Rockwall, TX
Quoted from LesManley:I buy and sell cool stuff and collectibles on the side to pay for my pins. When it comes to pins I buy low and sell higher (but also below market value) to pass on a good deal and make a little more cash for my next game. My household income doesn't come into play at all, I don't use any of our 9-5 normal income for my pins or arcade games and I have never bought a pin I didn't have the money to pay cash for. It takes some patience some times, but I don't feel I have missed out on anything. I've gotten every pin I've really wanted except for JJP Pirates at this point and I could make a trade to get that one right now if I wanted to. You don't need to be rich or make a ton of money to collect pins, that's a cop out IMHO. if you aren't dripping in cash you need initiative and drive to go out and get what you want and that can be hard, but if you want it you can make it happen.
Exactly right.
I have seen pinballs for free, and some asking 50k.
I have seen millionaires with 1 pin and an income-challenged retiree with 50.
The answers to this question are varied.
Here are the questions that matter:
What do you value?
How much of your disposable income are you willing to spend?
Will you be buying NIB, a project, or something in-between?
Are you willing to fix and repair games?
What timeline do you have to buy a game(1 every month or 1 every 20 years)?
Are you willing to scour the earth for a deal, or do you just buy the first pin that comes along?
Do you comparison shop?
While your income certainly can have some affect, the questions above are far more intuitive into one's personal penchant for pinball perusing.
