This seller just sounds like an all around shady dude. How do people sell games like this and not expect any blowback?

That's pretty f'd up in my book. That's not a 100% working. Sorry this happened to you. Always better to see games in person. Things can happen in transport, but diodes just don't fall off. You could shame the person publicly, but that always turns out messy. Cheap fix and learning experience people suck.

If it was a machine that he should of paid Robin for selling here on Pinside I would contact Robin because it isn't fair to Robin when someone doesn't pay their fair share. Not that it would help you resolve your problem with the seller but Robin might decide to block him from selling if he avoided paying fees and that way he might not be able screw someone else over in the future here on Pinside.

Buying machines you can't see & play always comes with some risk but it is sad to hear stories like yours! Good Luck!

One way to leave feedback would be to say who sold it to you in this thread.

Give us their name

Expose the bastard! Pitch forks & tar and feathers on stand by.

Let's get him.lol

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Not sure if you were joking or not, but a "cold" solder joint has nothing to do with the ambient temperature.

Yea , Spill it already ................
The best way to Disinfect something is to drag it out into the light.....

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He ripped you off and he ripped off Robin by reporting it sold elsewhere (so he doesn't have to pay the sold fee). Name names. He has surrendered any right to anonymity.

As you said, most Pinsiders are great to do business with. Rooting out sellers like this by name can help us stay that way.

The last time I saw a thread like this it ended up with the seller's address getting posted and someone threatening to go to his house and vandalize his cars. That's the kind of mob mentality we don't need on here. I do agree with letting Robin know the guy's cheating him on his seller fees.

Exactly, the name needs to be provided, this way what you did, buying from a fellow pinsider, stays legit.

This is not someone that didn't deliver a game or ripped off lots of people, just a shady description. Nobody is going to anyone's house over that, so no mob mentality worries.

No need to threaten violence. but letting others know about a bad seller is one of the primary benefits of having a community.

That's exactly what happened in the other thread and it was shocking how quickly things got out of hand. Just don't like seeing things escalate to the point of threats of violence, that's all I'm going to say.

You can leave a feedback on anybody at anytime. You don't need a linked ad to leave a feedback.

Go to their profile page, click on the feedback tab, scroll to the bottom and click the "write a recommendation" link. Then write whatever you need.

See example below, the pinsider used as an example is just happenstance, he was the first user in the latest discussion.

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Exactly. He wanted it marked sold elsewhere so that he could avoid paying fees to the site. Super weak.

Wait to see if he takes care of you. If not, Release The Kraken!!

After reading the OP's story, I had some thoughts. I am not defending the seller in the least. But before everyone brings the pitchforks, I think there were a few complicating issues on this sale.
1) The buyer bought it sight unseen. That is very very risky unless you personally know the seller. I'm amazed he had so many GOOD deals!
2) After purchasing, the game sat in storage for 6 weeks before the buyer picked it up, used it and determined it was not right. How long should a buyer guarantee a used game after sale? If you buy a used car and sit it in storage for 6 weeks and then tell the dealer the transmission doesn't shift right, what do you think he is going to say?
3) Depending on the price of the game and the conditions under which it was sold, a couple of diodes on the flippers is pretty minor. I have had much worse on games that were supposedly in great shape!
Again, not defending the guy. Don't even know who he is. Just saying there may or may not be two sides to this story. If the buyer had a soldering iron and a bit of technical knowledge, he could have fixed this in a minute for 50 cents. If he lacks the basic tools and knowledge, I would suggest he cultivate a relationship with a local dealer and only purchase games that are restored, guaranteed, and delivered.

Not if it was presented as 100% working. Yes, I am sure a second side to this story will complete the tale, but regardless this sounds like a false representation transaction.

I am not so amazed. When you weed out all the dishonest idiots you tend to have more of these transactions.

100% working+no flipper diodes=pitchforks!! regardless of sight unseen purchase, price, lube, etc....

