Is pinball pricing seasonal? I understand that prices for desirable 90s machines have been climbing pretty steadily for the past decade or so, but what I'd like to know is if pricing is seasonal. By that, I mean is there a fluctuation in price between Spring and Fall, like with convertibles, or do prices tend to spike before Christmas and then crash afterwards.
Looking for opinions from the "seasoned" collectors with more experience than me (any experience...).
I don’t think it’s seasonal per say. Although I’m not really looking to move pins in the snow.
I think price fluctuates with the NIB games that are available. The games that are affected the most are the ones that are near those prices.
When Star Wars was announced there was a lot of good games, at great prices, that sat for a long time.
But when Whoa Nellie followed up WWE, it was pretty hard to find a good deal on anything.
There is a little seasonal fluctuation, but that sometimes has to do with when shows are happening. Or, like others have said, when a particularly desirable NIB title is released--some people try to liquidate other games in their collection. In general, the prices are going up for most classic games, and have been for quite some time.
However, for games that have been or will be remade, the price sunk somewhat on those (AFM, MM, and now MB).
I don't know if the "value" really fluctuates with the seasons, but my guess based on just personal/friends experiences is that people spend more money on things like vacation, home improvements, activities, etc. in the summer and generally put less money into "indoor" hobbies. At least for me personally, my view on what I would ask or expect to pay for a game wouldn't change in the summer, I just might have different financial priorities or simply be busy with other things at the time and getting a game moves down the priority list until the money/time frees up. It doesn't mean I would ask $500 less for a game just because it's summer, but I'd expect it to maybe take a bit longer to sell for those reasons I mentioned.
Do you guys think that the upcoming release of Monster Bash will cause prices to fall on MMr and AFMre a few months ahead of time? Or do you think the used price for those will stay relatively high while they continue to make them?
It used to be seasonal but it doesn't seem like it is anymore. Used to spike before Christmas and lull in the summer, but these days it doesn't seem like it matters.
Pricing is seasonal. What you will find though is that unless someone is forced to sell, they will hold to the prices from the high seasons.
Right now we are in summer and things tend to sit. As we head to winter and christmas things will pick up. The month before christmas prices are at their highest. First week or two after christmas things tend to sell well and then there is a drought till tax time. It will pickup briefly before slowing down for summer. Happens every year.
Quoted from arcademojo:Not sure about pricing but sales sure are seasonal.
Warm weather, vacations, and now approaching the school season will dent the pinggy bank.
Quoted from ForceFlow:There is a little seasonal fluctuation, but that sometimes has to do with when shows are happening. Or, like others have said, when a particularly desirable NIB title is released--some people try to liquidate other games in their collection. In general, the prices are going up for most classic games, and have been for quite some time.
However, for games that have been or will be remade, the price sunk somewhat on those (AFM, MM, and now MB).
MM has gone down?
Quoted from kciaccio:MM has gone down?
Most were going for $10k. Now it's a struggle to get $8k.
That's partially because of the remake, and partially because there's a lot more NIB games available now to spend money on.
Quoted from dung:Pricing is seasonal. What you will find though is that unless someone is forced to sell, they will hold to the prices from the high seasons.
Right now we are in summer and things tend to sit. As we head to winter and christmas things will pick up. The month before christmas prices are at their highest. First week or two after christmas things tend to sell well and then there is a drought till tax time. It will pickup briefly before slowing down for summer. Happens every year.
I agree with this assessment. The summer months are always slower because of supply and demand. People are busy in Summer and do not have much time for pinball buying or trading. Supply tends to sit longer and prices tend to be lower. I would say September to mid November and March through May are prime time in terms of pinball resale action.
Do I think Monster Bash originals pricing will trend downwards because of the re-make? Yes-but it will be marginal. If you look at MM VS MMR, you will see people still appreciate the original and are willing to pay to get one. Are they willing to pay $12K for an original like four years ago? No, but value still tends to be higher than the remake depending on condition. I think MB remakes will be priced around $7000+ and original MB's will still demand $8000+. This is just my opinion.
Availability of the specific title.
Level of disposable income at a specific point in time.
Seasons play no part down here on pricing and there aren't any pinball shows in Australia worth mentioning to have any significant impact on broader market pricing.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Most were going for $10k. Now it's a struggle to get $8k.
That's partially because of the remake, and partially because there's a lot more NIB games available now to spend money on.
There will always be a segment of the market who will pay a premium price for an original example.
If the remakes had been constructed using the same tech with the Williams branding it might be a different story.
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