A partial new driveway and another one for a mattress. I'm sure there were others but those two come to mind.

John

Things that go boom.

I had a driveway paved for a 4-player Gauntlet arcade game and a roof shingled for another arcade game. Traded a Hi-Score Pool pin for a nice Honda ATV too.

I had a guy offer me giant rough cut slabs of wood. I think they were maple or cherry. He said that people turn them into solid dining tables worth a couple grand.

I didn’t want that for a project

A couple from Georgia offered to carry a child for me in exchange for my Nightmare Before Christmas.
I said no thanks.

Homemade mead. He said that he'd bring me a keg full and that it would be perfect for my man cave.

Warhammer decor from some old expo in 1 scale (figures, tanks, turrets etc), could have filled my whole yard with somekind of sci-fi fantasy battle theme, no thanx.

Construction equipment (i think it was a lifter and a giant crane), being pretty expensive stuff the guy wanted tens of thousands of $s on top in a trade but was very serious about making a deal, i said no.

ed: also had a broke guy offer to do all kinds of carpentry and electrician work on my house, he had no knowledge or experience and admitted so himself, I declined his offer.

..and obviously all manner of wierd "collectibles" that people are into.

All the strange offers come through CL for certain...

I've been offered lego collections, video game collections, troll dolls, Benie Babies, swords, knives, guns, musical equipment, toy collections, laptops, chainsaws, and ATV's for machines. I've never once replied to a "trade offer" through CL and I never will either.

The offer was for cash, but the approach was super weird.

I had this guy contact me for a while that he just wanted to come play my games. Our schedules weren't lining up, but finally it worked out and he came over. We played a few two player matches and during one of my balls on AC/DC, he reaches into his bag and pulls out a stack of $100 bills that must have been at least $20,000. He then says, "how many of these can I take for this?"

I look at him, a little dumbfounded, and respond, "um, none of them. I'm not selling any right now."

So he starts counting them out one by one, like it's supposed to change my mind or impress me. At around $9000 he asks if that will take the AC/DC. I tell him that it won't, and he adds another $3,000 and asks if that can take the AC/DC and the Bride of Pinbot. Again, I say no and ask him if he's still interested in playing or if he just wants to buy.

He starts just pressuring me like I'm the last person in the world with pinball machines. He's almost begging. I tell him no once more and tell him that I need to take care of some stuff, so he should better leave. For weeks he texts me and calls me about the pinball machines. Eventually I sell him my CFTBL for over double what I paid for it. Really weird stuff.

Shit, sell them all. They don't make just one of anything.

WTF, Invite this guy to come over and bother me any time!

should have sold it. Can always buy another. No such thing as not for sale. Especially when you know you can buy another for cheaper the very next day if they offer enough. Shit for 9k, he pretty much could take his pick of almost anything in my collection. only 2 of my games I wouldn't sell for 9k. But 15k, you can take your pick and i'll help you load up.

unless it's lazerlord or Loch ness.

I am guessing Spooky is one of the two?

You forgot to mention that it was Confederate currency.

anal and a pack of gum.

Yeah really, especially those titles.

John

I had a man in my business a few years back. Wanted to buy my AFM. I told him no. He said he needed it that day for a present for his wife on their anniversary. Claimed they both had played it and she liked that one.

I told him no, and that if he asked for help a couple months earlier, I would have helped him find one.

So he offers $8K, no. Then $10K, no. Then $15K, no. I told him I wasn't selling at a reasonable price. And I wouldn't sell him at an unreasonable one because I'd be taking advantage of him.

Of course he wasn't counting out hundred dollar bills. I never saw any money. I don't recall ever having seen him before either. I always wondered what kind of scam he was running ?

LTG : )

I had a pin listed on CL and wrote "open to trades".

My mistake for not specifying that I meant for other pinball machines.

So a guy contacted me and said "you said you are open to trades, is that right?" I say "yes" and I ask what he has to trade. He told me he has a bunch of "stuff" and that he would "put a package together for me" for the value of the pin I was selling.

I asked him to tell me what kind of "stuff" we were talking about but he just wanted me to come check it out. I am curious enough, so I went over to see what it was.

It was a PILE of stuff. Big Green Egg grill, flat screen tv, a lamp, clothes, a case of bottled water (haha!), a blanket, all sorts of stuff. It was hilarious. I didn't accept the trade, but damn I had a good laugh over that.

