Hmm, not sure about that, or maybe there should be a separate forum. There are many pinballs which do not move in enough volume to really assess an accurate price. If someone is on the fence about selling one of these, I think it is perhaps mostly fear of price police. I'd still like to know if they are tentatively thinking of selling if the price is right, testing the waters, see what people will offer.. as a buyer, I'd rather wade through this, than not know about a tentative sale at all.

When the ad starts,
"Up for sale is this..."
really tweaks me. I know I am being silly but.... (spoiler alert) I know it is up for sale. I am looking at a for sale ad!!!

This is yet another thread on this site that makes me realize no matter what the subject, people are nit picky, self absorbed, and have it way too good. The only thing that bothers me about pinball for sale ads is the prices.

I think I might use this line in my next sale ad. Thanks Yelobird!

Works 100% except for xyz - that ain’t 100% buddy

Works but needs xyz parts replaced, which I’ve included, will look great with the new ramps = Bailing on this project and trying to recoup my costs

Works great, but has issue with xyz, don’t have time to install the new part which is included = I’m bailing on this project and have no idea if the new part will fix this issue I’ve been struggling with for months.

Anyone that's ever sold anything on Craigslist knows tire kickers are a pain in the ass. But adding "no tire kickers" to your posting is about as effective as adding "no money order scams." They'll come out of the woodwork regardless.

Well, I always like to put, "Please, no jerks," in my ad (sometimes in bold). This way I don't have to deal with jerks. I don't like jerks.

Very true, but at least it makes me feel like I gave it a shot ha. Usually asking for a deposit or just telling them they are welcome to come see the game in person is enough to make them stop.

I put “no lowball offers or I’ll donkey punch your wife” in an ad on a 2nd amendment group and got suspended. They support the 2nd but not the first?

that's what they're doing......

You should have threatened to shoot her instead.

^this^

Nope... just give it time...

So everyone's idea of a "good" ad is:

Game
Price
Pictures

Because apparently anything that anybody writes will annoy at least somebody, even if that somebody is not buying the game. You guys are impossible. Can't use the phrase "up for sale" so that would exclude "I'm listing for sale" or "I'm selling." How about we reduce it to pictograms.
selling (resized).jpg

EDIT: am I turning into CrazyLevi ??!!!

"why are you selling" is a pretty legitimate question especially when buying something big ticket
Imagine thinking of buying a house and you ask the Agent "why are they selling"

Good answers would be
"the kids are all gone and we're down sizing"
or
"we've out grown it and need a bigger place"

Bad answers would be
"the walls are bleeding"
or
"mole people have breached the basement walls"

No. For that you would have had to started with "That has to be the stupidest thing I've read on these forums."

"Tastefully done LED's"

I know what I have

85097316_10219169862494955_8171055283548717056_n (resized).jpg

Fucking A...so carguments weren't bad enough now we're having houseguments?
Big ticket items like pinball machines and houses...wow.

I've only been asked that dumb question a few times in 20 years, but the answer is always "I would rather have money right now than this particular game."

I suppose one could flip the script and demand to know why they are buying?

I guess it's possibly OK as a talking point on a message board, like just being nice and wondering aboot a game you don't know much aboot?

now that is funny

Super rare, only 7,500 produced!

"Not in a hurry to sell"

"I know what I have"

"gently used"

“I already have a buyer lined up so just listing this in case it falls through”

Or

“My wife ran off with the butcher leaving me to try and feed my 14 kids so I need to move this as fast as possible”

Or

“I just found out <Insert major life trauma here> So I need to pity guilt you all in to paying my inflated price so you can feel good about yourself”

Or

“0ne of only X machines built out of Y total manufactured with puce colored “Extra Ball” inserts”

Or

“Translite signed by 37 people from the last big pin convention autograph signing session”

Or

“Includes signed piece of toilet paper from the shit the delivery driver took in my bathroom after delivering my first NIB machine”

Or

“Includes every item ever possibly written, printed, or published on or about this machine in every trade magazine since it was debuted, including every non-pinball related gee-gaw that does or does not relate directly or indirectly to the theme.”

