Nice. I say pass but send the info on to me. I've got someone that would pay substantially more for it. I'll give you $100 for your troubles.

$4,700 is too much for a TZ wait for it to go lower.

Well I spend my pinball time on Gottlieb add-a-balls. I can say with confidence there is nothing going down with those games. Entire games, certain parts have skyrocketed.
THings will get better if you just buy the magazine!

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Where were you when I could hardly give those away? Tough sell. Perhaps there aren't enough old men around my town that want to relive that past.

Just sold one today for under 8K

With some of the prices selling today, IJ, TZ and other wide bodies seem like a bargain at 8k. Geez.

I sold two games yesterday within 2 hours of posting. One sold here one sold on Facebook. Both at or extremely close to my asking price. If you price them fair they are moving fast. If you get greedy and want absolute top dollar for everything the market will feel like it’s slowing down. If you are truly trying to sell at this moment, be keenly aware of the market pricing and price accordingly it’s that simple. Lots of greed evident in the prices these days and most of that is tied to the need as others have said, to raise as much cash as possible to keep up with the ever increasing cost of new machines when you simply don’t have other cash on hand to inject into the next big purchase.

Holding out for cash right now is hard. Welcoming trad +/- cash yields instant results. 18 offers in a day on my MMr. I live in pinball land but still.

Prices fluctuate with the owners urgency or motivation to sell.

We all have to keep in mind that it's basically the same 2000 folks regularly buying and selling these high end pins.

So when a shiny new GnR or whatever hits the market it shakes loose a lot of existing games out of collections to make room/$. All these games flooding the market at once tends to reduce prices, temporarily. Other times when there is no "gotta-have-it" new game hitting the market collections tighten up and prices increase.

Right now between GnR and AIQ lots of new games are inbound forcing older games to the market. It will pass.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/103520

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-leads-to-spike-in-pinball-popularity

This 1,000,000,000%
world economies have crashed because of the new GNR machine, dealers are throwing all other machines in the garbage and lighting them on fire to make room for the GNR machine. hell, i think all the pinball makers in the world have all sold their entire manufacturing plants to JJP just so the new world economy based SOLEY on Guns and Roses pinball can take foot. all hail GNR our new economic and religious overlord, we salute you in all your grandeur.

oh, and sarcasm machines are still carrying some value as well.

FWIW, you can’t pay your rent with a TZ. I can’t imagine that those who have been laid off or furloughed aren’t looking around their homes for unnecessary items that can bring in cash. If we pretend that the market is ‘overbought’ due to yers of prosperity, nostalgia, availability (new) and popularity then it’s ripe for reversal. Pinball is, after all, a toy and considerable non-liquid capital. Inventories will stagnate in distributor warehouses, assembly lines will slow, that Batman 66 is suddenly two more months of living, prices drop.

The good news is that once once the sun shines again, potential buyers will realize the market is ‘oversold’ and will rabidly start snapping up the endless deals. That interest will drive prices back up again.

You can’t really time it perfectly, but there’s something to be said about buy low and sell high. Get ready.

If you like pinball and photography, you might want to check out the book I have available through Pinside.

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Amen. Ever try to find Shaq Attaq parts?

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^^ Agreed! But I was actually surprised. I moved as the pandemic hit, and decided that to make better use of a new space, not have to move a bunch of games and the uncertainty of the economy (it was, and still is, dicey getting that regular paycheck) that should sell off much of my collection. Now that I am actively watching the market, I am seeing the same high prices, some ridiculous ones speckled in, and difficult to find if not worse, fairly priced/deals. Not much has changed as I would have thought. I guess some people said F%$@ it, I can live without toilet paper and I am probably going to die anyways so I'll either keep my game or try to sell it at a ridiculous price.

I saw a lot of location players (I’m in NYC) procuring machines to cuddle up to during the stay-at-home time. Myself included. That was when it felt like it would just be a few months waiting out the apocalypse. The depreciation felt reasonable. Buy NIB, play, sell, lose 10% (or less if you went vintage)

There’s the bubble.

I’m eating this Batman66 when things get hairy and I can’t get a decent price because people are listing games to feed their kids.

Let’s hope that isn’t the case.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHHeZutHsMb/?igshid=8vg2bkjt7fpb

Fuckin bubble has burst every month for 20 years.

I can’t handle the stress!!

May switch to stamp collecting.

I am watching for just the right deal / like Blake on the voice.

yea, prices are for sure NOT dropping

Damn, I got excited then Levi has to chime in.

When I see MMR for 5k... then you know.

Been in a few hobbies where the bubble burst for instance was into game used/pro stock hockey equipment certain players and teams were achieving over $500 a pair. Then a website popped up over night and had a hook up with an equipment supplier for the NHL and starting selling everything below market value. Saw guys with 4-5k in equipment dump everything for less than $800

Probably splitting hairs, but they were not dumping stuff for below market value, the market value had changed. Could easily happen with pinball, but what was this group doing with the hockey equipment? Staring at it?