I learned when I owned a 90 model ZR-1 that while owning rare stuff, if you want to call 7000 or so rare, is neat is has its disadvantages which is buying parts for it when it breaks. All those rare games are cool to say " I have it and you don't" but when it breaks whatcha gonna do. There are no parts to fix it so it is a one or few off thing that doesn't work. Besides, are any of those one or few offs fun to play? If I sold all my pins at stupid money today I could have them back tomorrow. I probably wouldn't however. I keep my games because I could never afford to buy them back if I sold them for the money.

A new one?

Saw a guy buy a Ford Thunderbird that way. $1000 bills. At a car show in Seattle, the owner of the car yelled at his wife, we are taking a limo home. This was for a rare 1950's Supercharged T-Bird.

Honestly, if he had approached me differently, we could have talked about "what it would take" to get a game from me that night. But this whole show of pretending like he just wanted to hang out an play some pinball only to turn it into a haggle session put me off. I'd rather not deal that way with people.

Someone actually offered me cash once. Real cash.

A 15 yr old washer and dryer set that "might work" and a 70s kayak with "just a small hole that could likely easily be repaired". I got at least 15 different calls from this guy one summer, every CL listing I ever placed, like clockwork. Even after repeatedly telling him why the ad said " cash only" (and what that means) and that no one wants his old junk left over from his garage sale. "So let me get this straight, no one would give you 50 cents for it at your yard sale, but you think I'll trade you my TZ for it?!?"

Personally I'm always a little weirded out when someone I have never met before wants to come to my house and hang out. I may need to rethink that. Maybe they have a pocketful of cash looking to buy me out.

Cash Money?

Would you take a personal check?

I have no stories, but this thread is a good read! Pocket full of cash is good, but offering to carry a baby for MarkInc is the best! BTW, for Nightmare Before Christmas I'd carry a baby too...wait...I'm a dude...I'll figure it out.

From you? Yep. Or welcome to just hang out. Random craigslist guy can stay home though.

I had this guy at TPF offer for my Tron LE: Large amount of cash, an 8 ball, and hook up with his girlfriend. All his idea - needless to say I declined.

Was she hot? And, was it a 8ball pin or was it a *ball of coke?

Sweet! I have made my last couple of pinball purchases through pinside with personal checks, so I must be doing something right.

Would have loved to heard the conversation between the guy and his GF convincing her to bonk a stranger. "Baby.... It's a limited edition ".

You get used to it. I have new people over all the time. Either picking up playfields, dropping them off. Leagues, tournaments. Afterwhile, you get so used to it. Strangers are just as easy to talk to as people that have been over 20 times.

download (resized).jpg

Plumber willing to trade new hot water tank + labour for my sttng.

Full asking price. In cash

10-15 years ago there was a mattress guy who was ALWAYS responding to FS ads trying to get people to trade him pins for his supposedly
Brand new/fell off the truck big $ mattresses. I never had any interest but I know a guy on Long Island who actually did and claimed he got a great deal.

I have a hunch he didn't but not my problem.

Power generator

Reminds me of this picture

IMG_1331 (resized).JPG

When I was 27, a mature lady, ill guess 40, came in to my retail store looking for a job.
After some small talk on her experience, I returned with an employment application, that
when I handed her it, she pulled my hand to her breasts, and commented on being a "professional"
with many "perks" for the boss.

While intrigued, I was scared shitless...she looked "used".

I didnt offer her a job, but she noticed Mousin in the back, and offered a "hummer" for it.

Do ya miss mousin'?

Nah. Mousin was a better deal...

I guess Mousin was worth more than twenty bucks.

Cash only works when you put a real pinball machine in your vehicle.

You didn’t sell AC/DC for 9K????

Many, Many years ago when I started selling pinballs we sold a Cyclone to a college gal and her roommate. It was for 1295.00 She put a 400 deposit on it. My buddy and I delivered it an evening a few days later. Anyways we had fun playing the game and having a few drinks with them, dancing etc. They were good looking and a lot of fun to be around. As we were getting ready to leave they said they would show us a good time and just forget the final balance due.

I've sold 2 of my pins in exchange for home improvement work. Couldn't be happier with the exchange.

Any no good time that a chick can give that is worth that kind of money.