(Topic ID: 258075)
Ann Arbor, MI
I think Stern does a pretty good job of making games as best they can while simultaneously keeping prices down.
If Spooky is trustworthy, and I think they are so I'm going to use their pricing as a guide, they make the best games they can without charging an arm and a leg. Their last two games have been 6500 and 7000. Stern is making new games 1k under that. Not bad.
Quoted from 27dnast:...of six grand MSRP
Gameroom guys are advertising a Pro with shaker at $6.15k.
That’s $100 shy of the price I paid for a NIB TWD Premium with a shaker and mirror blades.
Discuss
Seems like just yesterday AC/DC Prem was $5800 & LE was $6600...and the hobbyists were pissed since games like POTC, FGY, and SM were ~$3500 a few years before.
Toronto, ON
Wow no shit. You don’t say smh. So material goods and services go up every so often hmmm. It’s almost like cost of raw materials and wages have gone up a bit too...
You’re talking about 6000 toys lol what’s another 100? I guess we could have stripped down empty pf games instead if people prefer
Dont know why people are mad. Elvira SE and star wars topper has shown stern they can charge whatever they want and people will bend over backwards to buy it
Here is what I think Stern has realized.
All of the other pinball companies and I mean ALL OF THEM have raised their base model game into the 7000 range. Willy Wonka SE is 7500, Spooky is 7, American Pinball I think is 7200, and the list goes on. Who knows what Chicago Gaming is going to do with their next standard versions.
I also think the ICONIC themes are more or less gone. I doubt very seriously Stern will have another 5k plus pinball game unless somehow they can snag LZ, Harry Potter, or something that so far no one can get.
Sell fewer machines, but make more for each one you sell. They're in business to make money, and if you'll pay it they'll take it.
When you stop buying you'll see the prices drop I would imagine.
People on pinside need to understand that just because a new game comes out doesn't mean you need to buy it. You buy it 4 months later you're bored of it you want to sell you lose $1500. Patience is a virtue just wait for someone to sell theirs.
Look at Munster LE's they're down up to $3000, patience would have been a real benefit on that machine.
Quoted from TheLaw:You tihnk they're going to jump to 6k street price next release? God no.
And you think they jacked up the price just because of the theme? God No! Stern has been playing with prices for the past year and they're not looking back.
Even at 6k they would be the cheapest of all their competition and they know that. Yeah I think its going to 6k and staying there or going up again!
Then stop buying new games.
This would stop or at least take a sizable retreat if people didn't answer every new price increase with willingness to spend.
When Elvira SLE sells for $15K for a packed piece of couch that was farted on by the mistress of the dark = this community slit its own throat.
Quoted from zacaj:Inflation
Pinflation
Quoted from NPO:When Elvira SLE sells for $15K for a packed piece of couch that was farted on by the mistress of the dark = this community slit its own throat.
They slit their own throat in 2016 when they made videos begging to buy an unfinished, untested prototype B66 for $15k. That set the bar, then came Beatles for $20k or whatever, and now Elvira’s buttplug. Why would Stern stop?
Quoted from Daditude:Pinflation
Great pinsider name !
Stern has been absorbing a lot of the costs associated with the tariffs on foreign good the US government has implemented. Looks like they are finally passing that tax on to their customers...
Quoted from Rarehero:They slit their own throat in 2016 when they made videos begging to buy an unfinished, untested prototype B66 for $15k. That set the bar, then came Beatles for $20k or whatever, and now Elvira’s buttplug. Why would Stern stop?
Reminds me of Ford forcing interested buyers in the 2017 Ford GT40 to do nearly the exact same, identical thing. That being said, that is a VERY HIGH profile item that "who's who" of customers are selected from - like Jay Leno - which gives great exposure to the GT via Jay's YT channel, which will undoubtedly yield a ton of new buyers to the 2005 GT40 or the GT replica produced by Superformance. In other words, money is made elsewhere in a networking effect from the top down.
I can't say the same for a pinball machine. In the 8 years I have been in this hobby now, I have run into 1 person has been like "Oh yeah!! Stern makes pinball machines!!" And that was a fellow collector on Eglin AFB....that I never met....as my fiancee was the one who told me about him.
Quoted from RandomTask:Stern has been absorbing a lot of the costs associated with the tariffs on foreign good the US government has implemented. Looks like they are finally passing that tax on to their customers...
Prices have been increasing for years...
