not have to provide this much documentation when I bought my house...heh heh....

The gent leaves and you tell your wife that he was a nice guy.

-

Of course a day later, Paypal gives you a charge-back for the entire price of the game.

You tell them that you have a signed receipt that the guy picked up the game, but it falls on deaf ears - Paypal does not accept non-digital tracking delivery verification.

You call the cops and they tell you that even though the amount of money is a felony, because of the way it went down, it is a civil matter - you need to take him to court.

Because he Paypal F&F the money to you, his address does not appear in your Paypal account statement. Good thing you wrote down his driver's license info.

You send registered letters to his address and they come back unsigned. You pay $50 for a name lookup and find out that they guy who came and got the game is not the guy at that address! You always though that only college kids had those fake IDs....

Of course his license plate was not registered to that truck.

-

Paypal accounts are Phished all the time.

People file Paypal charge-backs all the time.

A stolen credit card number is used to put funds into an account, Paypal reverses the payment to you. Since the buyer is a "friend or family member" of yours, you are stuck trying to recover the money.

Professional con men are ten steps ahead of you all the time.

-

If you take one thing away from this entire guide:

DO NOT ACCEPT PAYPAL AS PAYMENT FOR EXPENSIVE ITEMS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Internet Escrow Service

===============================================

OK, if there are so many ways to get ripped off, how do you do a remote transaction and NOT get your ass ripped?

Internet Escrow Service.

An IES protects the Buyer AND the Seller of a pinball machine.

1. The Buyer sends payment to the IES and the IES cashes the check for you. They verify it's good money whether it's a Check, Money Order, Credit Card, Wire Transfer..... all the worries about money scams are now the responsibility of the IES. Any currency conversions are handled automatically for overseas sales.

2. You ship the game to the Buyer.

3. The Buyer examines the game and makes sure it is exactly what was expected.

4. The Buyer signs off on the game.

5. The IES releases the money to the Seller.

WOW, you say, that's a great service! I bet it costs a fortune ?

Nope, even on an expensive $7,000 game, the fees are only about $100 to $160 (depending on the IES).

Think about this, $160 to have a worry free transaction? That's a friggin' bargain!

-----------------------------------

Q: Is there any way I can get ripped off by an IES?

Only if you use a fake IES.

As a seller, only use one of the big two:

https://escrow.com

http://safefunds.com

NEVER let the buyer talk you into using a different Escrow Service. They will say things like "Hey, I get a discount from fakescrow.com because I use them so much....I'll even pay the fee.", tell them you ONLY use escrow.com and if they balk, you know it was a scam.

-------------------------------------

Q: Who pays the Escrow fee?

Either party can pay the fee, or you can split it between you.

-------------------------------------

Q: I'm really tempted to use a different IES because the fees are so low.....

Sounds like a bad idea, but check:

Do they have a street mailing address on their web site?

When you look up that address on BBB.org is it a legit Escrow business?

Do they have a toll free number?

When you call that number does somebody instantly answer, or does it go to voicemail?

When you run a WHOIS on their web address, was it recently registered?

Does the WHOIS resolve to their street mailing address?

PROOF OF GAME CONDITION

================================================

Up until now we have been talking about all out fraud.

Another way to get ripped off in pinball is game condition.

A game may be described as "restored", "shopped", "great condition", "Home Use Only" or even "Mint" condition. What do those terms mean to a buyer? NOTHING. None of those terms would let you know the physical conditon of the game.

Restored? To what level? Could mean anything from working condition to HEP condition.

Shopped? Does that mean waxed? Cleaned? New balls?

Home Use Only? A game that has had rusty balls rolling through it for 1 month in somebody's basement might look worse than a well cared for game that has been on route for 20 years.

Mint? The US Mint does not make pinball games, only coins.

The only thing that actually matters is the actual condition of the game, and to determine that, you are going to need good pictures.

------------------------------------

Be VERY suspicious of:

POSTAGE STAMP SIZED PICTURES - I'm writing this in 2015. Cell phones have been taking 2 to 10 megapixel pictures for 10 years. Even those "grandma" phones that flip open and have dedicated dial pads take 5mp pics nowadays. There is no real excuse for not being able to produce detailed, quality pictures.

If the seller claims they just can't seem to send full size photos, remind them that Flickr, Picasa, Dropbox, Imgur and a hundred other websites offer free photo hosting. Hell, they could post them to Pinside if they wanted to.

PICTURES TAKEN WITH THE PLAYFIELD GLASS ON - One of the best ways to obscure detail is to take the pictures through the playfield glass. The camera will tend to focus on the glass reflections, ensuring that the playfield itself is out of focus. This could also signal that the seller does not actually own the game, and is just taking pictures of a game he does not have the keys to get into.

