I see a lot of discussion about price on these forums. Why do you think companies haven't offered a leasing/financing model as a path to ownership? Seems you could make a down payment on a machine and make payments over the course of, say, 6-12 months.
Maybe it's too much risk for Stern or one of the boutiques to only get half the money before the owner disappears with the machine. But if it gets you enough additional sales to overcome that loss maybe it's worth it?
Quoted from TheLaw:Stern doesn't sell their machines though, distributors do, so it would be up to them rather than a huge company and I'm sure they don't want any of that.
Right, forgot about that when I posted. But I don't see any of the boutique pinball companies offering this, far as I can tell. And I'm guessing they're not using distributors to sell only a couple hundred games, except maybe overseas.
I see one distributor, TNT, offers a layaway plan, but you still don't get the game until it's paid off.
If you need to borrow money to buy a pin you probably should not buy one at all until you can afford it.
I would take a good EM for $700, BK or Paragon for $1200, WCS, HS2 WW or JM for $1800-$2300 "paid in full" over a $5000 pin you can't afford. Debt sucks. Except maybe for a home you can afford after maxing out your 401k.
Lots of them do offer this option. You just have to ask but be advised that the rate is stupid high (20+ %) as the ones that do it are going through 3rd party lenders. I think JJP has this option for route owners though.
From a purely economic standpoint, it would make some sense on the distributor side. Compared to other consumer products (think cars and furniture), the depreciation on a HUO pinball machine is very low, so if you retain a security interest in the machine and get 20-30% down, the collateral protects the creditor unusually well on default. The problem is that consumer credit law is not uniform (geographically segmenting the market) and there are huge economies of scale arising from regulatory costs---a problem for pinball distributors whose clients are geographically disbursed.
Probably the only way to implement consumer credit for pinball machines would be to partner with a lending institution and arrange the transaction through a credit credit card (putting all of the regulatory costs on a bank that can handle them more efficiently).
You commonly see those arrangements from distributors of consumer products up to about $2000. Something about the $5k price point likely makes the arrangement uneconomic. If I had to guess, it would be that debtors who would qualify for and care to take advantage of this sort of thing are outside the risk sweet spot for CC co's (whose profits generally are derived from neither their riskiest nor least risky debtors).
(Obviously, as others have pointed out, financing the purchase of a pinball machine is a really terrible financial decision.)
Not to bash TnT, but the rices that they sell games for in the retail world helps out.
But if you want. Ill sell you a Game of Thrones Pro on payments. Ill sell it for 9995.00, Ill carry the note for 2 years interest free. All you need to do is put 4k down and your set.
Honestly, I just dont see how it would work well. And as someone else said, you really need to think if you need that machine if you have to finance it. Often i see customers using a credit card to buy games saying that they cant afford the game right now but can afford the payments
Apparently there are lease programs for operators, but the problem is pinball earns so poorly on location it doesn't even make sense.
Quoted from Tilt:Ill sell you a Game of Thrones Pro on payments. Ill sell it for 9995.00, Ill carry the note for 2 years interest free. All you need to do is put 4k down and your set.
How much for shipping?
I wish they would get with the times and go subscription based. Charge I dunno 300 a month and give me a pin for 4-6 months then come take it and give me another. The one great thing about pins is they do tend to hold value. I think people would be all over buying these pins at a discount that are only a year or two old. These would be HUO pins of course you can't put it on route.
Quoted from o-din:How much for shipping?
Two shipping options
To your door for 349.99 and you set it up
or
1995.00 and I will bring it to you personnaly and set it up. (I learned about this option from jpop) Stairs are extra (29.99 per stair)
Quoted from Darscot:I wish they would get with the times and go subscription based. Charge I dunno 300 a month and give me a pin for 4-6 months then come take it and give me another. The one great thing about pins is they do tend to hold value. I think people would be all over buying these pins at a discount that are only a year or two old. These would be HUO pins of course you can't put it on route.
A subscription model, like Netflix? Rent it out to a couple people for a year, then sell for roughly the original price, assuming the value holds. Sounds a little risky for the one holding the machines.
I buy music gear from Sweetwater, and at one point I had their credit card. At least once a year they offer 1-3 years interest-free financing, though having the usual risks if you miss a payment, such as retroactive interest. Not sure how that would work for pins. I agree that you shouldn't be buying pins if you don't have the money, but with an interest-free option like this I was able to make payments on a new Mac & some recording software without getting into trouble. Then again, I'm still using this computer almost eight years later for many things, not just for playing a single game. 
I've done layaway for more people over the years then you can shake a stick at, only "leased" a couple of times to the same guy.....as a matter of fact I'm doing it now for him and have yet to see any money but that's another story. Seems like the bigger risk is the other way around with Boutique company's taking payments and not making good on the merchandise .....ever !! I'm like many of you here that have lost huge deposit money only to never see it again + lawyer fee's .....that again, I'll never see. I'd do it again for the common collector but never again will I pay in advance for a game that hasn't even been built yet, but we've had this discussion a million times before. Time to move on I guess. 
John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, MI.
269-979-3836
I have owned motorcycles most people have only read about... ..and made payments. I have financed trips around the world, and I have driven top vehicles. I don't know money on what I consider foolish things, instead spending my funds on what I want. Cell phones are an expense. Pizza is an expense, as is cable and beer. If you want to finance a pinball machine and cherish it- do so. Life is way too short to wait until you are old to do the things you want.
