I see the potential for a new model in Sterns hierarchy. Home, pro, premium and LE. They seem to be playing the line of pro cost.

If not, they are nuts at this price. If they want newbs to buy machines, they absolutely must go under 2k. Thus means they must be very creative by using new pf materials, fewer mechs and somehow keep it fun and like real Pinball.

If they sold these through Costco and had a couple on the floor, they might actually sell...

They sell hot tubs, TVs, furniture, exercise equipment etc., all of which can get close to or over 4k. The big issue I have with Stern marketing in the big box stores is that we are in the age of research. Smart people (wealthier people) usually research before they spend 4k on something. A guy seeing the machine will likely think, "hey, I remember liking pinball. I'm going to look this company and machine up on the internet." Then the cat will be let out of the bag: the machine is a rip-off. If anything, it might lead newbs to a NIB full-featured Stern.

I've sold and purchased pins from guys that route, and I've had one game on route and will likely route more in the future. No option to route will kill resale on this pin, and most won't touch it, unless they can buy it for dirt. Even then, I wouldn't touch it. Coin doors aren't just for show.

Did you even read my post? It's like you read two words and started your verbal diarrhea. I said coin doors matter because many ppl route in this hobby, including myself. This means if you buy a home pin (yes, I know it says 'home' in the title for a reason), you eliminate a lot of your resale market. If the customer wants to keep it forever, it doesn't matter, but as I said before, people with money are usually smart with their money and will research about pinball. They'll end up with a pro if anything. Just my two cents, but at least read it and use basic comprehension if you want to respond.

Let's compare apples to apples here. Let's see how the spike systems are doing in 2034. I highly doubt you'll see them coming back on line as often when they go down.

With the materials used and the lack of manual, these appear to be treated as disposable pins. I'd say the average consumer would pay 1k, maybe 1.5k max for a temp toy. Once they break, they will go up for sale, just like the ol' air hockey table covered with dust in the basement.