1. Search any of their pics using Tineye.com or even Google to see if they stole the pics from the web.

2. Ask for a close up pic of some detail unlikely to be pictured on Google, like the serial number tag.

3. Ask about other pins in the pictures. If you recognize the side art of Embryon, ask about other "Classic Bally" they own. If they don't know what other games they own by name, that might be a bad sign....

4. Go voice and actually speak with them. Are they pinheads? They will talk your ear off. Operator? They will be gruff and answer most of your questions with "Hey, this thing was in a bar for 40 years, not kept in a museum". Nigerian? They will have a heavy accent and there will be long pauses while they look up answers on the web. Widowed? "I don't think I have the key. Don't you have one?"

If they constantly have excuses for not going voice, it's a scam.

5. Are they asking to be paid by Western Union? Always a scam.

6. Pretend that you are traveling to wherever they are, and see if they balk. "Detroit???? I'm going there on business day after tomorrow! Any problem with me stopping by and seeing the game?"

7. Ask a trick question that will trip up a con man. "Just to be sure this is a genuine Xenon, all the circuit boards are red, right?". A con man will agree with you, a honest person will say "Uhh, I think they are all green....?"

8. Google their phone number and/or email address.

9. Always pay using an Escrow service.

HOW TO NOT GET RIPPED OFF WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO BUY YOUR GAME
=================================================

A local sale is always best.

You have cash in hand, the buyer sees that everything on the game works, no waiting for shipping/checks clearing/shipping damage .

Now you need to make the sale as safely as you can.

YOUR AD
=======

1. Make sure your ad says "Voice Calls Only - No Text". This cuts out 90% of the scams right off the bat.

You know what your local dialect sounds like.

You know what overseas call center sounds like

Sometimes someone will Text you anyways, just ignore those - they are always scams.

You can always Text someone your address, latter in the transaction, but for the first contact you want voice.

2. Make sure you put good pictures up. It's your game, you know where the wear spots are - show them in the ad. Show the chunk missing out of the backbox. Show the cracked plastic or flake missing from the backglass.

You don't want any problems where the buyer says "Uh oh, what's this cracked plastic????" and then can use that to try and chew you down. It's better to be able to instantly respond with "Yeah, I showed that in the Ad ". Bang! You deflected their price attack.

Good lighting makes for good pictures. Drag out some lamps, and light the machine up.

Take the glass off. Glass-on pics make you look like an idiot trying to hide something.

Don't post out of focus pictures. If the picture is blurry - TAKE ANOTHER ONE!

If you need more pictures than Craigslist will allow, host them on your free Google or Microsoft account and provide a link. TEST your link after you publish, and make sure you have it **public** so people can see it.

Hell, you can even link to your Pinside sale page.

3. Don't post your real phone number. Use a free Google Voice number. It will ring your phone, but you will see the call is GV. You also get to use a different OGM, so you can have it say "Sorry the game is sold" for people who still call a week after the ad is down. You can also block nuisance Pindicks with an OGM that says "The number you have reached, is no longer in service....." just for their number; it's built into GV.

FIRST CONTACT
==========

1. If you priced your game fairly and posted good photos, I find that I get about 12 to 15 phone calls the first day.
The name of the game here is to get rid of the game quickly. It does not make sense to squeeze an extra $50 out of the sale by showing the game to 20 people. Your time is more valuable than that AND the more people you show the game to, the better the chances of trouble.

2. Let the calls go to Voicemail. Don't pick it up automatically. You want the caller to have to leave you a callable number. Caller ID can be easily faked. You want a working number.

3. Pre-Screen your calls. Callers who sound like a headache ARE a headache. You've got a dozen potential buyers, pick the most intelligent, well spoken callers. I'm not kidding. You are not a business, you don't have to put up with bullshlt.

"Hey, you are asking WAY too much for that Metallica. I've seen them for $3000 on eBay. Will you take $3000 ??? It's fair." - You can skip anyone who offers substantially less than market value. No need to call them because you know already that the two of you don't see eye to eye on the value of the game. Let them find one on eBay if that's where they see them so cheap. Nobody serious would make an offer without talking to you first.

"I'm calling about the item for sale. Do you still have it? I'll try calling you back in a hour." They don't leave a number because they are calling from overseas. They don't even mention the name of the machine. If you call the number on the caller ID, it rings once and hangs up.

"Hey, I buy and sell pinball machines. Your price is kinda high there, buddy. I know, I'm in the business...but, I might have some games to trade you" Skip that one, you know how dealing with the **experts** always goes. Don't let them capture your curiosity that they have games for trade. It's always Tri-Zone, Phoenix and Eight-Ball, always.

