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Pinball Retailers

Sako-TRG

Sako-TRG

Registered
5Years
Joined
Aug 3, 2018
Messages
3,792
Location
Gretna Green
Well a little disappointing:-
Without mentioning names, went to a known Pin /games retailer based SW London area to view a couple of Pins last week and although the staff were welcoming. One Pin was locked away in storage(Aerosmith) at another location for some unknown reason even though it was advertised on website at above normal retail and the other was offered at around normal retail price and had major cab split damage.
I’m now over in Bristol this week working and popped in to view an Aerosmith for sale offered at near expected retail price. Again, staff were nice and accommodating bunch, great venue setup, really impressive But unfortunately, another split cab. See attached.
On both occasions the staff said they didn’t notice the damage until I pointed it out 🙄
The Aerosmith also had Cabinet decal damage, missing rubbers on head unit for playfield up rest etc......not sure how they could sell for this price asked with all wear and tear...., especially when I pushed them on the history and it lived in a Bingo Hall sold on by an operator.
One of the reasons I lose a bit of confidence in the 2nd hand Pin market. Id rather people were honest and up front then expectations are met from the outset. Maybe I’m being too fussy.....think my next Pin will be NIB again........photo attached.760E23F7-9870-420A-BA65-C44ABFE29E49.jpeg
 
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MajesticPinball said:
I would avoid the retailers like the plague! Best place to find a well looked after machine for a price that is reasonable is on here. If buying new then Phil Palmer is your guy. Companies like HL Direct should be avoided on my opinion.
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Yeah, I’ve purchased my last 2 NIBs via Phil but missed out on an Aerosmith and thought I’d check these 2 retailers out as Stern not producing them anymore. Think it’s worked out well though as I’ll look for one of the newer Pins getting released.....
Retailer near London had a Ghostbusters Pro with a split cab you could almost get your little finger in..... not to worry though, it was only £6750.00 including the split 😬
 
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James said:
When they did "notice" didn't the price drop dramatically? @Sako-TRG
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They asked me if I was still interested even with the split cab, that’s when I started looking closer and noticed the decal pealing off on the left side of the head unit in two corners quite bad.
The metal part behind the elevator has taken a severe beating as has the magnet (which is normal) but it all had the hallmarks of a heavily used Pin. The staff said it was sat doing nothing in a Bingo hall.....I beg to differ, I’m sure that’s what the operator told them.
They said they may be able to offer a small amount off the asking price but I politely declined blaming my OCD - not being able to cope looking at the split 😃
 
They must sell stuff because they carry on running. There must presumably be a reasonably sized market out there of people who just Google "pinball machines", find themselves on their website and the rest is history.

It is rather strange.
 
I've never been able to figure out whether as a general rule us collectors are more picky with the condition of machines or whether the retailers actually don't give a hoot about selling knackered games.
 
MajesticPinball said:
I've never been able to figure out whether as a general rule us collectors are more picky with the condition of machines or whether the retailers actually don't give a hoot about selling knackered games.
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I also find it a tad strange that some retailers are prepared to purchase expensive PINs NIB - set them up for free play, let all the staff play on them , all potential customers play on them for months then try and punt them on for the same price or more as NIB, I guess they must still move them on ok....I understand doing this with 2nd hand and refurbished models and then pricing accordingly for the workmanship that’s been put into them etc...... but if customer buys NIB at NIB prices then surely they want the pleasure of opening the box and being the first one to pull the plunger ? Would you pay for an LE at LE prices upon release of a new pin that’s has 500 plays by Joe Public?
Also, on a relatively new pin, I’m not sure for the sake of saving 500 quid off the NIB price I would take something that’s been hired out around the country then sold on to a retailer who then inflates the price. Who then uses a smoke and mirrors cover storey insinuating the PIN is As New, hardly used to the unsuspecting buyer 🤔
 
The two most important factors when evaluating a game ...
  1. Title
  2. Who is selling it
 
My naivety is likely to show in this question, but surely if you're buying a new in box from either Phil or the other two major pinball machine retailers, mentioned above, then that's what should arrive on your door step, an untouched new in box machine. The only difference between retailers being, price, customer service and post sale support.
 
Wonder why they haven't got replacements from Stern for the split cabs? I thought that was an issue that pretty much happened when NIB?
 
