Ethics among collectors

DugDigger

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I'm new around here, but I have a question. I live in a fairly small town with maybe 5 or 6 fellow collectors. A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price. Not a steel, but an Ok price. The games were Pacman, Asteroids, Popeye, QBert, Galaga, Crystal Castles, and a Joust pinball game. I don't know much about pins and it looked to me a lot like those cocktail pinball games that aren't worth much. So when a collector/friend came over to look at the games he saw the Joust pinball and said he had been looking for one for a while. He offered me $350 for it which at the time I thought was a fair deal.

I then found out a few weeks later that the Joust pinball game was worth quite a bit more. At first I felt taken advantage of but then I decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt especially since he wanted to keep the game. Well I just found out that he sold the game a few weeks back for over $3000!

To be truthful I feel a little taken advantage of. I mean if this guy wasn't a friend I would have probably researched the value of the game before selling it. And its not like he is my best buddy or anything just another guy who also likes arcades and we have bought and sold games from each other in the past. Am I wrong in feeling this way?
 
That guy is not your friend.

He knew how much that machine was worth, and took you so he could make money on it.

Hopefully you have learned a lesson, and will research values of games before you make deals on them in the future.

A simple search here of "Joust pinball" would have been filled with enough drooling, ogling posts to give you an idea that you had something special there.

Sorry about the loss, anyway, did you play it? I have never played a head to head pin. Seems really cool.
 
I understand what your saying and what you went through. But just count this as a lesson learned. You were happy with the 350.00, and let it be that way.

I had the exact same thing happen to me when i first got into collecting. I had a game that i didnt know the value of (and as far as i know, it is the only one of this game to be around) but a "friend" offered 500.00 for it, which i thought was great. I made money at that. Just to find out that he sold the game for $4000.00 that week. He knew what it was, and yes, i felt taken advantage of. But i just try to keep telling myself that i made money at 500.00 and that it will never happen again. I research the value all the time now.

Troy
 
I'm new around here, but I have a question. I live in a fairly small town with maybe 5 or 6 fellow collectors. A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price. Not a steel, but an Ok price. The games were Pacman, Asteroids, Popeye, QBert, Galaga, Crystal Castles, and a Joust pinball game. I don't know much about pins and it looked to me a lot like those cocktail pinball games that aren't worth much. So when a collector/friend came over to look at the games he saw the Joust pinball and said he had been looking for one for a while. He offered me $350 for it which at the time I thought was a fair deal.

I then found out a few weeks later that the Joust pinball game was worth quite a bit more. At first I felt taken advantage of but then I decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt especially since he wanted to keep the game. Well I just found out that he sold the game a few weeks back for over $3000!

To be truthful I feel a little taken advantage of. I mean if this guy wasn't a friend I would have probably researched the value of the game before selling it. And its not like he is my best buddy or anything just another guy who also likes arcades and we have bought and sold games from each other in the past. Am I wrong in feeling this way?

Sounds like the next thing you need to sell him will cost him $2,650. :D
 
I'm new around here, but I have a question. I live in a fairly small town with maybe 5 or 6 fellow collectors. A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price. Not a steel, but an Ok price. The games were Pacman, Asteroids, Popeye, QBert, Galaga, Crystal Castles, and a Joust pinball game. I don't know much about pins and it looked to me a lot like those cocktail pinball games that aren't worth much. So when a collector/friend came over to look at the games he saw the Joust pinball and said he had been looking for one for a while. He offered me $350 for it which at the time I thought was a fair deal.

I then found out a few weeks later that the Joust pinball game was worth quite a bit more. At first I felt taken advantage of but then I decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt especially since he wanted to keep the game. Well I just found out that he sold the game a few weeks back for over $3000!

To be truthful I feel a little taken advantage of. I mean if this guy wasn't a friend I would have probably researched the value of the game before selling it. And its not like he is my best buddy or anything just another guy who also likes arcades and we have bought and sold games from each other in the past. Am I wrong in feeling this way?
That is an expensive way to learn to do 5 minutes worth of Google searching, isn't it? Cross him off your "friends" list as he most certainly is not one.

[edit] Personally I'd make a point to "cross paths" with this guy and mention something letting him know you know what went on.
 
I'm new around here, but I have a question. I live in a fairly small town with maybe 5 or 6 fellow collectors. A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price. Not a steel, but an Ok price. The games were Pacman, Asteroids, Popeye, QBert, Galaga, Crystal Castles, and a Joust pinball game. I don't know much about pins and it looked to me a lot like those cocktail pinball games that aren't worth much. So when a collector/friend came over to look at the games he saw the Joust pinball and said he had been looking for one for a while. He offered me $350 for it which at the time I thought was a fair deal.

I then found out a few weeks later that the Joust pinball game was worth quite a bit more. At first I felt taken advantage of but then I decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt especially since he wanted to keep the game. Well I just found out that he sold the game a few weeks back for over $3000!