4. Now you need to call your qualified potential purchasers. Find a quiet place to call from and be professional. No FauxNews blaring, no kids screaming, no wife constantly asking you if you know where the remote is.

5. Don't give out too much information, hold your cards close to your chest:

Q: Why are you selling the game?
A: I'm moving next week. No room in the new house. (See, you have given the info that expensive games won't be in the house next week, and the urgency that if they don't buy it now, the opportunity will be gone.)

Q: Got any other games for sale?
A: No, just that one. (Never tell a stranger that you have 12 games including MMr & AFM that you might sell "for the right price..." your greed will get you robbed. Even if this guy does not rob you, he might run his mouth to an unscrupulous friend "This guy has a dozen pinball machines! All top titles! Lives right around the corner...." Don't be stupid.

Q: Have any repairs been done to the game?
A: I put a few new bulbs and slingshot rubbers over the years....

(of course every game has had 100s of repairs over the decades, but people tend to think that homeowners will not do a good job. Like when you call about a car and the guy tells you he rebuilt the trans himself; your stomach instantly starts to sink.

Now if you had someone well known service it, that is actually good to mention "I had Clape rebuild the flippers" or "I had the sound board fixed by King of Cranes or All Amusements ".

Mention selling point repairs like Altek boards or LED Displays.)

Q: When can I come see the game?
A: With all this moving nonsense, I'm in and out all day long. What's good for you?

(See what you did there? You did not tell him you work 9 to 5 so come rob my house during the day, you said you were in and out - thieves hate random. Unlike in the movies, 79% of all domestic burglaries happen during the day, when you are not home. )

Q: Great, how about this evening?
A: Perfect, let's say 7pm? I've got another guy coming at 8pm, so I can just call him if you buy the game.
Q: Oh wow, so you've had other calls???
A: Yeah, a ton of them. But some people want to trade me more games, some want me to wait until the weekend, one guy wants me to ship it to friggin' Florida! Bring a truck, bring cash and you will have yourself a real nice game.
Q: Hmmm, I just wanted to come see the game tonight, then maybe I can borrow my brother-in-law's SUV this weekend....
A: I'm sorry, normally I'd say come on out, but I need to move this game out so I can pack up the rest of the house. Let me call the next guy on the list.

You only want people coming out to the house who can buy the game that day. You don't want people coming out who don't have a vehicle, have to go back and ask their wife's permission, have to "scrape up the cash", or are just casing your home for a robbery.

Q: Can I give you a deposit of $3,000 with Paypal, then pay you the $1,000 balance when I come get the game? That way you know I'm serious!
A: Sure, that'll hold it. But bring the full $4,000 in cash when you pick it up, and I'll refund you your Paypal deposit on the spot.

The scam works because they always do a chargeback on the $3,000 a few days latter, so they stole the game from you for $1,000.

So by you saying that you'll refund the deposit upon pickup, you have killed their scam. It's fun to listen to them squirm before finally abandoning the deal. "I mean, if you can't take Paypal, I can't buy your game!"

When they ask why you will only refund the Paypal; just tell them you had over $9,500 income this year on Paypal, so any payment that large will cause it to be reported to the IRS.

6. Don't give out your address early. If someone is coming out 2 days from now, don't give them your address today.

You may sell the game beforehand, or they might be looking to rob you.

If they ask for the address early, do a professional stall:

"You know, I might be taking the game to my office to possibly sell to my boss. I let you know the day you are coming out which location we are meeting at." Done. Get off the phone.

SKETCHY BUYERS
============

You know real Pinheads when you talk to them. They've got to tell you about the time they....

You know past pinball people when you talk to them. "Man, I used to play Supersonic for hours every day after school! My mom would get so mad that I was wasting my money. I can't believe you are selling one!"

And then you have people that just seem sketchy. You can't quite put your finger on it, but as you talk, they just seem off.

It's OK to just get rid of them.

As they are pumping you for information, or trying to intimidate you with stories of people they have beat up, you just pretend that your wife said something. Say out loud: "What's that honey? Really? Sweet, that was easy!", then tell the caller "You know what? My wife's boss want's the game! I'm sorry, it looks like it's going to a good home."

Call the next guy on the list.

MEETING TO SELL THE GAME
======================

If you have a cool boss, nothing beats taking the game to work with you.

The potential buyer can't case your home, there are plenty of other people around and if you put it in the warehouse, there are probably some big guys working who can help load it.