Life is about choices, and I would rather get my dress pants at Goodwill and drive a vehicle or play a pin I want. I may be older and can pay cash now, but you cannot take away a lifetime of memories both financed and paid in full.
If you have under a 700 credit score it means you have been financially irresponsible in some regard and probably have no business buying luxury toy items. Over a 700 credit score means you should have ample amounts of unsecured credit lines offering you 18-22 month loans for 0% and a 3% transaction fee.
If you have reliable future income to pay this off in that timeframe or simply work the system and reroll the balance for another term then you should be in good shape buying a pin or 2 in this fashion. Or just sell the pin for relatively close to what you paid (if you picked a solid title) and pay the balance off with that minus a little depreciation.
This would be a better financing option imo vs. some high interest lease program...
Quoted from XpadreX:Life is about choices, and I would rather get my dress pants at Goodwill and drive a vehicle or play a pin I want. I may be older and can pay cash now, but you cannot take away a lifetime of memories both financed and paid in full.
I agree with that to a point. One of my friends did too, happily charging vacations around the world. As he said, you can't repossess memories.
On the other hand, I found myself in debt years back after some hospital bills. It was crazy, seeing that I owed $5000, and making payments of $300-500 a month I was still giving up a huge chunk to interest. I think about where that year or two of accumulated interest could have gone (pinball) and I go nuts.
I was just wondering why no pinball companies--the boutiques in particular--have offered some sort of interest-free financing option as a way to generate more sales. Risk, I'm assuming; not to mention they probably get enough full payments up front that they don't want to deal with it.
Quoted from RandomGuyOffCL:If you have under a 700 credit score it means you have been financially irresponsible in some regard and probably have no business buying luxury toy items. Over a 700 credit score means you should have ample amounts of unsecured credit lines offering you 18-22 month loans for 0% and a 3% transaction fee
If you have a credit score above 700, you are smart enough to not finance a pinball machine.
Quoted from RTS:If you have a credit score above 700, you are smart enough to not finance a pinball machine.
I don't know, many people will take out a 30K+ auto loan on something that depreciates quickly as mentioned above, why not a fun pinball machine for a lot less money?
When I am near my death, Im going to use all my existing credit to fill my house with pins and let my kids deal with the aftermath.
Quoted from frolic:Apparently there are lease programs for operators, but the problem is pinball earns so poorly on location it doesn't even make sense.
Maybe it's my blind faith talking, but I can't believe this is true -everywhere-. It... It can't be, can't it?
Opportunity loss, taxes & realized income
A $5K machine bought with net earnings could have been an $8K gross tax sheltered contribution growing @ 7%
That's why there are 401K and Roth contribution limits... Because taxes are the real loss, not the stock market crashes.
Spend those taxed non invested dollars wisely!
Quoted from PW79:Also, TronLE should be a $3800 game folks
It could be if it wasn't so amazing. Best game ever! 
Quoted from PW79:Opportunity loss, taxes & realized income
A $5K machine bought with net earnings could have been an $8K gross tax sheltered contribution growing @ 7%
That's why there are 401K and Roth contribution limits... Because taxes are the real loss, not the stock market crashes.
Spend those taxed non invested dollars wisely!
Totally. I couldn't imagine buying pins as an investment anymore than my comic book collection. I mean, I take care of them and hope they increase in value, but the value to me is in using the product.
Quoted from centerflank:Just financed a Mustang Pro.......cuz you never know when your gonna die!
Cool...care to share any details of the terms?
Quoted from keithm:Cool...care to share any details of the terms?
Ha! Then I saw he had BBH for sale so I bought that too, I just ran through paypal via my bank issued CC's.....I think they are 10% APR....Ill probably just play them through the winter and sell at MGC if Im not really digging them.
Probably better ways to do that then the way I did but I like simple pleasures.....
I think they don't lease to own pinball machines because most people would be bored with the pin and want to trade or sell it within three months.
Quoted from centerflank:Ha! Then I saw he had BBH for sale so I bought that too, I just ran through paypal via my bank issued CC's.....I think they are 10% APR....Ill probably just play them through the winter and sell at MGC if Im not really digging them.
I guess in that case it's win-win. Vendor sells a game, you get to play it for as long as you want. It's almost like you're renting the game, except you're putting up a bigger security deposit or something.
my brother and i actually toyed with the idea of buying a bunch of pins and just renting them to people with the leasing mentality, with the option to buy. you dont like it? turn it in for something else. i have been a leaser of cars for the last 12 or so years. i just like new cars every couple of years so i am willing to pay for that flexibility.
what would you pay to park a game on your hit list in your gameroom for 30, 60, 90 days?
Quoted from keithm:I guess in that case it's win-win. Vendor sells a game, you get to play it for as long as you want. It's almost like you're renting the game, except you're putting up a bigger security deposit or something.
It was from a local pinhead in WI....so I helped him move 2 games out to make some space for him and I get a few new games to jam on for the next few months.....I might lose a little $ in the process on the whole ordeal but who cares, I get entertainment value from it.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-fs-big-buck-hunter-in-appleton-wi#post-2756558
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-fs-mustang-pro-huo-appleton-wi#post-2756524
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