Cash on the glass. Only. No exceptions, do not pass go. Read vids info, seriously, go read it all. Make ya never want to deal with others again, except cash and carry. If there was a pin I really wanted far away, buy a plane ticket, go see the machine, play it, leave with it, take it to your shipper yourself. Now if both parties honestly know each other, that’s different. But any joe off the street, or friend of a friend who’s sister in law knows their baby daddies cousin? Nope.
I mean cmon we can be talkin 10 grand here, buy a plane tic for $300 and do it in person. Meet em in broad daylight where there are others or others know exactly where u are .( find my iPhone app is great, tell your spouse if I don’t call in exactly 10 min or whatever call the cops) Have a bank account that has branches everywhere, ie boa or chase or similar. That way you get the cash IF machine checks out, don’t goto strangers back yard in dark with 10k, hello!

If your gut is telling you something is wrong, listen to it. There will be other buyers.

If your gut is saying it’s prob ok, ask for references with other pinsiders. If he can’t provide, walk.

How far away is he?

Everybody was new here once, I get it. But What are the odds the first machine he wants is out of state? When I first started I bought at shows I went to, or places within an afternoons drive. I think most honest people would do it that way. Then as time goes on and collections and networks grow the radius grows with it. If you were new, what are the odds the one machine you wanted was across the country and you had to have that one and that particular one only? Weird huh? Sure there were titles I wanted, so I looked for them locally. I didn’t call Texas for my first machine. Look, this guy could be saint, and by fortune you have what he wants. Great. But if your gut is worried. Be worried.

Great, that makes it easier. References from those purchases. If they’re pinsiders or klover’s even better. Otherwise he could ask his brother to pose as a seller for reference.