If you are selling a smaller item like a backbox, just meet in the local police station lobby. It's open 24 hours, and the cops encourage you to use it for CL transactions.

SELLING FROM YOUR HOME
===================

1. Get the game on the ground level. This means that the buyer does NOT have to climb any stairs. Pinheads are usually old and fat, and if they hurt themselves, they will, of course, sue you.

Never sell a game displayed in a basement. Your stairs are a deathtrap to an old pinhead. Even if they get the game up without dying, they will chew up the drywall and tear the screen door on the way out.

2. Get the game away from other games. You don't want the guys telling their friends you have an arcade. You don't want the guy hopefully buying Wizard! to be distracted by your Tommy. This isn't the time to show off your collection to strangers.

3. Put your game in the garage. It's on ground level. It keeps strangers out of your house. You can put up tarps to hide your Harley or tool chest. If they ask what's up with the wall of tarps, tell them you were making Blood Sausage.

4. If it's cold, leave the game on 24/7. If your garage does not have heat, leave the game on so it stays warm. Frozen pop skirts will chip, and frozen playfield plastics will shatter.

5. Have everything already in the garage. The keys, the manuals, wrench to take the head & legs off, and receipt. Thieves will try any trick to get you to go back in the house for a moment. "Can I trouble you for a glass of water?", "Do you have a phone charger I can use for just a few minutes?". Don't fall for it. They will be lifting your tarp in an instant.

6. Have a Receipt already printed with 2 copies. Have the serial # already on it, name of game and a place for a signature.

Make sure the receipt says that the game is used, antique (if its over 25 years old), and sold without warranty of any kind.

Make sure the receipt says that pinball machines need constant maintenance and replacement parts to keep them functioning.

Make sure the buyer signs your copy. That way if he takes you to court when the game breaks, you can show the judge that it was sold "as is".

Have a pen ready.

Have the business card of your local Pintech ready to give to any non-pinhead buyer. "If you have any problems, just call Jed at Jed's Amusements....He makes housecalls!"

7. Have some cash to make change already in your pocket. Even if you priced the game on an even hundred, you might discount the game $50 if some damage even you did not know about is found. Don't go back in the house to find change.

8. Have your house find-able. If your address is impossible for an old pinhead to read from the street, tie some balloons to the mailbox. Make sure all the lights are on. Make sure all the cars are out of the driveway, so it's easy for someone who's never backed a truck up, to back up to your garage.

Just like at the Boat Launch, don't be afraid to have the driver move over and YOU back their truck in.

People are terrible drivers as it is, let alone when they are driving a borrowed truck and don't know how mirrors work.

9. Have a friend there with you. Don't sell a game alone. Even if you have to borrow the neighbor's teenage boys to stand in the driveway swinging a golfclub, have someone else there.

10. If any buyer turns out to be a prick in person, you can block their number on your Google Voice account. That way, even if you put another game up for sale months from now, they will hear "The number you have reached, has been disconnected....." if they try calling. Your phone will never even ring.

11. Pricing expectations. Remember that not everyone values the same things.

If you tell someone "I've got $300 worth of LEDs in that game!" and they hate LEDs, they are not going to pay any extra. Really, only Pinsiders like Clownpuke LED lighting. Non-pinheads will not be impressed with your pink Spiderman.

If you tell a regular person "That's a $170 Paul Stanley doll glued on top", they are going to think you are totally gay. Only Pinsiders like dolls on top of their games.

Same with undergame lighting, plastic toys, colored plastic protectors.

A guy looking for his favorite pinball from his youth is going to hate a gussied up game, just like a guy looking for an old guitar is going hate if someone put all neon hardware on it.

Be prepared to swallow your pride if someone does not share your enthusiasm for aftermarket stuff.

HEADACHES AFTER THE SALE
=====================

About 20% of the time, you get a call that something is wrong with the game after the buyer got it home.

Usually from nubies, but sometimes even from people who claim to have a bunch of games.

They have had all night to rehearse their spiel, their wife has worked them into a frenzy "Yep Herb, you really needed a 400lb paperweight, what a waste!" and they already told everyone at work they have to come over and play some pinball.

If they've ever bought a car from a used car lot, they of course feel that you rigged the game to work just long enough to sell it.

Because they have had time to work up their speech, it will be extra dramatic:

"Man, I though you were an OK guy!"

"You said everything worked!"

"My wife is pissed!"

"$2000 is A LOT of money for a pile of junk I can't even use!"

"I don't want to have to take you to court, but this is ridiculous. My brother-in-law is an attorney...."

You of course have a signed receipt that says the game is "as is" and without any guarantee, but some states have implied warranty laws, and going to court will eat up an entire day, even if you win.

