High pricing only.

Saying it's a great price when it obviously isn't is called price pumping.
EDIT: Or being ripped off in the past

"Great price!" when you own the game and the price is already above market would be "Price Pumping" vs "Price Policing". Seems the general consensus is "price Policing" is only when something is felt to be to high.

**Edit** Dang, TheLaw beat me. I'm to slow at typing but you know what they say. "I fought the law and TheLaw won."

Saying great price is on rare occasions because something is going cheap. Most of the time its people who have a vested interest in driving prices up.

Riiiiiight. Pinball is the next Apple stock. Great "investment"!!

While I generally agree but let's take that analogy a little further.

Pinball collecting would be equivalent to the whole stock market, not just one stock. You have winners and losers with stocks as well as specific machines. For instance, Tron LE, BBB, TBL, Magic Girl, IMLE, etc were all great investments if you bought NIB. Their are also duds in their as well but that's no different than the stock market. Just like the stock market it's a bit of a crap shoot finding that next Apple or Bitcoin.

I don't think of them as investments at all but I can see why some people do. I can understand it as if you pick the right machine you could make money in the short/long term and with Pinball at least you can play them.

It's both.
Because when you say "that price is ok" you are saying that it shouldn't go higher.

"Great Price !" would be price pumping and its a real thing. 9/10 times when someone says an overpriced machine is a great "deal", they just happen to have that machine in their collection...

The few times I've done it are when I'm looking for a particular game and see it listed at a price that I would buy it right away if it was in my area. Usually, it's a price where I think that I could sell the game later at the same price with little hassle just because it's a few hundred less than I've seen it listed and sold in the past.

I've tried to stop doing this and just let the usual suspects have their fun.

“Do you know why I pulled you over?”

“No sir. Why?”

“Because you were going the speed limit and I just wanted to acknowledge your responsible driving.”

Let's start a new trend:

"Bad price! Wish I was farther!"

A game is worth what it's worth, internet comments aside. Only someone brand new to pinball that somehow found there way to that particular pinside sale thread would be "victim" to this heinous crime. All the rest, like most of the web is hot air. If it's overpriced, it'll sit unsold.

Also, on the point of people that own the game commenting in sale threads...well, duh....those pin-nerds that own the game typically like to see other examples and compare their own. I comment in plenty of sale threads of games I own and could absolutely give a shit if they sell for more or less. Honestly, doesn't affect me. I might pipe in and say what I bought or sold for to help out if it applies. Guys get their panties wound up over this shit too much on here. Let them price it and save the negative energy...life is short.

If you don’t want either comment don’t list your machines on the For Sale Forum.

Whether we like it or not - a forum invites opinion (good or bad from the readers perspective).

If you can’t live with comments then list in the Pinside Market area or Craigslist.

I hate when people say, "discuss."

I hate when people say “I hate when people say, “discuss””. Discuss.

To me "price police" are just as crazy as this hobby. What gets me about prices is "average price" SHOULD be an average condition machine. "Junk" machine should be much cheaper, "average" machine around average price and super nice machine higher than average price. But for some reason pinball people don't seem to think that way?

Most people I have met in the hobby place very little extra value on a nice ORIGINAL machine? With most hobbies nice original is worth way more than restored but not in pinball for some reason?

I think pricing would not be so controversial if people would leave their opinions out of it.

Properly priced items sell, High priced items don't sell until they are properly priced.

The Clash great band. However, The Crickets (without Buddy Holly and with a new singer songwriter) wrote I Fought The Law. ICYDNK.

Some price police are simply jealous of other's game collections, and express it though other means. Knowing value is based on experience, not just offering an opinion. It takes years to be able to fine tune skills, rather than a ballpark homerun figure.

How can we discuss price policing without discussing imamaculate pins or $3250 Target Alphas? All kidding aside, is it really "price policing" something like a $3250 Target Alpha?

Price policing is stoopid. It's a market economy, an item will sell for what it can sell for. Market drives price

Is there anything that doesn't take a decade with you?

don't like the price , don't buy it !

Another factor that has a great deal to do with price is Location. Seems like the same pin will valued much differently when one is in NY and the other Cali. I approach selling the same way I do buying which is what it's worth to me period.

I'm gonna approach this a different way and hopefully you guys are able to take a step back and look from a different point of view.
You want to sell a machine and I want to buy it but I'm new and have no idea if the price is reasonable. Normally on here you recommend a new pinsider to bring an experienced friend...right. But here we are on pinside market, who is going to help me the new guy?
YOU ARE! The pinball collector with experience. You are here and willing to help and protect me so that I don't get "choggard".
Nobody wants to get screwed over and walk away from this hobby out of anger but it happens. We, the collectors,the players and pinsiders who are experienced should step up and say something to help.
This is my opinion and not expertise.
-Mike

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Then there are the ones that post an outragious priced pin on the forum to stir the pot! I raise my glass to you sir! I love watching the price police go to work! Salute!

Get rid of machines posted on the forum so there are no comments- only provide the Market area of pinside.

This way no comments on pricing, or this guy is great, or any other subjective comments.

Dang this would sure simplify selling machines on pinside.

Of course, it would make pinside boring!

Well said!!

Don't plan on it, but I'm going to tell you why

How about price pumpers?

Price police is a deragotory term meant to mock anyone who comments that a price is too high, specifically on an open forum thread that a seller has chosen to start. Price pumpers are usually the first to the party to start throwing around the term in the name of some unspoken bro code.

Such a thing as price is awfully subjective for such opinions to abound. Something I feel some have missed is the cost of refurbishing these games. Say one purchases a somewhat rare system 3 and rebuilds that haus of a machine. If current sterns had the same number of mechs they'd be asking two arms and a leg and bulk part prices are not extended to most who would take on such a task if one actually manages to locate them. Time and opportunity costs aside, some of the pricing we see today represents those rather not so visible additions. Just a thought.

Why a seller thinks it's a good idea to link a thread- open for public comment- to his sale is still a puzzle to me, but it does seem to work out well for some (if you can believe them.)
Regardless, at that point all commenting seems fair play to me.

I listed a game once and got called out by the price police. So looked at some history and discovered that this “officer” had sold the same game a year prior. Just didnt like the thought of someone else potentially getting more than they did i guess. I just ignore and focus my attention on those who are actually interested in buying it. They generally send pm’s, not make comments on the thread.

Price pumpers could be those who own the same pin. Or also buddies of the seller... lol

Because your ad gets more exposure.

Sort like an employer placing a want ad (excuse me: Now hiring ) and telling you it pays competitive wages.

I didn't know that. Interesting.

How does Price Police work with HUO, Undocumented HOU, It looks like an HOU but I can't prove it, I'm 3rd owner of this HUO pin but I don't have any papers, HUO this and HUO that. etc.

I think that's a different topic that price policing. Condition is key, period. If someone trusts the term "HUO" without inspecting the game that is their mistake. Also the term "shopped" means different things to different people so that term means nothing to me.