Spoken from the guy that changes games every 2 months LOL.

Everyone should gain experience in selling one of their games,
not always easy and can be a real buzzkill
but you learn as you go

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Here's the truth my friends. If you are looking for that great deal on a pin on the internet, the competition out there is very cutthroat.

You have a much better chance of finding a good deal on a great game through word of mouth contacts you make in everyday life. A very LARGE part of the population knows a friend or family member that owns a broken (or even working) pinball machine.

I have got my best pin deals NOT ONLINE! There are so many vultures and pin collectors on the web looking to make a quick buck in this hobby, you are not going to "be there first" very often.

I'm never looking for a great deal. Just a fair one.....

Only give time & flexibility to the folks you personally know.

All outsiders are "first with cash in hand" transactions.

Over time you will build relationships with good people.

PM sent

New and Jaded

I aint new, but I don't think I could be any more jaded of this douche filled, pain in the ass, money pit of a "hobby" than I am right now.

It kinda sucks across the board, and short of acquiring a time machine, I don't think it's gonna get any better.

Good luck to you O.P., you're gonna need it in this day and age.

Boy this is the truth. Study the hobby. I watched the hobby and read tons of stuff for over a year before I purchased my first pin. I had one from my parents that got me interested again. Now I have a bunch. But... decide what you want... Mint... Player... somewhere in between? Once you decide the level of game you are interested in purchasing, it will make it a lot easier. I have bought several games from pictures and questions and have always been pretty close to the mark. I made more mistakes earlier because I didn't know what I was looking at (study, study). Also getting a game that you can do some work on helps you learn more about the hobby and the many different technologies that were made. There are many different MPU boards, power supplies, etc. Some easy to come by a replacement, some really difficult. Buy what you like, if it goes up in value great...if it goes down in value...great, you still like it!

I will agree with this 100%

It is not the easiest hobby to enter. Many types among us. Not all of them good.

Buy them to play and only spend what you can afford to spend on luxuries and you will not regret this hobby.

Buying and selling depending on the area you are from can be a bear. Do not get discouraged just analyze what is going on and try to avoid it in the future. (as much as possible)

Welcome to pinside

Cl can be a total pain in the ass to deal with. Lots of people looking at the same ads you are, and those folks may not have any issues making up bs stories to get the games. There are good and bad people in this hobby. Talk to locals in your area, join leagues, etc....you will find much better deals on games with them than you will on cl or the internet, where games tend to be way over-priced.

Good luck in the hunt!

The best advice you'll hear is to get to know other pinball enthusiasts in your area. They will teach you and, in time, lead you to reasonable deals. CL is (often, at least) a swamp.

The pin or an actual time machine?

You're having problems as it's a breakshot. That's not a real movable machine, one that would be at the low end of the spectrum. Ones like this get sold, but take time.

When selling, you can tell the tire kickers from a mile away. I don't respond to these people, as I know who is serious, and I bet most of you do as well. You have to be patient, and not hinge your entire life on selling this now. If you need the money fast, then you have to face the fact that you are going to have to fire sale it.

Why you would turn away anyone else is while waiting for a maybe is beyond me. My rule is first come first serve, you want it held, non-refundable $$$ holds it for you, you back out, bye bye $$$ for my time. I don't even care about the money, and if someone actually had a good reason for backing out, I would likely refund it, but it just sets the serious people aside from the tire kickers that want the world while residing in their parent's spare room still.

I just sold a Silver Slugger, and it took over a month, the longest I have ever waited to sell a machine (most are gone within days, many less than that). I just reposted the listing every week, and would not budge from my firm price (I never do).

I agree with Taylor though, this is a tough hobby on many fronts, and you're weak in the knees already. Cut your losses now. Seriously look into virtual pinball, every table, no maintenance, no worries about buying and selling. Hell, I'm talking myself into as I write this.

A lot of people say not to buy out of state or not to buy sight unseen, but you can do well in some situations. I bought a Comet off of ebay that was not as described, but I also bought a machine off of a pinsider that was not what I expected. I guess I am really fortunate in the sense that almost all of the machines that I bought from ebay turned out to be great machines.
Stargate. Not a scratch on it. Worked 100% for about 10 years now. Never a problem. Like new.
Revenge from Mars. Condition better than I expected. Aside from a few cabinet scuffs, like new. Still had all the goodie bags stapled inside the machine.
Hyperball 1 broken plastic but an excellent deal for what I paid.
Frankenstein Great condition. just recently got sound board issues. Beautiful machine for just over 1K.
Striles N Spares. Fantastic condition. I screwed up some things but played fine until then.
I did not regret buying any of these and they were all out of state ebay purchases. I know that this is not common, but I guess that I just got lucky. I have not bought any machines off of CL but I know that that can be frustrating. I try to look at things this way. Don't count on making a trade, or a sale, or getting that machine that you really want. That way you can not be dissapointed. If it happens it happens. If a deal falls through for me I know that it was not in the cards, but I can always get dealt another hand. Its tough not to get frustrated but like I said before, there are plenty of machines out there and some of them are bound to cross your path. Hang in there. Its a great hobby.