Pinball at least can be played, and if push comes to shove it can be put on location and earn some money. A used hockey glove can just be used to play dress up or play hockey when push comes to shove...

Prices sure are dropping and anybody that doesn't admit it are just fooling themselves..

one thing that seriously does not add up is prices SHOULD be dropping... with all the constant news updates of unemployment and jobs going away, barcades closing along with small business facing seriously tough times. How the hell is there not a glut of used machines on the market at "i need to make rent" prices? just doesn't seem to equate but i am not economic guru.

I would think because most people in this hobby are well to do, and can afford the games they have and more. People that live paycheck to paycheck and struggle making ends meet, I dont think are owners of pinball machines.

I'm not sure about the prices dropping. I've been trying to get a couple game (The Shadow, and Flintstones) and they are going well above market value. I tried to get the seller to meet me in the middle of the value of the game, but they wouldn't budge. So for me I would say the prices are going up.

Seems like everyone one wants an arcade or pin in their basement right now. The amount of request from co workers has almost tripled asking if I have anything for sale.

Same thing with pools this past summer, every pool company is now booked till 2022, I ended up buying a fiberglass shell from a local manufacture and got to chat with the production manager. Guy said he usually has about 10 orders a month, he was currently at 30. Said he’s never seen it. He was sold out on every model for the next year or so.

Also same goes for wood, over the summer both Lowe’s and Home Depot got wiped clean of 2x4 and decking materials as soon as they restocked.

Seems like people that were stash cash for vacations are spending it on their homes.

Houses, cars, pins all look up to me

People aren’t spending money on vacations, restaurants, bars, etc. So, if you were fortunate enough to keep your job through this, chances are, you have a surplus of cash to spend on something like a pinball machine. The industry has never been hotter. Look at Sterns backlog. They are behind on getting out thousands of pinball machines that have been ordered. Will the bubble burst? Who knows, but the prices are definitely not going down right now.

Yeah prices are falling like a rock that's why I can't find a WPC game under 3500 and everybody thinks their beat to shit Bobby Orr is worth $2,500.

I don't know if anything is moving but asking prices are higher than ever, by a huge margin.

I'm not surprised. I bought a nice 1970 GIbson SG guitar at the very start of the pandemic for $3,500. Now, it's "worth" $4,500-5,500 going by the asking prices at the same place I bought my guitar (reverb.com).

I think it's time for the bubble bursters to just admit they'll either never be right, or that if the bubble DOES burst, we'll probably be living in some post apocalyptic nightmare where none of us can even afford internet to brag about Doctor Whos going for $900 again.

Either way, just give it the fuck up already. If pinball could survive 2020 it's gonna survive anything.

Asking prices are not dropping - just Gorfing!!

sfbay.craigslist.org link

Currently pinball machines enjoy "Hard asset" status. Hard assets like diamonds are hoarded and sales controlled to keep prices artificially high.
Many Investors want hard assets versus dollars (Real Estate, gold/silver, guns etc). Some items considered hard assets for a brief period (rare guitars, 50's classic cars) have fell out of favor.
The Coin-op Business model has always encourage keeping strict limits on income generating equipment becoming prolific by hoarding, destruction, and artificially contrived prices.

I just got my fiberglass pool installed. I got in right at the beginning of COVID and he now has a 2 year wait. Can't find a damn boat around here either. People are for sure spending their money on home entertainment and that includes pinball machines.

There certainly is truth in what you say.
However, in my case I have never been well to do.
That did not prevent my first pin purchase over seven years ago.
A well timed auction bid gained me an arcade. Had some money land in my lap, and got #2. My son added another to our game room soon after. Hard pressed to justify another when other bills took priority, I had a "couldn't pass it up" moment and used a tax refund. Finally, sold off some other collectables to buy our last - and that makes five.
All throughout, yes I have seen prices rise -dramatically (somewhat stable now).
Although I was never quite at the paycheck to paycheck level during all of this, I am now. I look at my pins and thank God I have them and that I purchased them when I did cause I sure wouldn't be able to afford them now.

We saved a ton of money not paying for summer camp and my wife was still able to work because her job allowed virtual for the first time. We have spent more money on home enterainment and home improvements this year, more than any other, other than the year we redid the kitchen.

Part of it was we also decided to use the stimulus money to go back into the economy. That's why we pulled the trigger on a flooring job and a nice bicycle for the wife. I thought I was going to help keep a small business going, but they have probably been busier than ever.

Hahah that guy on Facebook, he’s a real winner. Thinks it’s stupid rare

I would expect that in a few years we may finally see prices drop off. All these nib buyers will be bored of the game in a few years and once Covid lockdown is done

Same with me, I started getting permits right during the peak. Township permit office was slammed. Also driving to work see a pool being installed almost every other week crazy.