Even if it was working 100%, bounce something mechanical that weighs 300lbs across the country and it may not work when you open it up.

I have shipped games myself that REALLY did work 100% and by the time they arrived, they had a fault of some sort (cracked solder joint, connector worked itself off....).

Pinball machines were made to be serviced on site, and most repairs take less than a hour.

What game is it?

You just described every single Stern & JJP dealer that puts up F/S ads in the marketplace. One dealer shows 281 archived ads with only 1 sale.

What we know.
13 games bought sight unseen.
12 outta 13 ain't bad count blessings.
Seller supposedly wants buyer to hide pinside transaction...shady.
Pin was delivered put in storage 6 weeks
Without testing.
What we don't know...
Sellers side of story.
How was pin delivered and by whom and what was the method?
When pin was delivered was it inspected by buyer before storage? If not why?
Do we know for a fact that missing diodes on the flippers would cause a pin not to work at all?
We don't know if the seller shipped a bad pin, if the pin got damaged in transit, if pin was damaged in storage or wether it's the fault of the seller,buyer,shipper or dishonest tech who might of wiggled some connectors got the game working and told you it was flipper diodes to justify his charges. Way more questions than answers.
What I do know that if you go look at a pin in person you can test it play it and if you like it you can buy it. This way when you transport it home and it dosnt work you'll have nobody to blame but yourself.

Wait, the game was missing flippers or just the diodes?

So he suggested you do the same thing to someone else that he did to you, pass it off as a functioning game? Nice.

Don't buy games unseen... strike 1
Buying games second hand when you can't work on them is risky... strike 2
Storing and moving setup and then expecting no troubles... strike 3

Really it doesn't matter how many times you got away with something without getting burned... you were playing with fire.

Never buy sight unseen unless the seller has great pinside feedback.

That's what I read too -- pass on the "good favor". Guy doesn't apologize at all, avoids fees, and seemingly suggests screwing over another pinsider. Great.

One thing to point out though is its an older game in player condition. So you should have already figured there were many things probably wrong with the game. Player condition and 100% working should never be used in the same sentence. Not saying you did wrong but saying anyone buying a game like this should already have the mind set that it's going to need some work.

At least the diodes are 1 cent parts.

Can you imagine if all the boards were missing?

Never, ever, buy a pinball machine sight unseen, no matter what the seller's reputation.

Even if I am selling a pin, don't buy it without coming to see it.

I'm serious.

Awesome. Can you buy a machine from me, please? Because I'd love to meet you.

The last time I met someone from Pinside, they said my skin was like a turtle, lol

I want Vid to come rough up my son, thinking he was a home invader...

Sounds like the seller wasn't skilled either and isn't very honest but never gamble money you can't afford to lose.

ahhhh, I see...the old "dissolving diodes in storage" hack. Old as the hills it is...yarrr

Although I am not defending him, the whole "not paying the fees" thing is more of an epidemic than just this one guy being an asshole. If you just look at the market forum, compare how many games are archived one hour after "PM sent" and you will see exactly what I mean. I mean come on, even ads that are only up for a day or two get archived as "sold elsewhere" all the time. I think I've bought more games from sellers that did that than actually paid the fees. It's just one of those things that most people do rather than just this guy. Sucks, yes, but uncommon, no.

Not defending the seller. I have seen games work fine with no flipper diodes. It may lock up right away or not for 10 games. If the game was sitting and doesn't power up it could be a loose connection/ ribbon etc. Missing flipper diodes wont cause a power up issue. What game is it?

Is the pin rollergames? If the guy is ignoring you and has been on pinside you have every right to put his name out there. Honestly, I would do it as a warning to others since you weren't able to leave feedback.

Not defending the seller one bit, but that was my immediate thought. You have how many pins but call yourself a rookie/novice and you're out here holding your wallet open? I'm sorry man but somebody is gonna reach in there if you hold it open long enough.