2017 $6 billion — Dollars spent on sales of golf equipment, apparel and supplies.

I don't golf, I don't go to sporting events, I don't own a boat, I don't own an exotic car.

All these above 'hobbies' people spend Billions per year on and it keeps going. There may be ups and downs but they are 100x more spent on each of they above than on Pinball.

I believe there is enough current owners and new people to the hobby to keep the lights on at Stern, CGC and JJP (Spooky too as they seem to be pay as they go).

Now I don't think there is room enough for a half dozen or more pinball companies (unless they are boutique like Spooky).

I am saying some people would spend $4K on going to a sporting event like the SB or on golf clubs and such while I could care less about them. Much like people think *I'm* crazy to have spent $70K (whatever) on my pinballs yet they will have spent more on several years of season tickets to football/basketabll etc.

Meh I am just saying people spend money in different ways. For golf but people pay a heck of a lot to swing a crocked stick at a little ball. Any discretionary depends on the economy and new people coming into the hobby and I equate Golf to a hobby as I do pinball.

I expect to buy one TNA (paid for pending delivery now). I don't plan on buying anything for a good while. I just met a Pinsider in my neighborhood that has 3 pins when prior to that he had zero. He has Maiden, GB and TWD. This is someone who I had no contact with, I don't know how/why he got involved with Pinball but he's just getting started and I know others in various stages who have just got involved in the last 5 years and probably more will in the years to come.

I am not the target but people like me who don't have a dozen Pins already are the target.

That dude lost billions over the last few days, but I guess if anyone can afford it, he can.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-sheds-billions-net-233957613.html

Buffiett is 88 years old I doubt he cares about he lost a few billions plus he lived through many market crashes including the Great Recession 2008-9.

what people don't realize is that it's healthy and normal for stock market to go down from time to time.

One day in 1987 the DOW lost 22% that would be like 5,700 point loss (from the current high level) this one day loss was on top of other days that might added up to 30% loss in one week. Had you bought before the crash of 87 you would have been back to even in two years. That's 25-30% crash not 5-6% pullback.

Then pinball is a much better short term value investment! Buy an LE, sell before you get it for 25% profit. Buy a TBL for $8k, sell it for $30k a year later!

Yeah I'm putting all my eggs in pinball, and leaving Buffett to croon about margaritas and cheeseburgers in paradise.

Now a Jimmy Buffet machine would be a great investment!

Last time I checked, 21 Trillion in debt is screwung things up.

Well, as long old games are as good or even better then 4-5k new games, they will keep selling for that amount.

Only!
If Stern would release a couple of uberkillergames, for 3-3.5k, the market would implode, why pay 5k for old gg games, while you can have almost 2 super-uber pins for that same amount.

+ in belgium we have the "newtimer" car hype; iconic 80's -early 90's, sell for a ridiculously amount these days. High cc/special editions VW golf 1/2, Ford corsworths, etc etc have exploded in value the last 3 years. So. I can imagine pins would hold there value atm.

Our cohort, the people making up us dudes who were all born in a certain period of time (I guess mostly Gen X), and are now buying homes and filling them with pinball machines will be going on for some time before its exhausted.

Someone brought up boats earlier. I pass marinas all the time, filled with boats sitting there just sucking up money. And pinball is nowhere near boat money.