I got my shell for 7k( normally 14k) and did almost all the work but digging the hole. Local landscaper installed it for me for 5k including crane rental. So all in I was at around 15k. I don’t have deep pockets but after 12 years in the military learned how to make a dollar go far.

Also started this hobby with $200 As a Christmas gift and have evolved it into a game room worth around 16k and have a second car as profit from busting my nuggets fixing broken games, being honest and transparent has always been a guiding principle.

This hobby has actually helped me further my career as an air craft mechanic get more job offers because of my mechanical and electronics background. Guess people usually are only good at one or the other.

There's nothing classic for sale in California at any price.
Been looking for a nice 80's SS. Nothing.

Or when they start breaking and they can't fix and realize it's expensive if you aren't doing yourself.

You heard it here folks!

Bubble bursting coming in 2022!

Do we have any economists here? 2020 has obviously been the perfect storm for really increased prices. What does it take to go the other way? NIB is higher than ever and all older games are up across the board.

Not professionally speaking. But I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that increase of new games will bring up prices of the older games for a number of reasons. One being keeping them proportionate to the new games.

Also pinball is arguably making a social comeback (barcades etc) which will drive up the demand. People might shop for new games and get sticker shock and while still wanting a game will resort to an older one. I actually think Stern's home model Star Wars will be a best seller. That makes 0 sense for all of us here on Pinside etc but we are the extreme minority.

Everyday I talk to my friend who is in the pinball business for a living and the pulse is around here people are BEYOND thirsty for machines. Of course we had a huge local retailer close earlier this year. Ironically it was the 2nd week into COVID purely a coincidence but talk about good timing. I have videos and pictures on my computer that would probably ostracize me from here with the things that were thrown into the garbage many years ago because pinballs and parts had little to no value and nobody wanted them. We almost had to pay people to come pick up Flashes and Firepower projects. If I had this information back then I would have kept every post. I passed on free semi populated playfields that we not in that bad of shape.

I would assume we can expect an aggressive level of inflation in the coming years which should at least float prices at the same level which in a sense would decrease their value a little. Key takeaway; inflation is a tax on savings.

On a related note there is a difference between VALUE and PRICE. If prices on pins slowly rise over the years the value of a pinball hasn't really changed. It's just sliding with the dollar.

Finally one thing that throws everything off are the mods. Take a game with factory specs and throw a speaker set, PinSound, ColorDMD, plated cabinet hardware, topper, and a few other things and you could easily add on $1,500 or more to a game which couldn't be done a decade ago so easily.

When things open back up when covid "ends" people will be back out at the bars and barcades and be reminded of pinball once again so who knows if things will go the other way.

I honestly thought VR would pinch things in pinball but pinball didn't care it marched right on.

Where I live the prices of pinball are literally going up by the week. You can take that to the bank.....literally.

Board availability has made Bally (Early to mid 80) highly desirable.
You may not like the beep and bloops. But they are repairable.
We are seeing early to mid 80's Williams boards becoming problematic to obtain. The price on these stays level somewhat.
EM is enjoying a price spike because people are figuring out they are repairable, and dependable after repair.
Most Owners don't want a hassle. A SS play problem? Who knows how to fix it, or who can fix it without costing a fortune. If you are in to it it seems easy.

Holy crap. I always felt like I got into this hobby "late." I can remember buying a nice players condition AF from Jerry Thompson (yes, THE Jerry Thompson) when I lived in Seattle in 2009 for the "high" price of $1600... I sold the thing in 2012 after moving to Minneapolis for $3000 I think... Man, I wish I'd kept that game... Would have outperformed every stock I have ever owned...

The pin "market" couldn't be more different today than it has ever been... The internet (ironically) has permanently changed the game... From easy access to games for "newbies" (I can remember legends on RGP of CV's that operators couldn't give away), to exposure (I sold Hurricane, one of the worst games ever for $2K to a guy who wanted it because he played it on XBox...), to collectability (Remember news articles in the 2000's of the "collector" who had 6 games for "dead" pinball???)

My point here, is there is no crystal ball, and the collector market for these games is ever expanding, and ever evolving. Buy games because you love them. Because they are fun. Because you enjoy repairing them. If you buy games to "invest" you are missing the best parts of pinball. Buy it because you love it, and you will never "lose" a dime--you will just regret selling an old friend when you run out of space.

Don't feel too bad. Sounds like we have similar stories from a moving perspective. I used to have 20-30 games at a time and sold all but one off.

Some sales I made between 8-15 years ago.....

Funhouse -- $1700 (nice shape too)
CV -- $4500ish in trades
ST:TNG and WPT $2,000 ea
Jack*Bot $1500
Fish Tales $1500
BSD $2000
HUO Firepower $1,000
Genesis $600
JP $1500 (DE)
LOTR I bought NIB $4,000
Rollergames $700

There's more but I can't recall the prices as well or I may have too much shame.