Once the market his saturation and people run out of space, there will be an abundance of them for sale. Give it a few years.

Once a price ceiling has been clearly establish (in which case it has with WOZ JJP & MM circa 2012) it will not go back up there again until the next crash/rebound. So it is only downhill from here. I don't expect a dramatic fast drop, and it is currently spreading itself out. Those ultra high 8K+ prices have just migrated to other machines. As more new games are produced, the prices of these overly priced B & C list games will drop as the spread of $$$ will fall onto them instead.

That's a cool deal. Someone that enjoys working on these gets a fun job that pay the rent for it for a few months, then by the time they're bored of it, it goes back to you.

I'm like 50/50, after having done so many projects recently, I'm gonna take a long break from it.

Maybe this is an orange cat thing. I consistently never value my time.

Although I agree with you that it is sad to see a warehouse filled with unloved games, it's his right to do that if he so chooses to.

Eliminate C. Anyone buying anything for the first time has to do their research. It is 100% on them if they don't, although I HATE seeing newbies get taken advantage of because it will turn them off to the hobby, but same thing goes for anything. You don't just go straight to a car dealer and ask them what is best. Most the responsibility lies on the buyer. People lying about stuff in sales is another thing though (things working, etc.).

So I'd say B.

This is a flash in the pan at best, I think we'll get about 5-6 more years of these prices, because nobody in their 20's currently grew up with Pinball. Unless Stern start manufacturing home redemption pins that reward you with xbox games or a pin with a skill crane option in it, there will be no new interest, no new buyers in the future. It took a wave of 80's kids growing older and having money to bring on the resurgence. When the current group grows tired of it, it'll just be the real pinheads left like before.

Probably more than you think. If they needed the money and were wise, they'd sell these now. They already lost out on $$$ with vid cabinets when the market fell out on that due to emulation. I think they don't care about the money, that is why they sit on them.

These things, culture, style, art, music, work in 30/40 year cycles. You see this in Graphic Design first usually, as people get tired of styles and like to refresh it. When I was in high school, 60's & 70's stuff was the cool thing. Now it is 80's stuff & 90's stuff. Get ready to bust our your jorts & suit jacket and jeans. But these resurgences of older culture don't last long generally (certainly not as long as they did during their time). Look at the indie music scene, a lot of synth pop right now.
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I admit I know a few 20 somethings that know about Pinball and are interested, but they're the type that is interested in "retro" stuff, aka Hipsters. But the 20 somethings of right now when they have the $$$ to buy expensive stuff like this 5-6 years from now, will they still be interested? I'd be willing to bet the majority won't.

I really do hope so, but I think it is wishful thinking. I grew up in arcades, so a lot of my sentiment is tied to nostalgia. I'm not running out to buy stuff from the 60's & 70's currently, which was the popular retro stuff when I was in High School, and when I was not alive.

I am aware not everyone will fit into the temporary interest in pinball camp mold. I did say there would be a few real pinheads made out of this when it is over.

Think of Barcades with primarily vids in them right now, add 5-6 years. Do you honestly think they're going to keep them going? It is the cool thing right now. Don't get me wrong, I love Barcades & love popping into one to relive my childhood in person and not on a MAME machine, but I have no burning desire to go to them all the time. Pinball does have the 1-up on Vids as they are real world physical objects. And for me, I love tinkering, and to own one of these almost certainly requires the ability to repair them, not everyone is cool with that idea. There is a lot to pin ownership that a lot of people don't want to bother with.

Absolutely, I think of it like an art gallery having a painting out on loan.

Hard most the time. And I've gotten a few back sooner than I thought. These were good, working games. Hard to compete with xBox if you aren't really crazy about pins. Longest one was I gave was Mr & Mrs Pac to my brother for x-mas two years ago. Got it back a few months ago. He ran out of space.

On the others, I'd gotten interest, then I explain moving them and people start to loose interest. Blows my mind. Free pinball game in your house... "I have to help move it... That sucks, no thanks."

Just added a new project game. Gotta snatch them when they come up. I definitely didn't need another project right now (still finishing up Pinbot), but when opportunity knocks....

I'm just about done with the Pinbot refurb, a few more nights and it is complete. Then I have a whole lotta work to do with Rocky & Bullwinkle, cleaning mostly. It all works, just needs to be cleaned badly.

But much like art, few are so motivated to the point they are willing to spend lots of $$$ on it. It takes someone that either isn't financially constricted, or doesn't care.