A couple of hundred dollars difference is usually not a big deal when the transactions involve machies valued at $3000 or more, but is a big deal at an $800 or $1000 machine.

I also don't build negotiating room unto my prices. I sell them at a reasonable fair price, take it or leave it. I also pay seller price without question. All my transactions take around 2 weeks at the absolute most to buy or sell.

But - do expect to lose sometimes, that's the price of entertainment from an amusement machine. Compared to other forms of entertainment, it's pretty reasonable. Concert, movie and ball game tickets, 100% loss. I've bought VCR tapes, video games, DVDs, CDs, Blu-Ray. The players and many consoles are nearly worthless when you are done with them, and the media is a struggle to sell for 2 bucks apiece at a flea market. Pool tables take a hit, swimming pools cost constantly in maintenance. Almost any form of entertainment costs some money that is never recouped.

I look at it this way: How much do you play your games before you sell them? If you've played them 800 plays before you lost $200 at the time of sale, then you got about the same $.25 per play you would have gotten in the 1980s out on location. The fact that we CAN break even on the initial cost of a pin - or even make a profit on occasion is a huge bonus in this hobby. On some machines you'll play for free while you own them, but sometimes when it completes the deal and you make another pinhead happy a small monetary loss is totally worthwhile. I've made a few smiles, and I know the feeling of elation when I get a hold of a pin I've been looking for.