It's true...people beg for me to join in on these, and then Nicoy bitches when I give the people what they want!!! He's such a sourpuss.

But you raise a good point...hard to believe it, but another year is upon us, and surely, another several dozen pricing threads. While I'd love to give this one the honor of being our 2022 representative, I have to say the "pinball machines are beanie babies" thread already has a pretty special place in my heart. It's got it all: Enthusiastic noob OP, ridiculous comparisons (Sneakers and beanie babies are just like pinball!), and of course, the idea that somehow the thread can save us all from this pinball price Hell by finally giving us all some "perspective!"

23 years of "Bubble burst" predictions refresher course. Yes, this actual thread is listed back in 2011.

2000:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/high$20prices$20market$20collapse%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/gzU8ZAOxvUE/qII_fx4klQ0J

2001:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pricing$20decrease%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/3XZf_itbXjY/QI04T4Qr9UkJ

2002:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pinball$20price$20bubble%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/8CDhldb5kyw/JxQRQPIGmQwJ

2003:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pinball$20market$20price$20fall%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/clAO0zIHHfQ/CbExiOZrldIJ

2004:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pricing$20decrease%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/pXZDb-2V6Yk/GSPWq06-nWsJ

2005:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pricing$20bubble%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/ACTs0HpQktA/x-C5LZAF180J

2006:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pinball$20price$20bubble%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/dBrqPnk7mkk/nQYyh65_fewJ

2007:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pinball$20prices$20fall%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/femnxuH8a1k/oeXzsItDbOQJ

2008:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/high$20prices$20market$20collapse%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/44iMVjwb68o/wXb8-3F9vOIJ

2009:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pricing$20market%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/JsgTrS05pCc/8pB5t9oUqTAJ

2010:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/pricing$20market%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/hNRZGnOAZ-Y/bs8Js1M7sUAJ

2011:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.games.pinball/high$20prices$20market$20collapse%7Csort:date/rec.games.pinball/DlcZoruS0Bo/VO_cueyPCEQJ

2012:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-price-bubble-think-it-cant-happen-think-again

2013:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-price-bubble-will-pop

2014:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/this-is-not-a-rebirth-of-pinball-its-a-bubble

2015:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/we-all-want-the-ass-to-drop-out-of-pinball

2016:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/when-will-the-stern-bubble-burst

2017:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/are-we-in-a-pinball-bubble

2018:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/why-i-feel-pinball-prices-are-going-to-plummet

2019:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/will-pinball-prices-come-down-

2020:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/prices-dropping-

2021 (this year was a fuggin BANNER YEAR for price bubble threads...maybe it's something in the vaccines! here's a pathetically partial list):
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-pricing-bubble-due-to-covid-one-nine
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/similarities-with-pinball-market-amp-the-2008-housing-crash
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/next-pinball-depression-
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-feel-about-these-exorbitant-pinball-prices/page/2#post-6254131
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pingreed-is-a-cancer-is-there-a-cure
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/prices-of-pinball-machines-today#post-6229413
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinflation-or-inflation
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/price-gouging
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/f-you-stern-and-your-price-increases
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/are-pinballs-the-beanie-baby-craze-of-the-2020s
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/we-have-jumped-the-shark

2022:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/perspective-on-pricing-

WOZ. Patiently waited for years for the price to come down... haha...
SURPRISE MF!

I can only imagine the threads that would pop up IF prices ever did come down. There is no question people would be bitching about their collection losing its value.

We've seen in the past some folks complaining about what the remakes are doing to the prices of their originals, or lambasting Stern for hurting resale value with vaults. Not surprisingly little sympathy has been engendered!

Nice compilation!

This thread caught my eye, because it was not specifically about general pricing or bubble, just observing that some are definitely riding some sort of fomo train or some other particular change which has caused them to trend differently.

I dunno, I know I would not complain so long as it doesn't completely bottom out. A correction would be welcome maybe then I could buy another pin. I think it just depends on how long you have been in the hobby.

Yeah, the context of my post was exactly that (adding to Levi's example).

They've gone down amazingly. SE released @ 8k and sells for less now.

IJ from WMS.
I can’t help myself to remember that one on good condition was for sale at 1500 euros at 10 minutes from my home 4 years ago.... but my wife stopped me from buying it... (it is not serious... come on....)
now you can’t find one less than 8000 euros in France with faded cabinet.... no way I will put this price in a pin which was produced at 12000 units and will always been available... so best is to trade to get one now.

It hasn't truly gone to shit until some makes a car comparison so here you go...

Ghostbusters is the Toyota Tercel of pinball machines... that is if the Tercel was also designed by a pervert.

Throw STTNG in that category. Seems like it has stayed in the 5K-6k range for years.