I guess some retailers list stuff as "new" when its not previously been sold, a bit like how some people on eBay list stuff as "new" and then say "only opened to check it was inside which I know doesn't make any sense but just trust me ok" or "only used once, didn't like it".

Phil's NIB would be NIB - you'd be the first person to open it.
 
I guess if you were concerned, you could ask the question and if you still had doubts, walk away or ask them to put it in writing. Any legitimate company would gladly oblige.
 
Sako-TRG said:
Yeah, I’ve purchased my last 2 NIBs via Phil but missed out on an Aerosmith and thought I’d check these 2 retailers out as Stern not producing them anymore. Think it’s worked out well though as I’ll look for one of the newer Pins getting released.....
Retailer near London had a Ghostbusters Pro with a split cab you could almost get your little finger in..... not to worry though, it was only £6750.00 including the split 😬
Click to expand...

Just buy games from trusted sellers here or NIB from PH.

Couple of really nice Aerosmith's HUO in last 12 months - £4500 or less.

Bet that is cheaper than the broken one o_O
 
Ps

Found the AS.

Can see the split cab a mile off!

www.homeleisuredirect.com

Home Leisure Direct

Home Leisure Direct are the leading Games Room specialist in the UK, offering low prices on a huge range. Award winning service, large showrooms, and finance available.
www.homeleisuredirect.com www.homeleisuredirect.com
 
Paul said:
Is it? or Does Phil do PDI (Pre-Delivery Check/inspections)??

@philpalmer
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Very much depends, typically we do not open the games to check them but if its a game we are going to deliver and set up ourselves, we may pull it out of the box and do a software update here to save time stood in somebody's house. Or if there are known issues (Dialed In always gets pulled and checked because it needs so many adjustments out of the box)...

I would pretty much always prep a game for an operator to ensure its latest code and nothing needs adjusting.

95% of the games I sell I dont ever see to open them.

Phil
 
Replay said:
Ps

Found the AS.

Can see the split cab a mile off!

www.homeleisuredirect.com

Home Leisure Direct

Home Leisure Direct are the leading Games Room specialist in the UK, offering low prices on a huge range. Award winning service, large showrooms, and finance available.
www.homeleisuredirect.com www.homeleisuredirect.com
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Condition:

This pinball machine was only released in recent years, and as a result looks practically fresh from the box with minimal playfield and cabinet wear.
All our pinball machines go through a thorough inspection and reconditioning process, ensuring that they play perfectly with no errors. We will fit new balls and new rubbers where necessary. New decals and parts will be fitted where necessary. We will make cosmetic repairs if needed. We describe our pinball machines as being in excellent reconditioned condition.
 
Paul said:
We will make cosmetic repairs if needed.
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I mean does a split cab not count as a cosmetic repair that's needed?

Paul said:
We will fit new balls and new rubbers where necessary.
Click to expand...

So you buy a game at a hugely inflated price and they won't even spend £30 on a rubber kit and new balls for you if it's not deemed necessary? Jesus.
 
Sam C said:
I mean does a split cab not count as a cosmetic repair that's needed?



So you buy a game at a hugely inflated price and they won't even spend £30 on a rubber kit and new balls for you if it's not deemed necessary? Jesus.
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Cabinet swap is the way forward.
 
It isn’t a two year warranty, that’s just standard web speak for new machines so descriptive is wrong.
The other side of the cab was also starting to split albeit not as bad which may be strange for a 2017 production machine. You will see from the web there is no photo of the left head unit decal.....because it’s pealing unfortunately.
Don’t get me wrong, I purchased my Iron Maiden from these guys NIB and all was well and they did replace a NIB Arcade machine which was delivered badly damaged (it took a few months) but got replaced in the end. I’m not going to write them off as they still offer a good service, but I think they need to be more realistic on their expectations/ descriptives on some of their used pins 👍
 
CHRIS B PINBALLS said:
You could see how many paid plays it’s had in the audits
And from munsters on you can now see lifetime plays in the audits so no hiding anything anymore
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Well, we need to do a small investigation on whether lifetime audits is actually stored in firmware or just on the sd card and the data is not erased. If it is still just sd card storage, a new sd card will erase the lot :(
 
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