Terminology Question

There are a number of threads on this. The search function is your friend here.

Unfortunately, the term "shopped" is subjective. it should mean that all rubbers have been replaced, the playfield has been cleaned and waxed, all blown bulbs have been replaced, any broken components have been replaced, etc.

But what you usually end up with is a playfield that has been cleaned in the open areas, bulbs that are easy to get to have been replaced and the glass has been cleaned with windex...
 
Shopped means the machine was pulled off the route and taken back to the shop for service. This usually means it was wiped down, everything was verified as working and would be ready to put back out on route. Some operators have MUCH different standards than others when they determine what level of cleanliness their route machines exhibit.

Fully Shopped should mean at the very least the ENTIRE playfield was cleaned AND waxed, ALL new rubbers (not just the broken ones replaced) and all new bulbs. But this could also mean the person went to the trouble of fully disassembling the playfield and ALL parts were cleaned and polished as well as any upgrades done to the board.

So... Shopped can mean as little as "I wiped off the glass and plugged it in to make sure it worked" up to "the only thing I didn't do was repaint the cabinet". Fully Shopped can mean as little as "I replaced the broken rubbers and plugged it in" to "the cabinet is fully restored, updated, and in better than new condition".

It all depends on the reliability/honesty of the seller. Let him use the term then look at the machine and it should be obvious how loosely he uses the term....
 
Ahh... yes.. I didn't see that a machine "NEEDED" to be shopped. Darren is correct in his assessment.

All I would add it that someone who already KNOWS THE TERM SHOPPED and then used it correctly already knows EXACTLY what it wrong with that machine. The question now becomes: Why didn't you "shop it" before selling it and get more money? The answer could be: "I don't have the time", "I would spend more time doing it than the increase in value is worth", or... "that thing looks OK and fairly complete but there is something MAJORLY wrong with it that I can't fix so I am dumping it".
 
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