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Poll Time: Do pinball's really go up in value?

Which is mostly true for you? When selling your pins:

  • They mostly sold for more than I paid

  • I mostly broke even

  • I usually make a loss


Results are only viewable after voting.

PeteB

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After a few wacky posts in the eBay thread recently I've been thinking about whether or not pinball's really do go up in value. Some people say it's a myth, others say a well kept machine will creep up, and some people just say they stay at the approximate same price.

I guess most people on here have bought/sold/traded more than 1 game in the past, but lets just generalise a bit as I think talking about specific amounts of money could be a bit sensitive in some cases. You can only vote for 1 option above.

Having said that, I'll start off with 2 examples which took me by surprise:

In 2010 I bought a Blackwater 100 for £300 (delivered), it was supposedly completely broken but only needed 2 fuses replacing. Naturally I was very happy. I sold it 2013 for £1295 within only a few days of listing it on eBay. I doubt that kind of luck would ever come round again.

Another one was a Centaur II which I'd originally bought as a spare parts machine but only took a couple of plastics off it. Bought it for £380 (delivered) and then 2 months later sold it on to someone else wanting parts off it for £450.

Other than that I've broke even on only a few games and nearly all have sold for more than I paid. What about you?
 
Really depends.

They only really go up in value if you actually sell them. My wife keeps pointing out that my £1200 TAF hasn't increased in value as I won't sell it.

It all depends when you bought and if it was new or old at the time. I'd expect to lose on my AC/DC but to be honest if I never saw any of the cash back then I've already had my money's worth in terms of fun.

Life's too short to worry about the money, play the buggers ad stop thinking in terms of investment. If you lose £100 it's nothing compared to other hobbies
 
+1 on that. If anyone is too in love with this hobby to care about the money then I'll gladly take your pins for free :D
 
I never said free, I said a quid. You must be a real cheap ba$tard to take one for free!
 
Out off the 11 pins I've sold on many of them I made a loss, a few I have just about broke even (depends if you also add in the transport costs etc etc)
But then I feel while I have them to play that's got to be worth something..
 
I'm probably never going to make money on mine, I discovered pinball when prices were already high and the first thing I do is spend money fixing them up, rebuilding flippers, LED etc.
 
If I can break even when I sell one, I consider that a result :thumbs:

Basically I would have had the enjoyment of owning a pin for nothing, apart from the pitiful interest the money could have earned in the bank. Not many hobbies where you can do that!
 
"But then I feel while I have them to play that's got to be worth something.."

Appreciating there are some traders on here and some looking to generate some income from taking a machine and 'doing it up', the above point is surely the key point for many? (Most?)

( putting aside those for whom the 'doing up' is the main source of enjoyment and, once complete sell on in order to acquire the next 'fix') :D:D
 
Ahh sadly not....... Can't actually ever see me selling that one. Really didn't rate it when it came out and now it's probably my most played one.
 
Ahh sadly not....... Can't actually ever see me selling that one. Really didn't rate it when it came out and now it's probably my most played one.
I played mine to death last year...but got so frustrated by how mean it was I had to sell it. I do miss it though, may have to buy again sometime:)
 
They used to, not anymore unless you get a bargain imo. The first ten or so games I bought I ironed a profit. The last 5 I've sold at a loss
 
Prices have gone up over the last 15 years. I bought my TAF for about 1100 in 1999 fully renovated by pinball paradise, it will be worth more than double that now. But these things are like classic cars. Regardless of what general prices do, if you are unlucky and get a big maintenance bill, things can be very difficult.

You could buy a rough mg mgb and make it as new, you will lose money. Or you could buy a rough Aston db6 and do the same, you will probably make money. Pinballs are just the same.

No matter what you spend on that rough bad cats or phantom of the opera you will probably lose money. No matter what you do to a bad cats or phantom of the opera they are still poor games. But if you expend the same effort and cash on a rough cirqus Voltaire or TZ you have a better chance.

Just like classic cars, if you want to preserve your cash, pinball is all about buying the best example of the best game you can find
 
Prices seem to have drifted up but if you include costs of repairs, ebay fees, PayPal etc then I've made a loss on the three pins I've bought and sold. Circa £300 = small beer for 5 years fun. True - I do play pinball at the cheap end!

Eventually I expect to make a another £300+ loss on the Hook I bought last year. Paid top price (£900 + £100 courier) for a machine which has had niggling faults and then needed a new power board. No way I'm getting all my money back but it's still cheap entertainment in the end. It gets played every single day and I love it.

If you want to work out how cheap pinball is try joining the local golf club: if I'd done that 5 years ago instead of buying my first pin I'd be down by 3-4 grand and counting: £650 per year membership + initial joining fee + all the kit + no doubt loads of dosh in the club house. And nothing to sell at the end of it.
 
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Going buy prices I have noticed over the last year prices have come down I blame that on all the new pins being made I had a chance to buy a orignial mm that needed work but buy the time I added up all the work it needed I decided to buy new as it worked out about the same and if I'm paying that money I would rather have nib
 
Think early 2014 was top of the market really.

The days of ' getting what it owes me' are probably numbered, especially for newer games.

I usually lose money on selling pins and yes it is a hobby but it kind of stings losing £750 on Stern NIB, especially when it's usually unfinished code that is the cause!

Crazy hobby really as most hobbies cost money and yet there is this thing in pinball where so many people expect to get back what a game owes them!
 
Depends on when you entered the hobby, price paid and machine.
You're right there Dreads. I've certainly noticed some people on here asking higher prices, presumably because they bought their first machine on eBay and think they'll get it back here. Or commenting on a reasonably priced machine on eBay which I'm thinking is way over priced!!

But me........... Why I've made a loss on pretty much every machine I've ever sold....... Of course.
 
I guess if you're in the business yes you can generally sell for a bit more than what you paid, but I have never made a profit on a pin. I have always either broke even or had a small loss. If I do increase the price I only ever include the cost of any parts I've put in (LED's, replacement parts etc). But then again I generally sell to other forum members and would feel totally scummy trying to make a profit unless I put some serious love and time into a game.
 
most of the games I bought back in the day I have made huge profits on MM TAF ect ect but these days make very little profit if you include time and parts but I didn't enter this hobby to make profit If I got to own play and enjoy the game and sell it on after I was bored with it then I am happy
my nib experience is also varied as it all depends how the pin is viewed in the pin head community TDK broke even but did get it at a mega price tron le I think this has gone up in value as it seems to be a pin heads fave x men le big loss as is slated by most people cant understand why as its a great game
 
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