Any time you enter a negotiation, it is always in your best interest for the other guy to give YOU a number.

"So, if you were to sell it, what would you consider a fair amount for your _________?"

Trade him a 100-1 multicade

If it works fine and doesn't have any acid damage I would offer him 4k for it. That is only if you wanted to be fair. You could always try to low ball him but who knows where that will go.

Gatordad... for what ever it's worth; I have a true HOU TAF. I'm the second owner. When I bought the game he actually gave me the box it came in (I actually destroyed the box). I was offered $10k for it about 4-5 years ago. I wouldn't sell it then and I won't sell it now for that $$$.

BTW: My game still looks factory fresh, as I/we know many HUO games can be a 1 to 10 scale. Please do let us know the condition and how this pans out. Good luck with your purchase.

Well, FWIW, my low-plays, factory-fresh looking and smelling HUO TAF sold for a little over 8K last year. I thought that was a good deal for both sides.

I think $10k for AF is an extreme outlier regardless of condition. Is it gold?

I was offered a perfect HUO TAFG with receipt for $10k earlier this year. I didn't buy it then, and wouldn't pay that for it now.

4k for a true Huo taf in good condition IS a lowball offer.

A really nice HUO came on Denver CL a month or so ago. Ad was asking $5500 OBO. It sat for a week and then looks like it might have sold? I would say it would have been a good value for somebody. The problem with TAF are they are usually really beat, so to find a HUO is kinda a treasure.

I have a HUO with LEDS, Color DMD, RARE Lit Apron from across the pond and chrome trim. I would sell it for $7,000 ish. Maybe.... maybe.

Just give me the guy's name and number and I'll give him a ring and feel him out for you!

But seriously, if you close a deal, post some pics!!!!

Well, I guess I was wrong. I thought because normal ones go for around 4k, if he wanted to get a good deal he should offer that. I had no idea that HOU TAF's went for so much.

Sorry, best I can do is a 60-in-1 MAME.

For a non pinhead I would just offer 4k and say you can pick up soon. Does he even know the term HUO?

I completely agree... I would offer something in this range as well, and see where it goes.

When negotiating as a buyer, your first offer should *always* be less than what you're *willing* to pay. $4K sounds like a good starting point if the game is indeed HUO and mint.

Be prepared to go to $6K+ if it's really nice and the buyer knows its worth.

Keep in mind, guys, that the game could be trashed. Just because it's HUO doesn't mean it's gonna be 100% mint. He could've hosted all kinds of birthday parties with all manner of kids for many years, and never fixed anything. Maybe he's moved it a few times. Perhaps the cab is all scratched and dinged up. Ownership history has no merit above condition.

If he gets to the point of wanting to sell it, and you get to go look at it, make sure you're aware of the typical TAF trouble areas. If he asks for $2k, don't feel bad about giving it to him. It's probably going to need a lot of work anyway. If he asks for $6k, and it still needs a lot of work, you can educate him on how he's probably not going to be able to see anywhere near that amount.

People who aren't pinheads, yet still know how to use the internet, do still sell pins way under their real market value. Sometimes, all they really want is their initial investment back, and they're happy. That's exactly how I got my TZ. I paid what the buy I bought it from paid for it many years go(plus the cost of parts that he included in the deal). He knew about the internet and what TZ's were going for, hell, he bought the dang thing off eBay himself! Even then, I was able to talk him down another hundred bucks(for parts HE knew I had to buy)!

I went to see that game. No way, no how was that an HUO only game. The owner said she bought it 10 years ago from someone who claimed it was HUO, but the scoop hole was trashed, center ramp cracked, the playfield was so dirty it looked like graphite had been spilled on it, all the backbox lights were out and the batteries had never been changed. She was surprised when I asked to take off the PF glass and open the backbox - she didn't even know it was possible.

That's too bad. Hardly what you expected. Did you make an offer?
I have a HUO TAFG that I purchased new. Got to unbox it myself Except for wear on the ends of the lockdown bar common for them it still looks new.
Even though we go through periods where it doesn't get played that much unless I really needed the money I couldn't sell it. I would think that if we ever wanted an Addams family again it would be near impossible to get another game in the same condition.

That is the reason I dont think my FH will ever be for sale. It is too nice No way will I be ever able to get as nice one as the one I have with out spending crazy money.

The last buyer that tried this with me ended up driving six hours back home empty handed. Another buyer paid the asking price and went home happy.

Use this technique with caution.

I agree with this. I know some people take the position that it never hurts to ask, but if someone started out at 50% of the median fair market value, I doubt I'd want to do business with them. There's a fine line between negotiating aggressively and insulting the seller's intelligence.

I'd suggest $5k.

Nonpinhead = ebay prices = $$$$$

I find a lot of time this seems to be true, as almost anyone now goes to E-bay to check the price of almost anything before they sell. The chances of dealing with an uninformed seller are slim. The chances of dealing with someone who used Ebay as a guide to determine the worth of their item (whatever it is), is far greater.

Also the OP stated he did work for Williams. That being said even a nonpinead with a true HUO would know
the value of this pin.

If it really is PERFECT and as stated I think 7K would be in the range I would pay.

Sold my tafg a month ago for 8500... Know of another that went for $9500

GL.
I took a look at a 'non-pinheads' tommy that had been in his house for the last 10 years. Come to find out, some of that time was spent on the outdoor patio. Needless to say there was some fade

Huo is great but non pinheads sometimes don't care for them like a collector would. Interested to hear the outcome. Good luck!

Have him start, but would try and get it for what he paid for it... Worth a shot... Not ripping him off if he is happy and you are happy...

Don't we all.

Because you're not a collector... Whether people like it or not there are collectors in this hobby that pay big bucks for the CQ, HUO, original stuff.

I totally agree because by the time you are done restoring it the bill is close to that and you save two years of labor.

While I agree you should take a look at it for sure, it almost always means much much better than you will find anywhere else anywhere. People say HUO doesn't mean perfect, but every b/w HUO I have had or seen had been like opening the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

Yes. TAF's are pure gold

I would keep passing the hot potato until he tells you how much he'll take (which is ultimately what it comes down to anyway).

Practice polite logical rebuttals that get him to name the first price.

If it's too high, you can always counter.

If his price is low, have your $100 bills ready.

But the qualifier has to be: "HUO for how long?" I've had my TAF for just over a year now, can I call it HUO? What if a TAF was routed heavily for it's first two years(enough to probably pay for itself twice over back then), then it was only in people's homes? Sure it's been HUO for decades, but those first two years of heavy routing probably put a ton of wear on the playfield that if the subsequent owners never fixed, means that HUO tag is meaningless.

I play devil's advocate only because I've seen a few so-called HUO pins that look like they just came off route yesterday. It's a term that implies a condition that is completely subjective, yet over exaggerated.

Truly, HUO is a term that should only be reserved for those games that have never had a token, or quarter, drop in them on location, anywhere. Everything else is used.

What ever happened to your TAF?

its in his current collection, so i guess he got it.

thanks for the update. : P