(Topic ID: 122947)

Why Do People Only Want to Trade (Rather Than Sell)?

By beelzeboob

9 years ago


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  • 84 posts
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  • Latest reply 8 years ago by chuckwurt
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    There are 84 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.
    #51 9 years ago
    Quoted from calvin12:

    And bf is the common abbreviation for boy or best friend

    Yes, which is why context matters. You are on a site dedicated to pinball. It makes more sense that in this *context* bf would not be standing for boyfriend or best friend.

    #52 9 years ago

    I like to trade because Having a bunch of Cash does nothing for me, I have lots of cash . I prefer to have a nice old EM project in my possession . Cash is boring and trades can be fun especially when you are an EM guy. pieces and parts are valuable too.

    Brian

    #53 9 years ago

    It is hard to determine the value of a pinball machine in some cases but trading a JM for a DM seems safer.

    #54 9 years ago
    Quoted from dung:

    Yes, which is why context matters. You are on a site dedicated to pinball. It makes more sense that in this *context* bf would not be standing for boyfriend or best friend.

    Well, if it is an abbreviation for a game title I would think it a proper noun and should be capitalized. I hate the stupid abbreviations anyway and only know a few of them, so then I have to dig around and find out what game you're talking about.

    #55 9 years ago
    Quoted from EvanDickson:

    When you trade, you know you're dealing with someone who understands pins, the maintenance requirements, and how to fix them.

    Boy you really are making a LOT of assumptions here! So you don't expect some average Joe with a game room that knows absolutely nothing about a pinball to ever trade for something else?

    #56 9 years ago
    Quoted from wayout440:

    Well, if it is an abbreviation for a game title I would think it a proper noun and should be capitalized. I hate the stupid abbreviations anyway and only know a few of them, so then I have to dig around and find out what game you're talking about.

    Learning is hard...

    Quoted from wayout440:

    Boy you really are making a LOT of assumptions here! So you don't expect some average Joe with a game room that knows absolutely nothing about a pinball to ever trade for something else?

    Valid point, but a quick phone conversation will tell you a lot about a person. Trading can be risky. I have had a pinsider misrepresent their machine. I didn't find this out until I got the machine home and unwraped. Another local pinsider just got hosed on a trade for what was described as a mint HUO machine that had issues and broken plastics.

    #57 9 years ago

    I find trades to be logistically tough. You are often dealing with some amount of travel, doubling the amount of unseen game till the transaction happens, and concerns over issues on 2 games rather than 1.

    I think an ideal is 'I buy your game and you buy my game' sort of trade, if that makes sense.

    Then you have an established cash price for each game and can negotiate individually as 2 seperate sales.

    I think trades are becoming more typical since some games are pretty rare combined witht he decline in the market. It feels better to trade a game rather then sell for less than you paid and then turn around and hunt for something new.

    #58 9 years ago
    Quoted from dung:

    Valid point, but a quick phone conversation will tell you a lot about a person. Trading can be risky. I have had a pinsider misrepresent their machine. I didn't find this out until I got the machine home and unwraped. Another local pinsider just got hosed on a trade for what was described as a mint HUO machine that had issues and broken plastics.

    We'll, you are also making a trade when you trade your cash for a pin. When you are looking at it, in person, you have to look for things such as broken plastics, play the game if it is in working order, and so on. Doesn't matter if I am trading a motorcycle for a car, a pool table for a pin, a pin for a pin, or cash for a pin. There's always some element of risk, all you can do is minimize it. If you are making purchases or trades where you are not physically in person to examine the machine inside and out, that is inherently much more risky.

    #59 9 years ago

    This is simple for me. I like trading games because there is exactly zero down time between games. I usually list a game for trade first but would consider selling outright if I have ALREADY found the game I want to buy. I sold my LOTRLE that way, I was only interested in getting a WOZ and one popped up the day I was offered cash for my game.

    #60 9 years ago

    bf

    BLFV-B.JPGBLFV-B.JPG
    #61 9 years ago
    Quoted from wayout440:

    We'll, you are also making a trade when you trade your cash for a pin. When you are looking at it, in person, you have to look for things such as broken plastics, play the game if it is in working order, and so on. Doesn't matter if I am trading a motorcycle for a car, a pool table for a pin, a pin for a pin, or cash for a pin. There's always some element of risk, all you can do is minimize it. If you are making purchases or trades where you are not physically in person to examine the machine inside and out, that is inherently much more risky.

    Selling is an entirely different matter. With a sale I am dealing with people that are usually looking to get the most bang for their buck. With a trade people are usually just looking to break even.

    Then I have to try and buy in which case I am looking at people trying to make money.

    Double the work and 4x the headache. That being said I may sell my game because someone offered me a game I want grr.