If they ever make a "Grumpy Old Men 3" they should raid this forum for source material.

People ask questions when they are making a decent-sized purchase. I never ask a gumball machine "why are you selling the gumballs" but you can bet I will ask it if someone trying to sell me a used car. I don't care about the why... but I want to see if they are nervous... do they have a story... are they trying to pass off a lemon onto me?

I'm annoyed when people don't tick the "Create Forum Topic" box. Especially when there is obvious shenanigans in the listing we need to berate @OP for.

Why has no one created a for sale ad yet with all of these phrases listed?

Afraid they might sell something?

Now that would be funny

Asking to provide a reason to sell is what doesn't make sense in the first place ! Who cares why you sell it, what matters is what you sell and how much you sell it for.

I hate the whole, just gauging interest thinking about selling my *****
If it's a pin there's interest just put it out there!

When the seller just cuts the info from IPDB and pastes it as their ad.

Example:
1993 Bailey Twilight Zone (yes Bally autocorrected to Bailey on this hypothetical ad)

Theme: Adventure - Supernatural - Licensed Theme
Specialty: Widebody
Notable Features: Flippers (4), Pop bumpers (3), Ramps (2), Dual left inlanes, "Rocket" kicker. Dual autoplunger/manual plunger arrangement. Maximum 1 buy-in ball per player (operator option).

Magnets on the main playfield are situated on the looping lane and catch the ball to aid in hitting shots into the camera and piano. They are not under player control.

If you are a pinball person, you know what the game does...if you’re not a pinball person you have zero clue what a “dual autoplunger/manual plunger arrangement” is anyways!

I hate when people say "I just replaced the plunger tip" or some other 30 cent part. Drives me nuts!

How about when the list of features includes "vacuumed out cabinet"?

Man, this might be the most pointless thread ever on Pinside. If you really want the game, you’ll buy it despite these “annoying” statements. If you don’t want the game, GTFO

You beat me to this one. I'm surprised it took someone so long to talk about it. I hate when the game is described as if no one ever heard of it before.

My other one is ALL CAPITALS. MY AD IS MORE IMPORTANT THEN ALL OTHER ADS.

Cool. More cheap games for me.

Well, you might get some cheap games but the rest of us will sleep well knowing we held true to our for-sale ad principles! How well will you sleep? (this is very rhetorical)

From what I've noticed the "dumber" the sale ad with more useless information the higher the price.

LOL....well you got me there

Believe me no one is bitching when there's actually a good deal! We've all sat through a load of crap when buying in person

Hey you. Quit chucking my wood!

As a graduate of Beavercreek High School, I can not let people think woodchucks and beavers have anything to do with each other...

"Unforseen emergency hammertoe surgery"
That one really grinds my gears.

The one word that really cheeses me off when I read it in all the bad ads is "RARE"... People think a run of 4k is a rare pinball machine. Or a run of 7k or a run of 14k is rare.

That is the main thing that drives me nuts...
And so what if a game is rare. Breakshot had a run of 1k and you still see it pop up for a very reasonable price quite often. Rare does not mean it's expensive.

Same goes for antique or vintage.

Then lastly... One thing I do not like is being lied to when I'm going to purchase a pin. I had one seller tell me he had all brand new plastics. And also the leg levelers(as the pin was on wheels... Yep wheels). I agreed to the price. But, when I got there. He didn't have the levelers and he didn't really know what plastics were... As he only had the yellow lane roll over plastics... But, those he couldn't even find(they're like a buck on every pinball site)... So While I told him, I'd need to buy new legs. I wanted a discount. Only 50 dollars. But, nope...

I did buy the pin. And I'm happy with the purchase. And I couldn't get those wheels off, and I wound up just buying new legs for it. Funny thing is my brother says I was ripped off. But, I think the price was fair for the pin and condition, and also since the house was about 12 blocks away from where I live... Really convenient. So not a bad deal... Just don't lie to me,and tell me what you really have.

I dislike it when someone spells immaculate correctly.

I misread. Nevermind!

Funny, I use all the hated phrases mentioned when I sell I game!
Never had a problem!

I have often told people "That doesn't really matter."