I won’t pay any more for toys someone else thought were cool… almost a guarantee I will not think they are.

No

Nope. Remove them all and throw them in the trash where most of them belong.

I agree. When i look at a game to purchase im looking at the base game. Mods do not add to value unless its a color dmd in my eyes. What someone else thinks is nice may not be nice to me. I plan to take all the added mods off once its home. No need to pay for something im just going to throw in a box and never see again.

You're thinking about it all wrong, don't break it down by how many mods are added or the perceived value of those mods unless you REALLY want to do that. Just take in the game as a whole, and make a fair offer you're comfortable with based on that. It's not uncommon for sellers to think that mods add value to the game when they don't, and maybe you don't come to an agreement on the selling price due to that but that's just how it is.

If someone wants to increase their selling price because they stuck a bunch of dolls on the playfield go ahead, but I'm not biting. Certain mods have a global appeal but many mods are personal preference only and the opinion of them widely varies from person to person.

Only two mods that IMO add value is Color DMD & Pin Stadiums!

I think you answered your own question.

Don't believe everything that seems to be trendy on Pinside... I remove just about every single mod that is on any game that I buy unless it:
-helps the player to see what is happening better
-makes the game sound better
-makes the game more responsive (Titans)
-improves the reliability/stability of the hardware and/or power
-is a shaker motor
-is a low 5VDC "red" Stern DMD display (hey, I just like them)
I prefer to be a "bulletproofer" rather than a "moder" and to me, bulletproofing adds value... But some Pinsiders would rather have games with lipstick and bling.

Mods as a whole is a big tent kind of word. For some, it’s a shaker and Color DMD and for others, it’s Star Wars action figures. I agree with snakesnsparklers and take the game as a whole.

As a buyer, I decide if it’s worth it to me or not. If not, no big deal, I don’t reach out to the seller. No harm done there.

As a seller, I tend to remove things like a shaker, speaker lights or color DMD before listing them as I can easily move them to my next game. I leave Titan Rubbers, plastic protectors and game specific items.

It also depends on the sale. What I stated above is mostly for a public listing. If dealing with an acquaintance or friend, it’s different.

Buy a stock game and then *if* you want, mod it up.

Depends on the Mod. Color DMD, yes....

Ken Doll, no.

Nope. I'm not paying someone to throw their crap out.

This is what most people are going to say.

And then you go looking for a bone stock Tron at 4200 bucks, and everyone laughs in your face. Perception, and reality, are not the same thing.

Modding does not subtract value unless it’s something irreparable or a pain in the ass to fix like shit colored powered coat. Certain mods like medysinl or lior stuff most definitely adds value. “Upgrades” like cliffys, plastic protectors, invisigalss, shaker, headphone jack, speakers, etc all add value but don’t expect someone to pay what you did for those parts.

It really depends, some yes and some no. Official mods from manufactures (shaker motor, invisiglass, art blades, toppers, etc) add value to a game in my opinion. If it's 5 action figures taped all over the playfield...no lol.

People buying games: Mods add no value

Same person selling modded game: Nicely modded game has extra value

Bottom line....List your game with all the features and your price...Buyers will buy if they like what they see.

If its already in the game then you have to pay up. If you don't like it, move on until you find an unmolested one for the price that YOU are willing to spend, pretty simple concept.

ColorDMDs are nearly the only mod worth their salt.

Mods very specific to each game are also great when done right:

1. CFTBL tail light mod or MikeD's LCD mod
2. Zurich Shadow translite
3. Winteriscoming's Trex sculpt to DE JP.
4. Solid metal Battlefield shroud for Shadow
5. TWD bicycle girl strobe light mod
6. Compy's TZ backboard mod
7. AFM Bill Ung mini saucer mod

These are mods that took some solid R&D, continuous efforts, and are highly integrated and provide a great effect to the target game.

Gluing action figures on a PF and trying to get an extra $100 for it, oh please.