It sort of sounds like you want a good deal more than you want a pinball machine. Decent machines are everywhere. There should be no shame in paying more money than you expect to be able to sell it for. I've never come across any other hobby where people use and enjoy the object and then expect to sell it for more than they paid.

What I really don't get is when sellers stop responding when you indicate that you're interested...

A few days ago I found a CL listing for an arcade game I wanted. The listing was over a month old and said they needed it gone ASAP because they were moving. I texted to ask if they still have it available locally and they confirmed. I then merely started asking how difficult it was going to be to move from where they had it (wondering if there were stairs, etc), they said it was light and wondered where I was going to put it. I responded saying it would go in my basement, but I wasn't worried about anything on my end once I got it on my truck. No response back. I followed up saying I could bring a dolly if needed. No response. I followed up the next day saying I hadn't heard back and was still interested. No response... I hadn't even gotten to a point where I was negotiating price or asking about condition. I can't imagine why someone would simply stop responding.

Anyway, it's not just pinball. It's everything.

Put the game on ebay & sell it

It's pretty easy to do

God that last post by winteriscoming just points out the bad side of the hobby. People obsessing about nonsense.

There is little regard for reputation and credibility when someone is selling a very sought after machine like LOTR or Monster Bash. You could insult people, call their mother names, be a known scammer, spit on their kids, doesn't matter what crap the seller is pulling...

If a pin on Pinside is listed for a grand below market value, someone that doesn't care about respect or getting ripped off will be glad to drive to the sellers house and hand the seller the full asking price in cash because he/she either doesn't know any better, or favors pinball over dignity and respect.

OK here is the skinny as I see it.

There are a TON of great people in this hobby, but not everyone is going to be that way. Craigslist? I'd stay away from. Mr. Pinball is a better option, but use your judgement. There are a lot of collectors on there. They are the best to buy from if 'money is no object' as they are more likely to take care of their pins. I've done a few deals on pinside, and things can be great in the forum, but in person, the guy can be a cold fish. You can't take it personally.

Right now, you have a lesser demand title. To trade it, you are asking to find someone who wants it, PLUS has a title you like AND you agree to make up the money difference. It's a tough deal. It happens, but it's not easy.

I've found you have to pounce on the pin you like. There's no store to walk in and buy any pin you like. When someone posts it for sale and you want it, contact them and get it. Worry about selling the other later. It'll work out eventually, but you might have to hold onto a pin for a time.

With me, I looked for 3 months for a pin I wanted. I kicked some tires on pinside, but found a Shrek on Mr. Pinball. It was owned by a collector and was HUO with really low plays. I saw it, and bought it (great family theme). I made a connection.

Months, I posted a WTB on Pinside for NGG. Someone here put me in contact with a guy who wasn't necessarily selling, but might. Turns out he did have a nice one, and sold it too me.

Next, the first collector sold me his Road Show. I had to pass on his LOTR at the time too, as he was asking too much.

Later, I saw a RFM with nucore for sale. I pounced as it was the next thing I was targeting. Drove 3 hours+ each way to pick it up at 5 am.

Then, someone here posted a WTB for NGG. I hesitated but then contacted them. They really wanted it and I just didn't love the gameplay. It should have been my favorite pin, but it just wasn't so I sold it to someone who'd appreciate it.

The person I sold NGG to told me about a friend with a HUO LOTR. He wasn't planning on selling but has a WOZ coming. I talked to him several times and he finally sold it to me.

It's a LONG road with a lot of chance. You need to be patient sometimes, but be prepared to make a move if needed. If you tie yourself up with a "Must trade", it makes it that much more difficult.

Sorry, I'm not understanding your statement. Are you saying I'm contributing to the bad side of the hobby by obsessing about nonsense?

Dude, stop obsessing!

No, I meant FightNightFZ's post. It points out very well the bad happenings that occur every day regarding pinball transactions. I know from experience that it's not exclusive to pinball. You have to deal with scum no matter your passion.

Buying New In The Box does not guarantee a 100% working, no repair deal.

I have worked on a Shrek that had the ballast in the backbox mounted with only one screw. Not only was the other screw missing, there was no hole, indicating it had never been put in at the factory. Of course this wont cause it not to work, but if they missed that, then what else was missed.

I worked on a Black spiderman that was missing a pin from a connector to the Doc Ock. It was for the bottom switch so when you activated Doc Ock, he would go up and down then up and stop. He would never stop at the bottom. That messed up the game play somewhat.

I have worked on two different Stern Nascars that had unsoldered wires. One was a flipper coil, the wires were through the hole in the lug but not soldered one bit. The flipper was working/not working. The other flipper was soldered fine. On the other Nascar, there was a playfield coil that had a wire fall off because it had never been soldered. I don't remember which one that one was.

Heck, I even worked on a Fireball Classic and found a GI lamp in the upper left hand corner of the playfield that had a bulb that wouldnt stay lit. It had wires on the socket but had never ever been soldered since 1985!