Quoted from dyopp21:Fair enough. However I probably look at buying pins from a different viewpoint than some, or maybe even most. Since all my pins go into an arcade, I want to be able to fix them. If parts aren't available then it's just not something I want to take on. I admit I probably should've worded the topic differently. Maybe something like, "Before I purchase, will I be able to find parts for this?" It wasn't about price really.
I'll never buy one to part it out for profit, or to simply flip it. I want to dig in and get my hands dirty.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:something like this, I just snag instantly and worry about parts later. Most of these obscure manufacturers you can't substitute common parts with them.
Even if the game is dead or missing boards, I would still grab a rare find. However, obscure stuff is sometimes tougher to sell afterwards just because there is no familiarity or nostalgia attached, unlike well-known games, and the demand tends to be much lower.
As long as you're not in a huge rush to restore a game, I can usually find the parts I need over the span of a few months between various online sources, various shows, WTB ads, and just talking to folks. To me, this is like treasure hunting.
The only downside to repairing rare games is that they aren't documented nearly as thoroughly as more mainstream games. So you have to be prepared to do research (which I enjoy), a lot of troubleshooting (which can sometimes get frustrating), and some trial & error repair attempts.