I won't pay more for any mods other than a ColorDMD. A shaker motor or speaker upgrade might sway me to buy one game over another. Any other mod is most likely a deterrent from buying the game. If someone has wired a bunch of mods into a game, that makes me nervous that they did it right and didn't screw up the wiring.

I won't pay more for a game with mods that can be easily removed. But I will either deduct or won't consider games with power coated trim or ramps. Just way too much money to get them back to normal. I'll leave that game for someone else.

Can you say which game you’re considering buying?
There’s really only one game that comes to mind in which the mods have some nice value and that would be Tron.
Flynn sign
Arcade
Light bikes

Color dmd adds a lot of value.

I have a colordmd on Tron.....and I would not say that it adds all that much value. The colorization on that isn't that great. I still prefer color over monochrome, but like ALL mods, it is personal preference.

Subtract for all the time and effort you’ll have to spend removing them.

Some sellers think because they spent X it adds X value. It doesn’t.

You should spend as much as possible on mods.

That way when you go to sell it you can list for thousands more than you will get because of "all the upgrades" so everyone can say you are nuts.

Its the cycle of life around here.

Depends on what mods and what game. In the end, you just have to negotiate best price on game you are interested in. You might have to pay more if game has mods. The more picky you are the harder it will be to get games you want.

Yikes

If anyone is thinking of doing that with any discontinued Medisinyl Mods, let me know and we'll either get them sold quickly for you, or I may buy them back. There's many looking for most of them, and I stick to my word once out of production.

Otherwise, as others have noted, it really depends on the mod.

Color DMD yes, Pin Stadium no thank you!

The pragmatic answer is to add up the retail cost of the mods you don’t like, and value those at 50% of retail - IF they can be removed and sold. There will always be someone on Pinside who will happily buy a mod for half-price. Of course if it’s a mod in high demand that’s no longer available, use common sense - it may be worth more than the original cost.

It kind of depends what the mod is. If its easily obtainable and looks dumb i would pass. But if its installed and its hard to find like HMS POTC Mod, or TWD Bicycle girl light mod (the one that turns red when you hit it), COLOR DMD, Shaker motor etc, I wouldnt hesitate. I recently obtained a TWD LE with custom paint job and real hair from pinball refinery, totally worth it its freaking crazy looking! Oh don’t forget about crate mod it’s awesome.
Also got a hobbit with a custom apron and display built in, I love it. So kind of depends I think.
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It really doesn’t matter what the anti-modders think. The fact is almost any game with tasteful mods will sell for more than the same stock game. Are they worth it to you depends on how much you like the specific mods. Some things to consider are: how long you are planning on keeping the game? Do you enjoy the hobbyist side (working on pins by adding mods, etc)? Is it the showpiece of your game room (or room)? Are the mods in high demand and short supply … as you could sell them. What is the price difference between what is being asked for the modded game versus a stock game? Is the game hard to find - in which case the higher price point might be more due to supply than the mods.

I agree with others that simply adding figurines to the game doesn’t really increase value.

Good luck in your pin quest! Most importantly, have fun with your toy.

Condition is king.

Your game with a bunch of mods on it that hasn't been cleaned in years and has rusty lamp sockets should be worth a lot less than a clean and shopped vanilla game.

But that's 2016 thinking... In 2021 rust adds value and water damage is highly sought after!

We can agree to disagree... personally the lightshow I got off my MBr is 1000 times better now with PS.

Crazy but I actually like it more than the color chip upgrade. Made the game easier to play & it's fully customizable.

Color DMD is great but when I'm playing I honestly don't look up too often.

Depends on the mod. As others have stated, there are some really great mods out there like color DMD, Mike D creature mod, Tron EL wire, inside decals, powdercoating, Led's etc. Pay for the quality stuff and if you dont like it, dont buy it. That's why there are pro owners and premium/LE owners, not everyone appreciates the extras. I wouldn't pay extra for cheap action figures. I mod the crap out of my games with the quality stuff and sometimes I hear people say I would never pay for mods. My answer to that is that my games are not for you then.

