Quoted from isJ:Sure am tired of a couple of the local flippers driving prices to ridiculous heights in Minneapolis.
I’ll admit to buying and selling games and for sure reselling them. I can tell you, I put a considerable amount of time (driving, breaking down, driving, setting up, shopping the hell out of them, buying and replacing parts, fixing boards and components, cleaning them up, and making them nice.) so the games I bought, and the games I sell are very different. I also take risk that’s something is on the fritz, or missing something critical in the inspection, letting my money hang out there for a while, and dealing with some very rude folks in the process (mainly Craigslist). So I understand the frustration, but I can tell you, I don’t jerk people around. I come at them directly, and do what I say I’m going to do, I show up, and I get the spoils from my hard work.
If I end up with a solid example of a hard to find game, you bet your ass I’m pricing it accordingly. Like I said in the past, I think pinside price ranges are flat out wrong/low for some of the 80s/90s classics, especially when condition and production numbers are considered. Newer sterns should trade tighter, because there is so much supply and all the new kids want the latest and greatest and can’t have both. I’m about as far from a douche bag as you can get; I value my reputation, and I’m honest about what I know about a game; it’s history, how long I’ve owned it, etc...and I make it clear with sellers, if they ask, that I plan on cleaning up the game, and enjoying it, and eventually selling it. That’s what I do, and in the process, I get better at troubleshooting, shopping, and repairing games. Plus I get to enjoy all the A titles, and develop relationships with a lot of cool folks that share my passion. I’m not upset about the post. It’s totally valid, and yeah, I want to throw up in my mouth when I see terrible flips, but hey, the cream rises to the top, and the bad operators? Well, they end up lower than whale sh!t.