I feel like many of us have a story to share or advice to give when buying a pin non-locally and relying on just pictures/videos. What are some of the things you guys ask for before making a purchase on a pin you cannot physically see and inspect yourselves?

I was unfortunately burned by a fellow pinside member when I traded for his machine. I was very honest and he received a minty game and I expected the same thing... which was far from it. He sent very deceiving pictures, also said it was "collectors quality" when in fact the game was far from what was advertised. After I received the game which was not anything like he described I noticed things he left out or hid. Now this pinside member is not even rectifying the situation. For example he said he'd ask his "tech" who does not seem to know the problem (this is the same tech that supposedly worked on the game) and he also said he would sent me replacement plastics as he superglued some which snapped instantly... it has been over a month now with no solutions or plastics. The response I got was "I will send them when I find time..."

Any advice on how to not get fleeced the next time I do an out of town trade/purchase? Or was I just simply unlucky and ran into a dishonest pinside member?

Yes, you are right! I unfortunately did not have a buddy in the area to inspect it but in hindsight I could have found another pinside to vouch for his machine.

That is my plan. I am thinking if he does not rectify the situation within the next couple of weeks I will definitely write up a review on him so others do not fall into the same trap.

There's so much more to the story(ie. him saying he's shipped many games but then didn't pack mine safely and correctly etc.)but I didn't want to bore you all with a novel.