So far the main mods I hate so far are those 3.5 inch figures, like GI joes on the playfield. And anything that requires glue like certain lighting mods that ruin the sides of the cabinet, then you have to use stupid goo gone.
I mean look at this rice from the thai restaurant the other day! horrible!

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Autocorrect for the win!

This question always has the same answer: it depends on the mods, and what matters most is what the buyer cares about. If it's worth more to you because you want it that way, or they improve the game for you, or are rare and hard to get and you want them? Great. If not, don't pay more.

There are some mods that might have a bit of 'universal' approval. And yet, some people will still prefer stock. Up to you.

I suspect most people would rather have the Tron arcade cabinet with the animated screen over the piece of crap stock plastic lump for instance. But someone who's collecting for 'authenticity' might want it all original.

I think in general though the answer is that the game's value rarely goes up by the price of the mods. The exceptions are special.

I think the only mods that add value are ones that add interactivity like they SHOULD have had. Like it’s super lame the T-Rex in JP doesn’t do anything, when the DE one was awesome.

I’m not super familiar with those mods but I know there are really cool ones like the buzz saw for TOM and some plane mods for IJ. Things that make it more fun to shoot for add value and actually do something, not those that are just goofy dolls and action figures.

In short, most “Mods” don’t. Utilitarian mods with purpose do.

I would caution buyers against saying things to the seller like “That mod is only worth $X to me”, or “I hate those pinblades, I’ll have to take them out”. Just make an offer like you would on a nice house with bad wallpaper. Otherwise, you’re just getting into a debate about taste that you won’t win.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with saying, for example: “would you be willing to sell it without the ColorDMD and the Invisiglass?”

You said you dont care for mods so just keep looking for a no mod version of your favorite titles.Why would you pay more for something you dont like.

10 years now and people still can't get this right... kills me every time

Pin Stadium is a big no for me.

The only thing I can think of that I would pay for is ColorDMD and a Shaker Motor (not the cheap shitty ones). I do like I Aurich's stuff so I am going to be focused on pins with his stuff over one without. Everything else is a toss up, it may be hassle to be removed or a little bonus if I like it.

Pin Stadiums are a hard no for me, I do like that style of lighting on certain pins but no way in hell am I paying that price for a mod I can do myself just the way I want it for a small percentage of the price.

This thread reminds me of a funny story. When we bought our house, we had a contract already signed by both parties. At the closing, the owners said “oh by the way, if you want the play set in the backyard, we’ll sell it to you for just $1000 more.” It was massive and pretty nice, we had a 3-year-old, and I knew it would cost me a lot more than $1k to replace it. But I said “no thanks”, because I knew that they weren’t going to back out of the closing, and they sure as hell weren’t going to take it apart and move it (the had already moved out). So, we got a “free” wooden playset.

It always pays to know what cards you’re holding

Installed Cliffys and Mantis protectors add value. Maybe plastic protectors as well. There's install time and material value there. And it protects re-sale value maybe with less wear. ColorDMD is value added. Freshly installed decals properly done is added value, tossing in a fresh set of decals and saying I never got around to installing them might not. That said, colorDMD can be removed if the buyer does not want to pay for it. The others are in for good. Sometimes shakers came from the factory sometimes installed aftermarket. My opinion, if it can be removed, the seller can determine if he wants to sell it separately if a buyer balks at paying for it.

A playfield protector can be cut off, but in my opinion a protected playfield might command a premium if installed right from NIB.

It depends on what it is?

Would you pay extra for this, or ask for a discount.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-star-wars-comic-art-premium-5
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The reverse can be true.

I think the extra toys in this Twilight Zone add to it a little, especially the Color DMD. I will admit the sideblades are polarizing, but can be easily removed.
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The R2 Topper isn't even screens accurate (not really a fan of Toppers) & I see zero value add to headphone jack.

This!

Color DMD only, maybe the Mike D mod on Creature. Everything else - no.

It's just like a muscle car - all these dudes modded the hell out of the cars, then when they try to sell them, no one wants it. They all want original.

Don't forget AC/DC lightning bolts!! Stock ones suck IMO