A Whitewater that is currently on fire seems to be worth $7000 these days. One in decent shape is more.

Supply and demand is the name of the game these days. Too little supply and too much demand.

Prices on SW “make your own at home” editions!
Too damn high!!
9A456C1A-8451-44C0-9CD3-244A7EBE09B4 (resized).jpeg

Good electromechanicals are also getting pinflatted out of this world. I would say prices have double in the past 1.5years for good A-type titles. Crazy

These pin prices are just too fucking high!

A71801E2-6A4C-4A06-BB95-A49DCCF40455 (resized).png

Stern KISS.

I love that movie!

Dialed In not going up really pisses me off because it’s the best JJP by far.

I actually have no idea what games are worth as I haven’t sold much in years.

alot more then you think

Cause there's so much shit going on something's always broke. I've played ONE at 100% and that's not even really true.

Looks like the largest offender is missing when I went to vote and the one that I thought started all this craziness was JJP POTC

The easy answer is Deadpool. People will pay anything for it. Pros go for old Premium prices. Gone within seconds of posting.

The correct answers is ... "All of them."

The Shadow is priceless. Belongs in a museum.

Market did you a favor, better games out there!

So why has GB gone up so much? I thought the consensus was that it sucked.

Personally, I thought it was okay, but not great.

Not sure about POTC. Has definitely gone up but thought LE’s were about $15k pre Covid and are now around $20k - so not a huge % jump. Other pins like GB, IJ and practically all Stern LE’s have largely closed the gap. And some of the latest POTC appreciation is because the likelihood of more being made keeps going down. POtC is relatively expensive for the right reasons IMO - packed, top 10 game that will likely remain in very short supply. Unlike marginal games like GB and TH, or Sterns inflated due to temporary shortages/FOMO.

DE Back to the Future. One of the biggest turds of a game ever made and it sells for huge money now.

“Consensus” being a few loud mouthpieces. The rest of us realized how great of a game it is. One of Sterns best ever.

ToTAN seems to have gone nuts. I owned mine from about 2010 to 2020. I paid 3500 bucks for mine and watched the value rise to about 8500(ish) in 2020, and after 10 years, as beautiful as it was, I was pretty tired of playing it. At the time I was just laid off due to Covid issues and looking for something new and fun to keep me occupied during the 3 months I was to be laid off, so I figured I'd trade it for a new BM66, which I did.

Now I love BM66. The great and deep Lyman code kept me occupied during my layoff, and helped keep my mind off the problems of the world for a while, and I've enjoyed the game tremendously since, BUT.. meanwhile.. I'm watching ToTAN prices just go ever higher and higher, first to 10 grand, and then to somewhere between 12 -16 grand. Now I know those are asking prices, and not necessarily what they sell for, but sheesh.

Maybe I'll buy a ToTAN again if Chicago Gaming remakes them, as it was fun to shoot around occasionally, but I don't know. Maybe a 10 year relationship was enough.

Because it says Ghostbusters on it and it looks pretty

Lol no its fucking bad

The best evidence we have would be forum discussion and the ratings and reviews. Ghostbusters is sitting above TSPP, WH2O, Tron, so it's holding it's own. But who here trusts the ratings?

Ghostbusters was/is a big letdown. It's a solid turd with design flaws everywhere. Oh, and the code is shit. I said it!

What's life without a few downvotes?

Head on over to my basement thread if you need those evened out.

Quicksilver went from 4-5k a few years back to 8-9k. Almost 100% price increase in the last few years on a 42 year old pin.

Disagree on all levels. One just has to break away from the pinside herd mentality. I upgraded from a pro to a premium, and the prem is even better. Like Congo and others before it, the game will be looked at as a classic years from now, a real players game.

Not sure about your point. POTC: one of the best machines ever with only about 1000 made. GB: shitload made with so-so rating.

GB, like TH, is way up mainly because it’s pretty and a hugely popular theme - two major drivers for new money in the hobby.

I’m not arguing which is a better game (I’ve owned and sold both), just looking at overall pinside ratings and historical vs. current frenzied pricing drivers.

I formed my opinion after putting in time on a local premium. A lot of time. It eventually became torture. I wanted one bad until I got to know the game.

Those overreacting that this is another price bubble thread need to chill out. I have not seen this question to date and I believe it's interesting. Even the inverse question is very interesting.

Also, nobody compared pins to shoes. The shoe comment in the other thread was a direct response to someone that said no company would purposely limit demand. Another person said diamonds. No, diamonds or shoes were not directly correlated to pinball machines. I know the XXpinguement is a schtick, but don't missapply it.

Percentage-wise, there's no doubt about it: the Zizzles on eBay. $200 to $800. That's what, a 400% jump? (Who buys those things?)