    #62 9 years ago

    I made the mistake of selling 2weeks ago, now all I have is this stupid green paper in my pocket. The green paper keeps disappearing but no pin is showing up.

    #63 9 years ago

    If both parties have a wishlist pins it becomes an easy one time transaction. I have Addams up for trade. I don't need to get rid of it but it can be good trade bait to someone looking for one. Sometimes people just don't want the hassle of tire-kickers.

    In my case I also don't want to hunt for a game and find one only to have it sold just before I grab it. How many times has this happened to you guys? It's easier if you have something specific that the other guy wants.

    #64 9 years ago

    Buying is a pain in the ass ....... sometimes people are on the fence about letting a game go and doing a trade gives them enough motivation to do it.

    #65 9 years ago

    Some very valid points have been made but I still feel that saying "trade only" limits the amount of potential customers and I don't see how that's a positive.

    #66 9 years ago

    Also

    Sometimes people want to sell but they want to play hard to get & close a deal via the "take away" sale tactic.

    What that? It's where you say no to create a false demand which puts the power of negotiation in your favor because "it's not for sale"

    If you went to a car lot & every car was for sale but one you would want the one car not for sale

    So they say trade only & await the PM's requesting they sell outright

    Sneaky pricks

    #67 9 years ago

    If I have a vacant spot my wife puts something in its place so I hate to sell one and then wait to find one. Trade works good so I can fill that spot immediately. Or I buy first then worry about selling one to free up the spot.

    #68 9 years ago
    Quoted from beelzeboob:

    So I see For Trade ads quite a bit, and I'm wondering what the psychology is behind it. On two occasions, I've wanted a machine that somebody was only looking to trade (I don't have enough machines to want to trade anything at this point). Both people stuck to their guns on the trade rather than selling to me outright.
    But...why?
    Let's take two machines that are desirable and priced about the same: Shadow and Congo. (This is purely hypothetical, BTW.) If somebody wants to trade a Shadow for a Congo (or vice-versa), and they can't find somebody to do the trade rather quickly, why wouldn't the person just sell The Shadow outright and take the money to make an offer for somebody else's Congo? Or just do that from the outset rather than waiting forever for the right person to come along?
    I'm not understanding why people are averse to selling and buying instead of just trading.
    Can anyone enlighten me?

    It's a challenge to try and enlighten you, but I will try!

    Pretty easy actually. I might own a pin that I really love. It might be a high demand pin. There might be another high demand pin out there that I want more than the high demand pin that I currently own.

    You might have someone out there who owns the high demand pin that you really want, but they really don't plan on selling it. Yet, you also happen to have a high demand pin that they want...more than the high demand pin that they own.

    For example, when I was first trying to get a Tron LE back in my lineup a few years ago, I wasn't able to find one for sale. So what did I do? I put up my Monster Bash as "Trade bait".

    Trade bait is the operative term here.

    Trade bait means putting up a desirable pin for trade for a specific title, in order to get someone to part with a pin that they otherwise would not have parted with just for cash.

    #69 9 years ago
    Quoted from yzfguy:

    Maybe...hypothetically....they think if they liquidate a game into cash, that money might get blown on a non pin item and make it harder to get the replacement game. The trade provides instant gratification and no negative space in the lineup, along with avoiding the feeling of spending money on a game.

    This.....

    #70 9 years ago

    I am actually considering putting up my first "for trade only" ad. I have sold pins on CL and after all the hardship stories on why they cannot afford what I am asking, only to find out that both of these pleaders were a known flipper in the area and a coin-op business. Since then I have only sold to friends and other Pinheads.

    But now, I have 2 machines that I might be ready to let go of in hopes of finding a certain pin that I want. I am not in a hurry to let my two go, because I still enjoy them...but I really do want this other pin. Money wise it is a fair trade, so no cash is needed from either party. Just makes life a bit easier and would make total sense to other collectors.

    #71 9 years ago

    I really don't have anything to add to all this except I have AC/DC Pro on the trading block..not for sale lol

    I suppose my reasoning behind trade only, is i feel il never get what I put into it. Worth more in trade to someone that likes the mods versus selling outright. I have sold machines in the past but some are only trade worthy in my book. Good luck on the hunt

    #72 9 years ago

    I can see both sides. I have a few for trade locally, and for me it's inventory in our area. People would rather buy low and sell high, but trying to find one on my list is almost impossible or people want a shit ton for their games. That's why I only want to do trades.

    If a game I wanted did come up at a reasonable price, then I would sell, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

    #73 9 years ago

    ****double post****

    #74 9 years ago

    I have plenty of reasons for trading as opposed to buying.

    1 - Trading can eliminate different opinions in pinball pricing. I've traded games a couple times with retailers. I would never buy the game they had at their retail price, but I was able to trade even on my games.

