I agree that it's unlikely Stern can survive on pinheads/collectors alone, but they certainly don't have prayer if they completely ignore the needs of this market segment. It may be a relatively small niche of people in the grand scheme of things, but collectors have a voracious appetite for new pins. We are willing to pay a premium for solidly built games with interesting playfields and good rulesets.
First video of Avatar ...
- Thread starter gweempose
- Start date
gibbous
Well-known member
I'd be interested in total take numbers, not just what slice of the pie comes from where. If you sold 10,000 pins a year five years ago and 600 of those were to home buyers, but now you sell only 1000 pins a year, but still sell those 600 pins to those home buyers, you can still say "homes/collector sales skyrocketed from less than 1% to 60% of our sales!" event hough your total take is only 10% of what it used to be and you're constantly fighting layoffs!
If you're in the amusement business, I don't fault you for catering to as many quarters as possible FIRST. Not saying they should ignore collectors, either. But if they are trying to make sure a pin is fun to play for the billions of Joe Schmoes first, and a deep ruleset for the mere thousands of Pete the Pinheads was a secondary concern - how can you blame them??
Ultimate solution is to make a pin that caters to both. But you gotta wonder if that is even possible with pinheads craving marina-trench deep rules and the ADD epidemic that seems to be spreading amongst the general public.
Alky
New member
From my experience in the retail market collectors never want to pay the prices of the new pins. We hardly ever sell to a collector whether or not its from our online site or our brick and mortar stores. Its 98% first or second time pin buyers. Half the time they could care less about the playability they just want a cool looking pinball. Stern knows this as well and they have to create pins for the people who are buying them not the ones who are waiting 2 years after their release to find a "deal" on one that was HUO.
chas010
Permanently Banned
Why is the avatar like a thousand less than nascar?
zfcamaro
Well-known member
You got me.... Only pin I have and ever wanted was BK2000 and once I had it I never figured I'd get another. Then the movie Avatar comes out, my whole family loves it, the machine looks beautiful, and in 2 months there will be one in my basement. I'm not concerned about how great it plays, or how many "Wizard Shots" there are to master. As soon as my kids play it once and I see both of them smile none of that will matter....
Steelhorse
New member
Hey could be worse, these pinball machines could be made in Taiwan or Indonesia, cheap pieces of you know what. I'am thankful Stern is still making pinball machines. Be glad we still have pinball!! Keep up the good work! Wish your prices on new machines were alot less, can't afford $4500 for them! But dont stop making them!!!! I love the fact there American made!
Steelhorse
New member
Great point! Pre-ordered one I assume?
zfcamaro
Well-known member
Nope, gonna give it a month or two to see if there are any bugs to work out. Want to have it by Thanksgiving
