Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:I try to be open about how much I paid for machines, and how much I sell them for (mine are all published that sold through this site).
However... people are entitled, and I have seen behavior that has made me regret posting that pricing information.
Lets say you got a good deal on a Jurassic Park for $2500 last year, and you see that the market value of that machine is now $3500 and you are selling it to fund a family vacation. You put it on the market and get contacted by someone who wants to buy it, but for $2500 and that you are being selfish asking the current market value and why do you deserve that extra $1,000?
That may sound like B.S., but that is exactly the type of situation that has happened to me a few months ago. I received an Attack From Mars Remake Special Edition as a work bonus last year from my Pinhead boss (thanks!). After 600 games in 2 months, when I went to sell/trade it to fund another game, I got a lot of great offers for Walking Dead Premium, The Adams Family, a few lowball cash offers (expected), and multiple Iron Maiden Premiums. All reasonable offers (I ultimately took cash). However, I did get an offer from a pinside user (who shall remain anonymous) for a Pinbot and BK2k on my wishlist, and that I should just take them since I got my game for free. These games are great, but regardless of what I paid for my machine I'd be leaving a lot of money on the table... like enough to take my entire family of 5 on a cruise vacation amount of money. I can understand why some people don't want to advertise these prices.
I can also see it from a manufacturer and distributor's point of view. Minimum allowed advertised price is a great way to keep a profit margin there for the distributors, encourages regional distributors, and keeps NIB pricing from being a race to the bottom that would ultimately hurt the hobby.
It does not matter how much you have in what you are trying to sell. What matters is what is worth.
Years ago, my uncle bought a backhoe and hired his self out to the electric company. He also did independent jobs.
He lived on a small town. People would call him up and want some work done. He would quote his rates he needed and they would all hit on him for a cheaper price and hit him with, “but I thought I was your friend.
You got it for a gift. So what? How much you have in it is not a valid negotiating tool. The correct response for that is GFY.