Chippewa Twp, PA
Quoted from Whysnow:You play so innocent...
Many are not happy for 'those' (i.e. you) that get in on a winner because we have all figured out how the game works for many and the deck is stacked against the real pinball fans.
You have these distributors that CONSTANTLY talk up EVERY new Stern title as if it is the golden god and hype every damn game till the next new thing comes along. It is a classic pump and dump fed by GREED and nothing good for pinball.
Then when the hype machine really takes off on a title these same guys are doing the pump and dump to the shady extreme. They 'got all their games' taken away from Stern, but magically their front men have plenty of LEs to sell or trade for crazy asking prices.
Anyone paying attention just the slightest has realized that there is an inside ring which amazingly all originates from a certain state that is playing this game. I for one know I will NEVER be buying a NIB game from one of these shady distributors or their 'buddies' that amazingly still got their METLE even though others that had preordered with the same distributor got bumped. It must just be a coincidence that all these 'buddies' are selling/ trading their METLE at the top of the hype coaster.
I encourage anyone that is buying NIB to look west to one of the larger distributors that has thus far shown to be a stand up guy and not pulling any of this shady crap or spamming the forums with their pump and dump propoganda.
While I agree with much of what you said, there are several things to keep in mind:
1. Pinball is a who-you-know-hobby. Always has been, always will be.
2. If we don't pay the pumped up price, speculators wouldn't turn a profit and would eventually stop buying to flip. They have replaced the people who used to buy pins for a great price, wipe the playfield and sell for a $1,000 profit. Those pins are hard to find now. See many posts complaining about it within the past year?
3. Flipping is probably a very low percentage of the LEs sold.
