Ebay prices

Rrcade

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How long do you think it will take before we stop seeing everything Buy It Now for 2000.00?

Is anyone really paying 1000.00 plus for these 400-500 dollar "tops" games?
 
The first thing I learned in this hobby is that pretty much everyone who is NOT into it seems to think that they cost/are worth thousands. I recently picked up a double dribble and told my co-worker about it. "Wow, that must have cost like a grand, right?". Nope. Try $100. Just because it's a "big, electronic thing", people assume that it's expensive.

The thing that gets me is when people throw the usual "OMG RARE!!!@&" in their listing title and assume it automatically raises the price by 10x. Even sadder is that people actually fall for it.
 
Even sadder is that people actually fall for it.

Who is falling for it? I see these same games listed on CL and eBay over and over and over again. They never sell, people collectors don't "fall" for it and the average person who might want to purchase one isn't going to pay a lot of money for a double dribble (as an example). You get into a classic, the lister may have a chance, ie Tron, Donkey Kong, Pac/Ms-Man, Star Wars, etc. Other than that, those things sit.
 
For $15.95/month plus 20 cents per listing, you can have an Ebay 'store'.

It only costs $2 to list something with a starting price over $200.

I don't know how often these guys sell something for $1K, but it only takes a score every now and then to finance a slew of listing fees.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's ruined things. You used to find all kinds of deals. Now you see untested boards for $50 bucks. I used to take chances on $5-$10-$20 boards all the time, but not for $50 plus $20 shipping.

Click on the Buy-it-now versus Auction tabs on the arcade group and it's like a 10-to-1 ratio.

$170 Track and Field working PCB? Get real.

Ruined.
 
and the morons on craigslist, look at eBay to gauge pricing, and see all the $1500 games, and assume that is the real value. When if you look REALISTICALLY, within 150 miles of my house, there isnt even a game with 1 bid on it over $150.
 
How long do you think it will take before we stop seeing everything Buy It Now for 2000.00?

Is anyone really paying 1000.00 plus for these 400-500 dollar "tops" games?


I often wonder what happens to all of the delusional craigslist folks with their $2,500 60 in 1's or the RARE Centipede games for $1,200. Do they sell? Does someone finally convince them of their delusional ways? Do they sit and rot?
 
My favorite are boardsets that cost more than the actual game. Make an offer is a joke too becuase most of the time the seller is only willing to go down like ten bucks. then you see the completed auctions that dont have a reserve go for like 50~100 and the buyit now board sets sit with their 300 price tag forever. Not to mention charging 50 dollars to ship a chassis. Ebay sucks
 
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They're waiting for that one possible "sucker" to buy it for the outrageous price. The seller could care less if the machine sits on ebay for 5 years, its not costing them much to list it, and obviously not taking up precious garage space. Its all pretty ridiculous...
 
I've been looking for a killer instinct board forever now. The same guy on ebay has been trying to sell the same board with the same picture and auction description for the past two years, except for the fact that his price went from 315$ to 599$!

599$ for a pcb! WHAT!
 
Who is falling for it? I see these same games listed on CL and eBay over and over and over again. They never sell, people collectors don't "fall" for it and the average person who might want to purchase one isn't going to pay a lot of money for a double dribble (as an example). You get into a classic, the lister may have a chance, ie Tron, Donkey Kong, Pac/Ms-Man, Star Wars, etc. Other than that, those things sit.

Checking eBay's sold listings now and again, you'll see things that sell for a decent deal more than they should. An Arkanoid for $895 comes to mind. I think there was also a Pit Fighter that went for $900.

I don't know how often these guys sell something for $1K, but it only takes a score every now and then to finance a slew of listing fees.

Very true.
 
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There was a guy by me that had a crappy OLD golf game at a rummage sale, it worked but was missing the "Trackball" of all things. So he wanted 60.00 if I remember correctly, nobody bought it then I see it on craigslist for Hundreds of dollars quoting it's rarity from the KLOV site, well someone must have set him straight cause it wasn't long before the price dropped waaay down again:)
 
As always with Pacray, these are just gorgeous. I've not seen your Centipede multi-game before, and it was refreshing to see something out of the ordinary -- great work!

Yes, some of them sell, and no, not all are overpriced.

These two recently sold for $1999...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...04960&ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT#ht_5691wt_1139

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...22136&ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT#ht_5989wt_1139

These are brand new games, top to bottom. Out of pocket expenses are around $1300, plus or minus, with about 25 hours of labor put into each. Ebay and PayPal fees for a game that sells at $2K are around $150.
 
A black Centipede is blasphemous. I'm guessing many of these "buy it now" ridiculous prices are scammers with multiple user names. No one pays this much for this crap. Selling it to yourself does not increase a games value.
 
Thanks HS. I can't tell you how many water-damaged, broken-corner, and beat up Centipedes now live on and are being appreciated by a new generation.

And again, these are not ridiculous prices. I put well over $1000 of new parts and art into each game. People in the hobby do not buy these games, but rather folks who want something reliable that isn't all beat-up. You can check my feedback if you like, but buying a game from myself would just be silly. The ebay and Paypal fees alone on these games are about $150 each.
 
I hate to say it, but the often mentioned "however someone is willing to pay is how much it is worth" thing still holds true. Of course to a collector it looks ridiculous but hey, if some celebrity wants them to look richer, or if the CEO of some company remembers playing a given game, the prices can and have gone into the four-figure range. As mentioned earlier, if you put one up for a month at 20 cents for the listing, you're looking at $2.40 for the entire year to have it up... and if it sells after that period at $2000.00, the seller just made $1997.60. Of course it's a rare occurence, but it happens... and that hope for "the right buyer" to come along is what keeps them doing it. It's like gambling, only the odds are a lot higher and it costs less ;)

And in the case of stuff like PacRay's? New or COMPLETELY restored machines ARE worth more. There's a difference between asking 2 grand for a multigame slapped in a water damaged, artless shell of a Mortal Kombat cab and asking a little over 1 grand for a cabinet that looks completely new with a custom cpo, repro art, fully cleaned up, etc. Reproduction side art costs a couple hundred in some cases alone... when that much effort goes into the product, and it shows in the final product, a higher price makes sense.
 
It seems if you list something and sell something almost every week no matter how cheap it is ebay will extend you free listings. This probably explains the recent surge in listing prices.

How long do you think it will take before we stop seeing everything Buy It Now for 2000.00?

Is anyone really paying 1000.00 plus for these 400-500 dollar "tops" games?
 
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