I love the juxtaposition of "price gouging" and "etiquette" in the thread title. Like it's ok to purposefully screw the community that is responsible for supporting the manufacturers and distributors.

There's a difference between capitalism and figuratively slapping people in the face. I don't care about this whole "well, you should have prepared so take it on your chin for sitting on your hands" crap. Some distributors in this community run nearly like ticketbots that buy all the concert tickets before fans even have a chance to purchase them, jack the price up, and then say "Oh, sorry you were slow. Here's the price above MSRP. Pay up or move on. Got 10 other people ready to buy after you." It's a flagrant bad move, and it's not cool to bite the hand that feeds.

Bunch of crap. Morally and ethically it's wrong, and it's getting to a new low to see community members doing it. Trust me, some of us are watching, and I personally will not do business with anyone doing that crap - new or used games.

Karma will come back, and I hope it pays those in this community guilty of gouging 10 fold over. Some day, the "oooo ahhhh shiney" mentality of this resurgence in pinball WILL stop, and people will get tired of being taken advantage of.

I think it's ridiculous, and I think some people have more dollars than sense.

That's a completely subjective question with so many ranges, variables, and possibilities that there is no way I could narrow it down to a "one answer covers all" statement. #1 issue of X-men vs a signed Babe Ruth Card vs a 67 StringRay Split-window, vs a screen-worn Indian Jones fedora, vs James Dean's Porsche, vs etc.... These are collectibles far above and beyond what a simple man can afford. AFM and MM were considered the most valued pins for a while not because of their "limited edition" status but because they were FUN and good music, callouts, and were enjoyed by most in the community. Now, a game is expensive because it has "super duper ooooo shiney" gimmicks first, and then MAYBE it is a fun and enjoyable game.

So what's being implied is it's ok to take advantage of "some dope" for the sake of making money. I don't agree with that. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Ask Mylan CEO Heather Bresch how it worked out when the EpiPen went from $100 to $600 for a two pack, and that drew national scrutiny from everyone to include Congress. People were outraged, but hey, it's "capitalism". Least she was honest about "its condition and flaws" - same drug as you have been buying before, just with a 500% increase to the price.

The price jumps from 2012 to 2018 are WAY more accelerated than anything from 1998 to 2011. Who should we blame: people who purposefully try to make money hand over fist, or people who just "have to have it" and pay for games impetuously, causing - as you described - an upward spike for a while?

Who's more guilty? I know I've done my fair share of buying, when a JM was a whopping $1200 or $1500 for JP was considered "insane money".

I did, and here's why.

You know my intentions were not to belittle your situation. I don't know you or your family situation prior to that post. Don't act like I did it intentionally.

You and I are done unless you come to me in a PM. We are not doing this here.

Principle is the same whether it is a need or a want. Just because you can overcharge does not mean you should. This is a community, yet more and more people try to treat it like they're distributors and charge dist-level pricing.

Of the 22+ machines I have sold or traded since 2012, I think I made a $100 profit. Everything else I lost money on, because I'm not some asshole that charges people 25% surcharges because I installed a couple LEDs, wiped the playfield with some novus, and used a sharpie to "professionally repair the inserts".

Topic drained. I am not going back and forth impetuously on this.

That being said, I know a couple people now I'll never buy anything from, and if I sell to those said people, I'll inflate the price by at least 50% due to me being honest about its condition and flaws hoping they're "some dope that overpays anyways". I'll even use fresh spit to clean the glass right before they come over and claim a "shop job".