Are there any games you'd consider paying a retail price for?

[kazneerg]

It all depends on the person, their priorities, the game...and their wallet. Some people won't pay more than $300 for anything. I'm not afraid to spend for something I want. You tell me, was it crazy to pay $1000 for DOT, $1200 for my A- grade Star Wars with Amplifone, or $2k for Journey that I had to have shipped? Maybe...a lot of people would argue that is all way too much. However, they were all games I really wanted, and the prices seemed reasonable to me...given current prices and degree of "rarity". So...if you've got $2k laying around, really want the game, and you feel it's a good deal, I say go for it...who cares what people think around here? Just make sure you have enough money to pay for turtle food...I don't want to see another one of those stupid threads about having to sell games to pay your mortgage or whatever.

BTW- I whole heartedly agree with the paying for shipping comment. People think that by renting a truck and driving 12 hours round trip that they're saving money. Absolutely absurd what some people do to try to save $50.

Hmm..very true jedidentist.
And in terms of the "expense" of a hobby.., I know a relative that has a couple horses, for a hobby & another that's into planes & flying. WOW!...my hobby is super,super,super cheap compared to theirs! So one day, when either that decent Domino Man or Quantum comes around again, (relatively close to me), and I have a little extra "play" money......i'm not going to feel too bad, guilty or stupid, paying a little more than most people here would. If that makes me a fool. I'm cool with that. My friends and family think I'm a fool for collecting these things anyways.

 

[SaminVA]

Well I guess you could say I did, well for a NOS kit.
It was a Stat Trek Voyager kit. Voyager by TeamPlay came out in 2002 and the first time I saw one I knew I had to have it. In 2004 a NOS kit came up on Ebay with a BIN price of $1,499.00. At that time dealers were retailing the kits for $1,899.00. Needless to say I gave in and paid $1,499.00 for the kit. I made sure the kit worked and boxed it back up till I could find a cabinet. Well fast forward to 2006 I went to an auction in Richmond Va and found a perfect cabinet to install my Voyager kit into. It was a nice Virtua Cop 2 in the 25" upright cabinet with a med res monitor. The problem was I liked the game and it was a dedicated game in great condition and I could not bring myself to convert it. In fact I rebuilt the monitor and found some NOS side art and the game is still in my game room today. Ok long story short, in 2009 I bought a Star Trek Voyager 2 seater cockpit off Ebay for $202.50 and had it shipped to me for another $425.00. Turned out the game had a bad power supply and was missing one of the guns. So I now have a working Star Trek Voyager and a NOS Voyager Kit. I haven't added up the total cost but that turned out to be one expensive game but still well worth it to me.
http://members.cox.net/severlander/Star_Trek_Voyager.html

 

[RLEVIN]

Jeez. sorry.(lol)... didn't realize their was rules. i thought it was common for people to fork over a little more money on a certain things that have a special meaning/connection to them. Specially if they aren't a dime a dozen. I have a few guitars and my old 70' challenger that i probably paid too much for, but 1) had meaning to me & 2)the specific type/model was not an everyday occurrenc. Who knows. Maybe i'm wrong. And i'm not talking about a Pac Man or Donkey Knong for 2000 either. I once seen a Domino Man 5 miles from me for 1000 bucks. If i had the scratch at the time...i would have jumped on it. Same for that Quantum I seen for $2,200 an hour from my home. I'm just saying, those are the only games I would shell out some cash for. All the games in my collection I was either given, found in trash or paid less than 200 for.

You are lucky you have a 70 Challenger I love that car. I will trade you for it

 

[RLEVIN]

Well guys the days of retail are coming to a end anyway. eBay is on it way out at least with arcade games. It is getting hard to make a living selling games. Overhead is way too high, payrolls for techs are high and game sells are low and eBay is in the shitter. We used to sell 30k a month on ePay and now is around 3 to 5k a month. I have talked to other retailers around the US and they are the same.

 

[jehuie]

I once offered over $3,000 for a game...not that long ago. Which is pretty impressive for me considering I'm one of the biggest cheapskates out there. Other than that I've never paid over about a couple hundo for one.

 

[Schusler]

I think the only machine I would drop the coin on is an Edot. And that thing better be absolutely *mint*....

 

[JamBurglar]

Theoretically, if it was really brand new from the factory, all original, mint and working I might consider paying a factory price for something I really really wanted. Nobody is really giving anyone the oportunity to buy that sort of thing, so I guess it's hard to say.

 

[kazneerg]

You are lucky you have a 70 Challenger I love that car. I will trade you for it

HAha...will never part with that car!

