For a 28 year old play field I think you might be expecting way too much.
Buff it out, wax, enjoy.
Great game.

NOS doesn't mean perfect. If not used in a game, there may have been reasons too.

LTG : )

Curious where you got the original price of $700? I didn't know you could buy replacement playfields from Bally back then. Also, is that in 1990 money or today's money?

I was just going to say the same. Back then NOS PF ran about 250-300. I bought several in the mid to late 90's.

I bought playfields from Planetary a few tears back. Heavily scratched JD which they told me about. A very nice sample Mousin Around and Godzilla playfield.

NOS doesn't mean brand new and perfect.

You may see issues, damage, or scratches from being in storage, or problems that caused it to be rejected from the assembly line.

Sometimes, you might see evidence of parts that were starting to be added and then removed.

The thing about NOS playfields is that they are probably the nicest wear-free examples available today, especially for titles that have not been remade. Most people who intend to do a playfield swap take the time and effort to put down mylar and/or have them touched up and re-cleared to ensure they are nicer and protected much better than the originals ever were.

Not to mention, but also CPR had one Dr. Dude playfield that was a sample. No art changes, but hole differences for routing wires. No pictures of the area provided, so I can't tell, but that may be another reason it wasn't installed in a game..

Pls link the ebay auction you got it from for reference.

To me, it appears you paid a very fair price and you appear to have gotten a nos pf. As others have said nos is often far from perfect as the best ones were installed back then.

I'm going against the consensus here. An NOS playfield advertised for sale should not have any scratches or defects. If it does, it definitely needs to be disclosed. Sometimes I feel some Pinsiders concede to things not normally accepted in the retail industry and end up screwing themselves and others. Why this is accepted, is beyond me. If these scratches and defects were not disclosed, I would want my money back or a big discount.

We need to see the ebay completed advert i think...

Because pf’s take up a huge space footprint and may take on minor damage over the decades. Unless reproduced lately, conceding is a strong option as opposed to waiting for a pristine nos that may never be found.

Yes, the seller should have disclosed any issues. However, some sellers don't, and let the photos speak for themselves.

If you're buying NOS, the reality is that you have to expect stuff like this. Most of the time, it isn't something that comes in a sealed package, but rather something that's been banging around in storage for 20+ years.

I understand that, but how is that the consumer's problem? If it wasn't stored properly and suffered damage, that should be disclosed. Not sold as New Old Stock. To me, "new" means just that. It should have been advertised as NOS with nicks and scratches from years of storage. Like Whysnow said, we need to see the Ebay ad.

That's exactly what I mean about conceding. Are you talking about the pinball industry only? Or do you mean anything NOS is ok to have defects? Either way, I totally disagree and would be asking for my money back, IF it wasn't disclosed.

Most likely, Ebay knows nothing about pinball and if they saw that playfield, I think they would immediately side with the buyer after seeing it.

ebay.com link: REDUCED NOS Classic Bally DR DUDE Playfield RARE

I think you're confusing expectations of a remake playfield only a few years to a decade old with NOS. This playfield is 28 years old if it's truly NOS. For a nearly 30 year old NOS product, this is inside the range of acceptability.

Since this is a pinball site, for the most part.

But yes, other industries can have issues like this for old, discontinued stuff. Vintage/antique car parts come to mind.

If the OP feels strongly about it, he can open an ebay dispute. The seller would likely ban him from purchasing anything form them in the future as a result, though.

Eh, "new old stock" is just the term to describe what the item is. It was old stock that wasn't used. It doesn't necessarily describe its current condition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_old_stock

Just like how the HUO term can sometimes be misused or assumed to be mint condition, when the condition can actually vary wildly.

Ugh, those are pretty low-res photos. And the description is really hyping it. I might have asked for better photos.

I respect your points and interpretations. It's just not the way I do business as a buyer or seller and unacceptable to me.

Ok I just saw the Ebay ad....LMAO. Enough said.

I would have asked for better photos and specifically for close up of all inserts.

That said, when I buy a NOS pf i typically plan to send it out for pro touch up and clear soI buy with that added cost in mind. The issues on this pf are all very fixable imho.

Well you haven't done either on Pinside, so there's no way for us to know that. But if this is your criteria, you're a tough buyer. Were I the seller, I would have definitely provided much higher-res photos, and as a buyer, I would have requested higher res ones, but that's about it pre-sale. NOS 30 year old playfields are rarely close to perfect.

Seller used low res photos for overall shots and included close-ups of undamaged areas while pumping how well it had been stored and how well it was packed so that it would arrive in "perfect" condition. Definitely seems like a misleading listing.

I would either negotiate a discount (if I wanted to keep it) or open a dispute if I wanted to return it. Personally, I think if you get a couple hundred dollars you're doing well. Often those old nos playfields need to be touched up and cleared again anyway to be really nice.

Sand it, clear it and enjoy it.

Heck send it over to Kruzman let him clear it. it will look like a million bucks!

Is the PF dimpled?

Board? Please, the correct nomenclature is "playfield".

By dimpled I was talking about the back side of the PF. Should have dimples where stuff will get screwed in. Makes doing a swap significantly easier.

On here he is known shapeshifter. Once you clear coat that pf all those scratches should disappear.

You must reallly love Dr. Dude cause you'll have dropped $3000 by the time you get done. What does Ron charge?

#1 mistake in pinball

wait... so you convinced the seller to go down to $400 on an original price of $1040?!?!?!?

That is at least a $700 value playfield on a bad day.

Not true for older PFs. I’ve bought several NOS PFs and had them work by several PF specialists to include Ron Kruzman. They will all tell you the same thing. The only reason these older NOS PFs are even existing is due to a defect the factory rejected. Either a severe scratch, art defects and things of that nature. More than likely somebody who worked there took it home to be a wall hanger when it was worth nothing and going to the trash anyway. Now it’s worth something.

The scratches in that PF are not severe, most people going through the trouble to swap a PF in a pin that doesn’t bring big money, do it for the love of the machine. That being said, I think most would have a quality clear coat job done it even if it were perfect.

You're lucky it wasn't this seller. That PF would have costed you about $3500....but it would have been factory sealed.ebay.com link: Vintage 1990 Bally Williams WMS Dr Dude BIG SHOT Playfield Toy Factory Sealed

Op,
Just curious, how much of a price adjustment do you think is appropriate for the condition as received?

I thought that NOS playfields are primarily factory rejects with defects.