Finding NOS parts, ramps and playfields was a lot easier.

Buying games from ops (and distributors) was a lot harder.

Bulk deals or buying multiple copies of the same title to combine for a better example of a particular title were far more common. HUO or very lightly routed games were relative bargains and there were still tons of warehouse finds that you can only dream about today.

You could buy a NIB Medieval Madness in 1997 for under $3800 (significantly less if you were a decent size operator). If you were smart, you bought a Cactus Canyon on closeout for about $1900.

It became a whole different ballgame when WMS closed shop and even dicier when Stern looked like it was going to go under especially since it looked like replacement parts would dry up quickly with no replacements in sight.

If ops sold games, they sold at auction. They did not want to deal with you because you were either (a) going to become a competitor or (b) a post sale support nightmare. And for the most part you were seen as a sucker who would pay silly prices. I overpaid for the first game I bought from an op (and pretty much knew it), but really wanted that game at that time.

Buying from a distributor was similar. They didn't want the headache of a one-off retail customer. You paid list price. If you could find someone willing to sell to you.

When WMS went under my first reaction was parts panic. I went to the local distributor and bought almost every game specific part I could for any game I owned and a bunch of flipper rebuild kits and other common parts. By that time I was either buying games from other collectors or larger ops that wanted games gone from their warehouse. EMs were $50/$100, 80's games plentiful. Newer games could be had but it wasn't as easy (at least for me) as you might think - ops wanted boards to keep games on route running. But gems could still be found. I bought a NGG for $1200 that had been routed for a few months but "had a number of problems" and pulled off route. The playfield was perfect end the problems ended up being trivial. The game was less than six months old.

I found some great deals from an op that just gave up on pinball when WMS closed, but others thought games were lottery tickets. I really didn't buy a lot of games during that time (couldn't really afford it after buying NIB RFM and SWE1) and am still kicking myself for not buying a Cactus Canyon on closeout (why buy that when P2K was going to change pinball?).

For a couple years I wasn't buying any games and wasn't really paying attention in the early 00's as work and family took most of my time. It wasn't until Tron that I started paying attention again and by then the 90's WMS A list titles had started to soar (and they would soar again) as people seemed to flood into the hobby. I missed the Big Bang Bar remakes by a few months - those were a fortune then at $4500 in 2004. My wife never lets me forget I could have had a NIB CC and BBB (though probably revisionist history - she never liked CC and probably would've divorced me if I had suggested buying BBB at the time).

To most, Stern games were noticeably inferior to WMS titles. Stern was really only a factor because WMS dropped out. I never even considered buying a Stern game until Monopoly came out (2001?) and bought one because I liked Lawlor games and loved Monopoly. It was my fourth NIB game but next to MM, RFM, SWE1 it looked and felt cheap, flimsy and unfinished.

That was my first "rummage all you want" place. Best find was a Genco Flying Aces game (only one of two know to be in existence. $100). Went twice. Both times hot as hell with no A/C of course. But I was like a kid in a candy store looking for stuff. Don't remember what I bought besides the Flying Aces but it was fun exploring. Those kinds of places seemed to be all over the Northeast but that was one of the big names at the time.

And that was Door to Door service with Dennis Dodel or Kevin ("Jack Rabbit"). No muss, no fuss. Didn't worry if they knew how to care for your fame because they were collectors themselves.