Insane.

Don’t forget to add about 20-25 percent in taxes and fees. Plus shipping costs, which will likely be astronomical for people who use the auction’s suggested shipper instead of Navl. I won Dio’s couch at auction and they tried to charge me $1400 to have it shipped from LA.

Prices will be absolutely stupid for this action. Like most of you 10 people I know who don’t know anything at all about pinball except that I’m into it texted me about this auction. Another 5 texted my girlfriend about it.

They’ve done a killer job promoting this thing so it won’t just be pinball people bidding on games.

I think it all boils down to this:

Hardcore pinball enthusiasts remain a tiny, insignificant niche, and our opinions on everything from pinball pricing to how companies like Stern run their business are totally meaningless and out of touch in the grand scheme of things.

One auction with huge publicity reaching beyond our tiny little club and way out to the general public to the tune of the New York Times’ readership rendered all of our brilliant opinions and vast knowledge of the pinball market completely moot.

We see signs of this all the time: supposed “flops” like Munsters and Zep selling like hot cakes, 20 years of “the bubble is about to burst!!” Threads proving nothing but wishful thinking; JJP playfield “fiascos” making some think they are on the brink of implosion while games continue to fly off the line and into folks’ homes; the hysterical whining every time Stern raises their prices and people insist it will destroy the hobby;

But this awesome and hilarious auction really puts an exclamation point on things, moving my thinking towards one sad, inescapable conclusion:

We really don’t matter.

There will def be some disappointed kids on Christmas morning. A good number of these games are likely basically projects.

I also can guarantee that

People, this is a novelty. The freak outs should
Be tempered.

No, your games are not now worth banning auction money. Unless you have 1100 games and can get your auction publicized in the New York Times.

Deep breaths people.

It’s gonna be tough wrestling these games out of peoples hands for 1/5th of what they paid for them.

I’d just say techs in those areas should triple their rates and expect to be very busy.

If I get a call from a banning auction buyer you can be sure they are not getting my best service call quote.

If they are willing to pay 500 percent value on a pinball machine I can only imagine what they’d pay to get it running.

Yeah I know a lot of bosses who are looking to buy 10-30 machines for their employee Rec rooms.

Wait…whut? Is it the 1999 dot com boom?

Regardless, my boss was only looking for 5 games for our Rec room so he had to pass on the auction.

It’s impossible to pick one mind-blower, there are dozens of them.

Can’t wait for part 2. Will the fire cool? I have a feeling it’ll be a little calmer a month removed from all the press and hype.

Was that out of that fat container load you guys unboxed on camera?