You now have a fork in the road. You can give them the GV "The number you have reached..." or you can call them back.

Some people are quietly crazy and will throw a brick through your window or put the hose in your house and turn it on, so generally it's best to call them back.

DON'T GET DEFENSIVE
===============

Of course, the game worked when they took it yesterday. Usually it's just a loose connector or broken rubber, but to the buyer it's the end of the world.

So you've got to really fight your every instinct to be defensive.

Let them fully vent (they have been practicing all day), then you can try and smooth things over.

You: Hey, what's going on with my poor baby?
Herb: Your poor baby is broke! WTF man!!???

(don't get defensive, try to sound concerned)

You: You got to be kidding me? After 40 years of people banging on it, it finally breaks the moment you get it?
Herb: Aw, man, I'm sick over this. My wife, my kids, everyone's saying I'm an idiot for buying this thing.
Y: What exactly is not working?
H: You know that rubber band triangle thing above the right flipper?? It fncking broke! Right in half!!! My neighbor, he's a mechanical engineer, he said it's nothing standard that he's ever seen, and they've probably not made anything like that in 40 years!!!!

(now you know it's a .50 cent part, and your first instinct is to tell the guy to order a new one from Amazon, but you know he is very distraught right now. He'd probably order the wrong size anyway.)

Y: That really sucks on your first date with her! It's a common part they still make even today because they break all the time. Tell you what, shoot me your address, and I'll drop a couple in the mail tonight.
H: Really??
Y: Sure. Then in the future, you can order your own replacements from Amazon or a place called Pinball Life.
H: Hey man, you are alright!

(So you see here that it was way quicker to mail him a couple of rings, than to try and explain what to search for on Amazon. Without sounding defensive, you also slipped in that the rings break all the time.

The guy can smooth his wife's feathers that you are giving him the repair parts, not just abandoning him to Amazon)

-

You: Hey, what's going on with my baby?
Herb: You sold me a broken game! It's got no sound! You can't play the game with no sound!!
You: Oh my gosh my friend, that stinks! It had sound yesterday when you took it, didn't it? (sounding like you really don't remember).
H: Yeah...it did.....but now, totally busted! I think you ripped me off!
Y: My preacher always says "you can't get into heaven by ripping people off", so that's just something I don't do.
H: Well, it's totally busted. I just want to bring this pile of shlt back to you and get my money back.
Y: When you put the head back on, did you make sure EVERY wire went back in it's proper spot? (ignoring his demand for a refund)
H: Oh yeah. Every wire went back EXACTLY where it was supposed to go. I made sure of it.
Y: Hey, do me a favor and open up the back box.
H: I don't know what you expect me to find, it's busted.
Y: I can't stand thinking that my little girl is not working, humor me for a second.
H: OK......
Y: Alright, are there 2 wire connectors going to the little sound board on the bottom Right?
H: Yep, I put every....no, wait. There is only one. The other wire is missing. It's not even here to connect!
Y: It's still in the bottom of the game, it's a small wire.
H: It's not here! Nothing!
Y: You got to reach down the neck hole, it's there.
H: Wait, I got the somebitch.
Y: OK, turn it on.
[you hear the familiar BONG sound]
H: Heh, heh, You know I went over every connector 5 times....
Y: I know.
H: Man, I though you ripped me off!
Y: Yeah, I know...

It's always the same things, loose connectors (especially DMD dark), missing ball (game won't start), broken rubber, TILT ball rolled and stuck all the way forward, it's extremely rare that something major broke on the trip home.

I did once sell a guy a Xenon for $600 and he could not get it to work. The guy had no tools, no meter. He was so pitiful that after a few days I told him just to bring the game back.

When we unloaded the game I asked him where the leg bolts were.

He admitted that he left them at home, but because he could not find a wrench, he actually just set the game up on a ping pong table.

He said he tried to just put the bolts in by hand, but the game was so wobbly that his wife was worried it would just fall over.....

I sold the game to another guy the next day. The game booted fine, and I never could figure out what the problem was with the pitiful guy.

Any paper check you should give 3 weeks to clear.

Scammers use real account numbers so someone has to see the fraud and file it, or they use international routing numbers so the check bounces around the world.

Also if the check is considered a "credit card purchase" with full credit card features, the buyer could do a chargeback on you even 6 months after the check clears.

Many times, brand new credit card accounts come with 3 paper "balance transfer" checks. That of course, is even more shady.

Never trust a teller to tell you how long a check takes to clear, they have no idea at all.

Always ask to speak to the actual branch manager.

Never trust the phone number on the check, as you could be calling the scammers for reassurance.