 

[Tonym]

ya ill pay retail after i hit the lottery

im a DIY'er at heart in all my hobbies but with that much money id just go ahead and get a "new" classic arcade installed in my living room

 

[modessitt]

Well guys the days of retail are coming to a end anyway. eBay is on it way out at least with arcade games. It is getting hard to make a living selling games. Overhead is way too high, payrolls for techs are high and game sells are low and eBay is in the shitter. We used to sell 30k a month on ePay and now is around 3 to 5k a month. I have talked to other retailers around the US and they are the same.

True. Sales have gone to shit, but a lot of that is the economy. If the economy got back to the way it was, sales would probably increase again.

Our shop has seen sales drop quite a bit, but they still occur. We've seen a huge increase in repair work, though, especially with pinballs. People are electing to fix what they have rather than buying new ones. And then there are those who buy broken ones at estate sales and flea markets, then come to us to fix them...

 

[RLEVIN]

True. Sales have gone to shit, but a lot of that is the economy. If the economy got back to the way it was, sales would probably increase again.

Our shop has seen sales drop quite a bit, but they still occur. We've seen a huge increase in repair work, though, especially with pinballs. People are electing to fix what they have rather than buying new ones. And then there are those who buy broken ones at estate sales and flea markets, then come to us to fix them...

Yea we have had a lot of repair work and thanks to eBay we are getting a lot of stuff people are getting off eBay that did not live up to the listings to repair. If we had not open our show room we would of be done a while back. Most of our sales come off our floor and a lot of people are stopping in from out of state to see our showroom. It is cool we have 200 games on our floor. Then the nickel tour thru the warehouse really knocks their socks off. 2000 games stored. But if the ecomomy does not pick up it is going to be one hell of a auction.

 

[Les Manley]

I just may pay retail price and buy my first and only new in box pinball machine when Tron comes out in May. If it is any good, I will make the plunge that I never thought I would. I love pinball and I love the theme. Otherwise...no.

 

[Les Manley]

yeah, I'd pay retail for the Tron pin when it comes out

Just saw this after I posted my reply...nice.

 

[Slackmoe]

The only item I payed retail for was my TSPP pinball machine.

Andrew

 

[StrainedSky]

I just may pay retail price and buy my first and only new in box pinball machine when Tron comes out in May. If it is any good, I will make the plunge that I never thought I would. I love pinball and I love the theme. Otherwise...no.

I thought a Tron pin was a rumor. Is there anymore info on it ? I may have to buy my first pin

 

[Jedidentist]

I'd consider it too, but I just can't fathom $5k for a game...and I'm getting 4x that for my tax refund!!!

 

[DreamTR]

modessit hit it spot on. People come in here and say "SO AND SO IS NOT WORTH THAT MUCH" etc. You can say that with anything, used cars, houses, everything we buy that comes from China, etc. Do the legwork yourself and everything is cheaper. Build your own computer, etc, but I don't see a problem paying X amount for something straight up with no issues if it is worth it.

Also, about ebay, people buy more during tax refund time and XMas...that's about it....they also don't pay $1000 off eBay for games anymore. Would any of you buy a car on ebay and have it shipped? Probably not. People want to try the stuff out, so in fantasy world a few years back, yes, people did that, but you can't control shipping, random breaking, people not knowing how to turn games on, breaking the machine by messing around inside, etc.

 

[demogo]

Yea we have had a lot of repair work and thanks to eBay we are getting a lot of stuff people are getting off eBay that did not live up to the listings to repair. If we had not open our show room we would of be done a while back. Most of our sales come off our floor and a lot of people are stopping in from out of state to see our showroom. It is cool we have 200 games on our floor. Then the nickel tour thru the warehouse really knocks their socks off. 2000 games stored. But if the ecomomy does not pick up it is going to be one hell of a auction.

I thought the economy was coming back -- has it improved at all in the last year?

 

[nerdygrrl]

It's all relative. Just like antiques the games are only worth as much as you or someone else is willing to pay. I love SI, the history behind the game and the game itself. My parent's had it in their bar/restaurant when I was a kid. I played it everyday after school. Just hearing the game sounds makes me happy

I would pay whatever the cost for the Taito upright versions. I have been researching the costs on having a Taito SI II upright delivered from the UK.

 

[airlair]

I would never pay retail for a game. I have paid more than I want to for a game I really wanted when I first started collecting, but even that was nowhere near retail. The reasons I would never pay retail is because I don't have the resources and through my time on here I have learned to be patient and where to look for a fair deal. If my financial situation improves I will look back to this thread and redit if necessary. Until then, I don't have the room or the cash to expand my collection, and since I'm a Cleveland sports fan I don't see my luck or fortune improving in the near future.