Quoted from RandomTask:Stern has been absorbing a lot of the costs associated with the tariffs on foreign good the US government has implemented. Looks like they are finally passing that tax on to their customers...
Yeah boy, that probably raised the price about $50
Quoted from 27dnast:...of six grand MSRP
Gameroom guys are advertising a Pro with shaker at $6.15k.
That’s $100 shy of the price I paid for a NIB TWD Premium with a shaker and mirror blades.
Discuss
It fucking sucks. And will push me to CGC more and more, where you get higher quality and proven value.
Quoted from 27dnast:Gameroom guys are advertising a Pro with shaker at $6.15k.
That’s $100 shy of the price I paid for a NIB TWD Premium with a shaker and mirror blades.
Discuss
Well obviously my first thought is I wouldn't buy that from them becasue that price is basically MSRP. They are also selling GOTG (shaker) for $5999, which I wouldn't buy becasue that also isn't a good price.
So I guess what we've learned is that one place is selling a game for a kind high price, and they have a history of selling games for higher prices than I've paid.
Pinside also likes to have a little bit of a freak out at every new release fighting betwixt MSRP & Street pricing.
Haven't got a quote myself so I don't know.
Blame it on Lebowski. They saw the 12,500 figure. Stern says Why can't my machines sell for the same? Sad thing is they could, just take your time, install innovative features asked for by customers backed by a great Theme and mass produce them. Uhh, the Market can't support such inflated prices. So they try and stay on the cusp of the highest price a Collector will pay.
They have not found that cusp yet.
Quoted from Mrawesome44:Dont know why people are mad. Elvira SE and star wars topper has shown stern they can charge whatever they want and people will bend over backwards to buy it
No one is mad - I was just trying to point out the obvious. It’s really interesting to have watched this insanity take place over the last few years.
I don’t think Stern is done yet. I can totally see a day where Pro pricing is hitting $6.5 shipped
Quoted from TheLaw:Well obviously my first thought is I wouldn't buy that from them becasue that price is basically MSRP. They are also selling GOTG (shaker) for $5999, which I wouldn't buy becasue that also isn't a good price.
So I guess what we've learned is that one place is selling a game for a kind high price, and they have a history of selling games for higher prices than I've paid.
Pinside also likes to have a little bit of a freak out at every new release fighting betwixt MSRP & Street pricing.
Haven't got a quote myself so I don't know.
Of course... no one is paying MSRP. At least they shouldn’t be. But MSRP is a baseline advertising price that’s pretty equal across the board.
I was just simply pointing out that we’ve basically hit the 6k mark.
Quoted from Rarehero:They slit their own throat in 2016 when they made videos begging to buy an unfinished, untested prototype B66 for $15k. That set the bar, then came Beatles for $20k or whatever, and now Elvira’s buttplug. Why would Stern stop?
I’d love to see their books... I bet the are raking.
Quoted from RandomTask:Stern has been absorbing a lot of the costs associated with the tariffs on foreign good the US government has implemented. Looks like they are finally passing that tax on to their customers...
Stern and manufacturers have received a HUGE income tax cut and are the beneficiary of a phenomenal economy and wealth effect for the "consumer" which is hitting on all cylinders right now.
Tariff impact is nominal and now basically gone.
They have hired some great talent in the meantime.
The initial increases post Metallica LE debacle was to remove "flipper profit". It's all but gone now.
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:It fucking sucks. And will push me to CGC more and more, where you get higher quality and proven value.
And higher prices now too. CGC has blown up MMr pricing on latest run. CC next. MBrLE was bargain.
Can you take the picture of my wife down from your Avatar TFA? Thanks 
Quoted from 27dnast:...of six grand MSRP
Gameroom guys are advertising a Pro with shaker at $6.15k.
That’s $100 shy of the price I paid for a NIB TWD Premium with a shaker and mirror blades.
Discuss
In a capitalist society a business has two choices:
1) Take all the money they can get.
2) Let someone else take all the money they can get.
Look at used game prices of desirable games like Tron, Indiana Jones, Twilight Zone, etc, they are quite high. That in turn has demonstrated to Stern that if a game is desirable, people are willing to pay high prices for it even if it's decades old. Given that, why wouldn't Stern go after that money and price their new games accordingly?
Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:I think Stern does a pretty good job of making games as best they can while simultaneously keeping prices down.
AWHAAAA???? Sarcasm emoji, for the love of all that is holy!
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