Quoted from NPO:

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.

Quoted from NPO:

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".

Quoted from spinal:

What occurs more often in our hobby?
1. Seller misrepresents the condition of a pin using a sly choice of words or conveniently cropped pics or pics taken in the dark.
2. Buyer tells naive seller that their HUO TOTAN (or whatever) isn't worth a dime over $500 before buying.
3. Seller lists a pin for way over market value and buyer happily pays that price.
Funny to me how discussions around ethics often come up around the last point.

Quoted from Chambahz:

I think the majority of you guys are looking at a regular scenario, wherein anybody sells one of their current titles for "x" amount, where "x" = any amount higher than current market price.
In that case, I say" Have at er!" Market will dictate how much you get. If you profit, good on ya. Odds are if you sell it too low, someone else may flip it for more money anyway.
In this example however (Iron Maiden NIB LE), dirtbags are jumping on limited edition versions of a pin with the sole intention of screwing someone else over by marking it up.
Most manufacturers are ok supporting resold games, but now you're also potentially jacking someone's warranty. Someone who GENUINELY wanted to buy this title, but you managed to contact the distributor first.
Once again, this practice is perfectly legal so nobody will get in trouble -but then jumping on to a forum and defending your greedy practice, INSULTING the very people who love the hobby (some of whom very likely missed out on owning an LE), is further evidence of a severe lack of class.
And the excuse of: "well it's a collectible toy so it's ok" is garbage when you're explaining that on a forum of people who love collectible toys!

Quoted from NPO:

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.

Quoted from Mike_J:

That isn't why he is mad.
Read the post again.

Quoted from NPO:

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".

Quoted from Chambahz:

Maybe he doesn’t like hearing about people in this hobby who screw over other people in this hobby.

Quoted from Chambahz:

Anyone who wanted to buy an LE but missed out, who then see what you’re doing is going to feel screwed over.
And the 1 person you ripped off for one $2000 (or whatever it was that you added for your “services”) should also feel ripped off. Lastly, that same buyer if he/she ever has any warranty issues since they’re not the original buyer.

Quoted from Chambahz:

You continue to be as thick as possible, addressing only the piece that works in your favour.
The buyer obviously is “content” with the purchase and possibly even more so since they have acquired a hard to get LE.
But EVEN WITHOUT INTERVIEWING THEM, I can tell you with absolute certainty: THEY WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO BUY DIRECTLY FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR.
a) for the price savings
b) for the added certainty of warranty coverage in the event something goes wrong
You offer NOTHING for this “service” and make thousands more. If you can’t see how has a negative impact on the hobby, I give up. Keep screwing over your fellow pinball enthusiasts. Have at er!

Quoted from irobot:

My model assumes one guy taking money out his pocket and handing it to another guy in exchange for a pinball machine.
I bought my TZ I guess about 10 years ago on ebay, the auction ran for a week, I think the final price was $2700.
Why was the price $2700 and not $10,000 or $1,000? What makes any collector item worth any particular price?
Is the value of the game $6500 now because the buyers are less educated?
What prices are the pinball fanatics on pinside buying and selling TZs for right now? $2700?
The stuff in this thread is the same exact talk as in every other "greedy seller" thread on the internet.

Quoted from ArcadiusMaximus:

When buying, people want a machine for dirt cheap. When selling, those same people want the machine to sell for top dollar.

Quoted from TheLaw:

Huh?

Quoted from Phat_Jay:

I would have no problem if all pin manufacturers charged a no refund deposit of 25%. That way people would have a fair amount of skin in the game. This $250 crap has to stop, it promotes speculating, and in the end could screw the distributors. i.e. the guys who are supposed to make a profit because they hung their shingle and are answerable to clients and manufacturers both. Just my humble opinion, for what it’s worth....