Ways to fund our arcade collecting obsession?

Malice95

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Given this hobby isnt cheap at least compared to bowling or other pastimes and being
kinda new to this whole thing...

I was wondering how other people are funding their arcade collections? Just using spare
cash every now and then?

I came up with a couple based on observation and was looking for other suggestions.

1. buying, fixing up, and flipping machines
2. Starting up an online retail service selling parts/reproductions people want.
3. Starting up a board repair/monitor repair service
4. Doing restorations for people - seems to be more of a labor of love
5. Custom cab building service
6. Buying and parting out machines to other collectors
7. Retail locations? I have to believe creating an arcade or placing machines in a retail
location is a losing propisition.

How do you fund your obsession?

Malice95
 
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Given this hobby isnt cheap at least compared to bowling or other pastimes and being
kinda new to this whole thing...

I was wondering how other people are funding their arcade collections? Just using spare
cash every now and then?

I came up with a couple based on observation and was looking for other suggestions.

1. buying, fixing up, and flipping machines
2. Starting up an online retail service selling parts/reproductions people want.
3. Starting up a board repair/monitor repair service
4. Doing restorations for people - seems to be more of a labor of love
5. Custom cab building service
6. Buying and parting out machines to other collectors
6. Retail locations? I have to believe creating an arcade or placing machines in a retail
location is a losing propisition.

How do you fund your obsession?

Malice95

How to find out is to use the search function in the upper right hand corner area. This very subject was talked about sometime last week.
 
Not to knock, but the problem with most of those suggestions - It's assuming your time is free. From a business standpoint, most of those things just aren't worth doing as you won't make enough money VS the time spent. Sure, there are some professional pinball restorers out there, but it's the exception, not the rule.

The time for buying, restoring, and flipping games was 10yrs ago, when you could sell a Centipede for $600 and a Ms Pac cocktail for $1000+
 
At least here in NJ a working centipede is going for 600 + on craigslist.
Places like TNT amusments sell for 1k+ regularly.

Malice95
 
How to find out is to use the search function in the upper right hand corner area. This very subject was talked about sometime last week.

That was actually about what people dol for a living.. similiar but different. I have a fulltime
day job but it doesnt pay for $300+ dollar machine plus all the bit to fix them up on a regular basis. Iam looking for suggestions or ideas from others who have found alternate
arcade ways of funding thier hobby.

Malice95
 
I think most have done 1,5 and 6 (The first 6 not the second 6 on the list which is supposed to be a 7 ;) ).

I know I have.
 
I fund my hobby in part by working on games for people but that doesn't actually cover much of anything. I'd say copious said it the best, "I Work" This hobby is like collecting cars, (yea, I do that too) you don't make any money on it, (unless your willing to sell it) you just do it with the money you have. This can be an expensive hobby and you have to scale it to what you can afford. I pass on a lot of games I'd like to have simply because they are out of my price range. However, once my kids are out of college, look out......

-Dave
 
Personally I did a long haul version to pay for my machines.

First I bought a few cheap ones and tweaked/adjusted them and cleaned them up. Not a restore or anything. Just adjusted the monitors and wiped them down. Then I got lucky and found someone that wanted those games more than the ones they currently had (which I considered better)... so I traded up. Then those I used to trade up to the ones I really wanted.

Beyond that I sold a couple for a little more than I paid... as for my two linked Crusi'n World cabs... I took out a personal loan.

I just wish I had more tools and skill to really restore my machines to "mint" condition. Problem I find is that no one seems to carry the "newer" machines plastics or side art.... at least not like they do for Pac-Man, Asteroids, etc.
 
Part time Porn actor, Porn producer and Host to porn shoots in the arcade.

The down side is I am always cleaning the nose smudges off the pinball playfield glass...
 
I would like to share this quote from David Koch, local rich guy.

"You might ask: How does David Koch happen to have the wealth to be so generous? Well, let me tell you a story. It all started when I was a little boy. One day, my father gave me an apple. I soon sold it for five dollars and bought two apples and sold them for ten. Then I bought four apples and sold them for twenty. Well, this went on day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, until my father died and left me three hundred million dollars!"
 
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