I will try to answer your questions to the best of my ability. Remember everyone will have a different answer to all of these questions.
Quoted from Marshall_ry:Honesty is always the best policy, but how much is it appropriate to round the down the price you are paying or will be paying for a machine when I tell my wife? I’ve been discounting games 10% so far in our conversations.
I am no marriage counselor and can't tell you what to do here, but I can tell you how I communicate with my wife. I tell her about a machine for sale and the exact price they want. We discuss what we might be able to get it for and what we are comfortable spending on it. This becomes easier as you progress in the hobby and become more patient looking for your next machine. Also we became more comfortable spending more money on games after realizing how well they held their value.
Quoted from Marshall_ry:I have a narrow door way into my basement game room which limits what brands I can get in. How many hours would it take someone that knows what they are doing to disconnect/remove and reconnect a back box?
I can't give you a definitive answer here as the most I have to do is take the door off the hinges to get my games to fit. My absolute guess would be about 30 minutes to disconnect and another 30 to reconnect.
Quoted from Marshall_ry:Settle on the best local option or roll the dice with shipping to get the game you want? I understand this can differ person to person, but what have you done?
You will find many different opinions on this topic. My comfort level puts me in the category of local deals with cash on the glass transactions. I have sold a game using friends and family paypal (which I absolutely do not recommend using between strangers) which was a nerve racking experience. I would, however, buy and use shipping with a person I knew well. Here in the north east we have an excellent individual (fast Eddie) that transports games and I trust him more than any other shipping option.
Quoted from Marshall_ry:What’s the best non obvious part of the hobby
When games break, it sucks, but the accomplishment you feel when you get a game back working 100% is a great feeling.
Quoted from Marshall_ry:and the worst non obvious part?
This goes along with the best part a bit. When purchasing a machine expect to fix something after setting it up. It doesn't matter if the person said it is working 100% and it wasn't or if something shifted in transit. If you just go in expecting something will need attention you hopefully won't be disappointed in the purchase.