To be truthful I feel a little taken advantage of. I mean if this guy wasn't a friend I would have probably researched the value of the game before selling it. And its not like he is my best buddy or anything just another guy who also likes arcades and we have bought and sold games from each other in the past. Am I wrong in feeling this way?
Did the guy say that it was one that he wanted for his personal collection? Something that he had to have because of the memories? Yup, you were taken...those are lines used by some of the top people in the arcade collecting community.

-Tim
 
I don't know where you are located, but you sir, have been HOSED! Even a busted down SS pin from that era that doesn't work is worth $300. Anything that works would start at $800. And something a rare as a Joust pin frequently goes for $2500 - $4000 in working condition.

An expensive lesson to be sure, but if you are near Houston, I have 3 $20 bills for the Q*Bert, Galaga and Asteroids :D

ken
 
A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price.

Wow, how'd you do that? :)

And yes, that guy totally took advantage of you. Is he on KLOV?
 
That really sucks! Joust is a super rare cool looking 2 player pin. You should have at least tried to look up it's value. I don't blame the guy for trying to get a deal really. Who wouldn't take a joust for 350? Call him a snaky bastard and be done with it :/
 
I'm new around here, but I have a question. I live in a fairly small town with maybe 5 or 6 fellow collectors. A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price. Not a steel, but an Ok price. The games were Pacman, Asteroids, Popeye, QBert, Galaga, Crystal Castles, and a Joust pinball game. I don't know much about pins and it looked to me a lot like those cocktail pinball games that aren't worth much. So when a collector/friend came over to look at the games he saw the Joust pinball and said he had been looking for one for a while. He offered me $350 for it which at the time I thought was a fair deal.

I then found out a few weeks later that the Joust pinball game was worth quite a bit more. At first I felt taken advantage of but then I decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt especially since he wanted to keep the game. Well I just found out that he sold the game a few weeks back for over $3000!

To be truthful I feel a little taken advantage of. I mean if this guy wasn't a friend I would have probably researched the value of the game before selling it. And its not like he is my best buddy or anything just another guy who also likes arcades and we have bought and sold games from each other in the past. Am I wrong in feeling this way?

Sounds like the 1st guy got hosed selling all those games that cheap
 
If it was not for guys like the one he purchased the games from and for guys like him there would be no guys like me or most of you would not have the collections a lot of you have. Funny thing is if a Klov brother got that kind of score he would be bragging on here. Like it or not that is how it is. Dog Eat Dog World
 
...

That sucks and the dude took advantage of you, but its up to the seller to research what they own. I mean whatever I sell I research.

Jon
 
I'm new around here, but I have a question. I live in a fairly small town with maybe 5 or 6 fellow collectors. A guy posted on CraigsList about a storage unit with 7 games in it. I went to look at the games and ended up buying all 8 for a good price. Not a steel, but an Ok price. The games were Pacman, Asteroids, Popeye, QBert, Galaga, Crystal Castles, and a Joust pinball game. I don't know much about pins and it looked to me a lot like those cocktail pinball games that aren't worth much. So when a collector/friend came over to look at the games he saw the Joust pinball and said he had been looking for one for a while. He offered me $350 for it which at the time I thought was a fair deal.

I then found out a few weeks later that the Joust pinball game was worth quite a bit more. At first I felt taken advantage of but then I decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt especially since he wanted to keep the game. Well I just found out that he sold the game a few weeks back for over $3000!

To be truthful I feel a little taken advantage of. I mean if this guy wasn't a friend I would have probably researched the value of the game before selling it. And its not like he is my best buddy or anything just another guy who also likes arcades and we have bought and sold games from each other in the past. Am I wrong in feeling this way?

I just don't understand why you would even consider selling that pin in the first place.

Joust pin.... still looking.... :(
 
i cut my friends deals on a lot of things.. in fact, there have been times when i have given them stuff valued at a couple hundred.. (non arcade related).. but i do know the value and we also are close enough friends and trust each other that we reciprocate parts and stuff all the time. However, there is always the right of first refusal whenever a part is no longer needed and they want to sell it.
 
Well, there are two points to this:

You paid a low amount from the original owner (unknowingly).

You sold it for a low amount (unknowingly) but probably made a bit of money on the average price you paid for it.



The proper question is - if you had known it was a $3000 game BEFORE you bought it, would you have told the original seller? Probably not.

I think your main question has more to do with whether a "friend" should have said something to you. After your description, it sounds more like he was simply a contact or acquaintance that does the same thing you do.

Still, I have good friends who may try to get something rare out of me for cheap if they can, but mostly they'd just do it because they want to own it forever.

If it bothers you that much, just don't let the guy buy, sell, or trade anything to you for a while....
 
I feel bad for you but on the other hand if I saw one - I'd ask the seller what he wanted for it. If he said $350 - jeebus I'd buy it and run home laughing. Sorry dude - but Google should've been your first visit. Friend or not it's a price you agreed upon. Lesson learned hopefully.
 
its your fault for not doing research and his fault for saying he was gonna keep it and then turning around and flipping it right away. however, you did the right thing by selling it for the price you both agreed on. so, no real problem with this deal, but you should definitely let him know that you are aware he sold it, and for how much. i also wouldnt give him any more good deals, and if you do continue to trade or sell to each other i would say he owes you some good deals down the line in return.
 
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