If you don’t know any different, and your only experience is playing - not maintaining - pinball machines, then it’s easy to get duped.
In the OP’s case the seller of the pin he bought came on here looking for help to solve a problem he was experiencing. It seems he localised the problem, but then punted the machine on to the OP without fixing it, or telling him that it was there. OP rocks up, seller tells him an odd noise is “part of the game”, or something, and the OP doesn’t know any different and trusts the guy at his word. OP found this forum from searching for help for the same problem.
Condition is very subjective, and something described as “mint” might be nowhere close to an actual fully restored minty pin. Again, if you don’t have a frame of reference you will probably end up trusting what you’re told, especially if it’s your first pin.
I consider myself very lucky that my mate bought a lemon Funhouse (not from here), because it primed me to do a lot more research, find this place, and be in a position to second guess condition etc before I bought my first one.
In the OP’s case the seller of the pin he bought came on here looking for help to solve a problem he was experiencing. It seems he localised the problem, but then punted the machine on to the OP without fixing it, or telling him that it was there. OP rocks up, seller tells him an odd noise is “part of the game”, or something, and the OP doesn’t know any different and trusts the guy at his word. OP found this forum from searching for help for the same problem.
Condition is very subjective, and something described as “mint” might be nowhere close to an actual fully restored minty pin. Again, if you don’t have a frame of reference you will probably end up trusting what you’re told, especially if it’s your first pin.
I consider myself very lucky that my mate bought a lemon Funhouse (not from here), because it primed me to do a lot more research, find this place, and be in a position to second guess condition etc before I bought my first one.