I'm thinking of going to TPF. It will be the first time going to any pinball festival/expo so I don't know what to expect. But one of the reasons I would go is to scout out buying a machine for the home. I know they have auctions there, but what else can I expect there? Specifically in terms of value? Are festivals pretty good price-wise? And if I bought one, am I on my own as far as getting it loaded up (important for me since I need to know if I should bring help for the trip . I'll be driving from about 4 hours away so too far not to be prepared.

Haha damnit. That's opposite to what I would have guessed. Oh well.

I'm sure it would be a blast to go to. One perk of where I live is a huge pinball arcade is just a city over so I'd be able to really figure out what I wanted. This would be our first pin so I won't have the luxury of trading. The cost of gas/hotel sort of offsets freight as well I'd think. But it would be a blast! Especially for a new enthusiast to owning pinball machines such as myself!

Cool thanks for the info everyone! We're still debating on it. Part of it may depend on if I find a good deal on a pin before then. A fellow pinsider is offering an STTNG for a decent price; and there's a local HS2 for an average price but it's in real good condition. The goal of the expo for us, other than playing a ton of pinball is to try and find a machine to own. But, of course, even though I'm new the pinball community, supporting things like expos is an important thing so seems like that is a good route to go. If I get a machine before then, though, the Mrs. won't let me go to an expo is the bottom line I guess

Indeed I figured that is the response I'd get We're still thinking about it. Certainly would be fun! And yeah, Nevus, I would be worried about wanting to pick up a second if I already bought one before-hand

Yikes Didn't even think about purchasing. I can't afford a $10k game (if I could, I'd been all over Star Trek Premium) but any large sum of money in my pocket would freak me out. I sort of just assumed, but folks don't typically accept CC's, Paypal, bitcoin, or anything like that? All cash?

It would be interesting to see how many folks try bitcoin there. Seems like an expo is a pretty good place for that to avoid fees and carrying a huge amount of cash, though the fluctuating value of Bitcoin can be an issue.