    2 - No down time. There is instant gratification gained in trade that can't be matched when selling a game.

    3 - No need for cash. I have my pinball fund ready and waiting for when a deal comes up, so why sell. I usually only sell when I have a replacement already lined up or I have run out of space.

    4 - Trading gives you more options. Simple fact is there will always be games only available via trade with like-minded collectors.

    #75 9 years ago

    This whole trade thing is wack. One person always values their machine more than yours or vice versa and coming to an agreement can just be a pain. IMO one is just better off selling their game and trying to acquire the next wanted one with cash in hand. Just my personal experience with trades.

    #76 9 years ago

    If I sell, my wife will find a reason to take some of the money. I traded a game this week with cash on top and she squeezed a couch out of that money. Removing money from my pinfund really pisses me off. Mood

    #77 9 years ago

    I think trading can be an advantage to the person that doesn't have a lot of money into a game. Let's say I bought a game for $1500 years ago that now sells for $3000. If I can trade it for a game that's worth $3000 then it may seem like I've gotten the better end of the deal as I only have $1500 into the game.

    I realize that I could sell the game for $3000 and then buy another $3000 game but by doing that I lose my profit or equity that I had in the game. If I can trade it then my intial investment of $1500 continues to bring me profit in the form of games that are worth more than what I have invested.

    When I'm ready, I can sell the game for what it's worth and realize that profit.

    Until then, I can keep trading games with a minimal investment with no additional cash outlay required by me.

    Having said that, I will say that I've never traded games yet.

    Dave

    #78 8 years ago

    I liked cosmokramer's three way trade the best:

    "Found a guy with an old em pin I was interested in. I own a garage door company and offered him an installed garage door for a trade, he said he wasn't interested in a garage door but wanted a kayak. I told him I didn't have one so he asked me if he can find someone who has a kayak and needs a garage door could I do it and I chuckled and said sure, thinking theres no way this guy is gonna pull this off.

    He calls me two days later and says he found a third party to do the three way trade. the following week I went to this guys house and installed his garage door. As I was finishing up the guy with the pin shows up and gives me the pin and picks up his kayak from the guy who got the garage door. Win-win-win for everybody."

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/whats-the-craziest-trade-youve-ever-done

    #79 8 years ago

    I have recently seen more "trades" on clist. There is a local guy that constantly posts trades on local clist, but unfortunately he always seems to want to trade heavily in his favor.

    I have contacted him a few times and just a waste of time.

    #80 8 years ago
    Quoted from wayout440:

    I liked cosmokramer's three way trade the best:
    "Found a guy with an old em pin I was interested in. I own a garage door company and offered him an installed garage door for a trade, he said he wasn't interested in a garage door but wanted a kayak. I told him I didn't have one so he asked me if he can find someone who has a kayak and needs a garage door could I do it and I chuckled and said sure, thinking theres no way this guy is gonna pull this off.
    He calls me two days later and says he found a third party to do the three way trade. the following week I went to this guys house and installed his garage door. As I was finishing up the guy with the pin shows up and gives me the pin and picks up his kayak from the guy who got the garage door. Win-win-win for everybody."
    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/whats-the-craziest-trade-youve-ever-done

    That's pretty crazy.

    #81 8 years ago

    my reasoning

    I already have money tied in a machine and if I plan on buying a machine with the money from selling it, ill try and do a trade to possibly save me a step in the process

    #82 8 years ago

    I am not a huge fan of trade only but I would be happy to trade if the stars all aligned perfectly.

    I often find traders are looking for the good end of the deal but not always.

    Some people just can't hang on to cash or their wives will take part of it or worse yet all of it for something else.

    Also some get deals from other people and would rather trade it than list it for sale at a marked up price.

    #83 8 years ago

    i've "sold" 2 machines...

    i would have rather have traded one of them (and initially advertised it as trade only) as it was a relatively "popular" machine (bad cats), but i was looking for something rather specific, and was unable to make the trade work with anyone local... so i ended up shipping it to texas...

    the other one was a project...

    i still think i'd rather trade...

    #84 8 years ago

    I think with me being new to the hobby, trades are a great way to deal games. I haven't played everything yet, so if I come across a trade deal that is fair, I will most certainly do it as only one of my games is a true lifetime keeper. Space is not an issue for me, and I do not feel comfortable spending lots of money on games yet until I am much more experienced with conditions, prices, and being able to work on my games.

    I would never post a for Trade ad for one specific game though. That seems like a deal that rarely gets done and needs lots of luck. I will totally just offer up a game for trade though, then if someone offers me a game, I will make my decision then. Since I really do not know what games will be forever games for me yet, trading offers me an avenue of getting different games in my home right away to see if they stand the test of time.

    There are 84 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.

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