What are these pinballs worth? Is it worth it to eBay them?

edx2x

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What are these pinballs worth? Is it worth it to eBay them?

Just wanted to start by saying I have been doing this stuff a long time and my father has done it 40 years, but we just started going online / forums in the past two years. Never checked eBay etc for prices on these, only made local deals.

With that said, what are these pinballs worth? I am on operated and still sell to home owners, so what should I be asking if im trying to get high fair value with my home owners? Unless stated all are in good shape, no playfield wear, not HUO, but in good-excellent shape with maybe only a few nicks. No fade etc.

I have had all of these since being new, or right after they came out. I have seen that many many pinballs have gone up in value as of lately, so I don't really know what to ask for them. Im in Michigan if location matters. Im only asking because I have sold 20+ MM, CV, AF, MB and other top pins for like 2500 before I found online pricing, and im not kidding, I would be a millionaire if I knew what I knew now. (granted I did sell these 4-8 years ago, but even my MB was in really good shape and only got 3500 for that about 2 years ago)

No Fear
Congo
Scared Stiff
Rescue 911 (HUO mint)
Johnny Mne
Getaway
Stern Playboy
Strikes and Spares Gottlieb (HUO mint)
SSPP
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars Episode 1
STNG (HUO mint)
Theatre of Magic

Thanks again sorry for the long post, should I eBay these pinballs to get my top dollar? Or is it rare for the buyer to buy YOUR pinball at that high price when they do pull the trigger? Thanks again!

P.S. I think I might have posted in the wrong section, sorry if I did.
 
PM sent with my opinions on pricing. Being a pin player in Michigan is great. Lots of places to play and great buyers/sellers too. If those are in your house right now, you have an amazing collection!
 
When you look on ebay, check completed listings. Pages and pages of no sales. Some things do sell, but condition is everything with pins. Prices have gone up, but some titles just aren't sought after. only the ones that sold are any indication of current price. Price guides are out there too, but something is only worth what someone will pay for it. Theatre of magic is a great pin, so is SW.
 
When you look on ebay, check completed listings. Pages and pages of no sales. Some things do sell, but condition is everything with pins. Prices have gone up, but some titles just aren't sought after. only the ones that sold are any indication of current price. Price guides are out there too, but something is only worth what someone will pay for it. Theatre of magic is a great pin, so is SW.

Not to mention that PayPal and eBay can be very dangerous for the seller. I would never do any eBay sale that didn't say CASH ONLY ON PICKUP. This way, eBay/PayPal can't take your money away from you after your item has left your hands.

There are plenty of sellers/buyers in Michigan. Patience and promotion are the keys to selling your stuff for the price you want.
 
So you guys are saying those high high ebay sales that happen once in a while are few and far between? Is it not a great way to get good prices because when that one buyer does decide to pull the trigger and over-spend a bit per say, that you'll never know if they would buy YOUR pinball thats up, or even choose to buy the ones more expensive than mine? And yes I have all of these about 50 videos and about 5 more pinballs at my house :*( thats why I need to make some space. Oh, and a friends garage and storage units :( time to get rid of some stuff.
 
So you guys are saying those high high ebay sales that happen once in a while are few and far between? Is it not a great way to get good prices because when that one buyer does decide to pull the trigger and over-spend a bit per say, that you'll never know if they would buy YOUR pinball thats up, or even choose to buy the ones more expensive than mine? And yes I have all of these about 50 videos and about 5 more pinballs at my house :*( thats why I need to make some space. Oh, and a friends garage and storage units :( time to get rid of some stuff.

eBay is risk/reward. If someone buys at a high price, then it could blow up. There is lots of discussions on the pinside.com forums about this. Some deals are to be had, but you will pay in fees and risk the scammers out there.

I would stick to Michigan sellers. John Dayhuff and Pete Mathis are the ones that helped me go from an empty basement to the small collection I have today. Great guys and good for the pin community.
 
eBay is risk/reward. If someone buys at a high price, then it could blow up. There is lots of discussions on the pinside.com forums about this. Some deals are to be had, but you will pay in fees and risk the scammers out there.

I would stick to Michigan sellers. John Dayhuff and Pete Mathis are the ones that helped me go from an empty basement to the small collection I have today. Great guys and good for the pin community.

Hanging with John and Pete just got me in the dog house with my wife......LOL.
"Don't get started Bob....You will just buy more Bob." Should have listened to Pete..LOL
 
With that said, what are these pinballs worth? I am on operated and still sell to home owners, so what should I be asking if im trying to get high fair value with my home owners? Unless stated all are in good shape, no playfield wear, not HUO, but in good-excellent shape with maybe only a few nicks. No fade etc.

No Fear
Congo
Scared Stiff
Rescue 911 (HUO mint)
Johnny Mne
Getaway
Stern Playboy
Strikes and Spares Gottlieb (HUO mint)
SSPP
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars Episode 1
STNG (HUO mint)
Theatre of Magic

As you already know, there are many avenues to sell games. ebay is just one of them. But if you want to get a factual documented idea of ebay prices, go here:

http://www.bostonpinball.biz/

and click on "ebay sales summary" at the top. Many people hate that list because they think their games are worth more. But if 100 examples of the same game sells for an average of $1500, and you have an average condition game, than I don't see how you can argue, that at least on ebay, it's a $1500 game. But these people will swear up and down it's a $2500 game. Well, maybe it is if sold privately or on craigslist or in a retail store or something else.

They only update the list a 2-3 times per year, so it does get a few months dated. Right now it's only current through May 2012.

Of course condition and location and many other factors matter too. But if you are just looking for an ebay average, high and low selling price, there you go, no need to look further.

Besides ebay, it's a lot of luck and a fair amount of guessing on what they are worth. Check the rec.games.pinball newsgroup and look up posts with "FS" on the titles you might sell.

I'd take craigslist prices with a big grain of salt. People ask crazy prices hoping to catch a fish. I doubt 1% of the games sell for those prices.

That all said, if you're interested in selling the Johnny Mnemonic reasonably close to the bostonpinball averaege price, please email me. Depending where you are at in Michigan, I should be able to drive and pick up as I'm in the Chicago area, so I'm probably not too far away from you.
 
ended up selling one of my sspp to john dayhuff from michigan today actually! even gave him a brand new display for it :)
 
Just wanted to start by saying I have been doing this stuff a long time and my father has done it 40 years, but we just started going online / forums in the past two years. Never checked eBay etc for prices on these, only made local deals.

With that said, what are these pinballs worth? I am on operated and still sell to home owners, so what should I be asking if im trying to get high fair value with my home owners? Unless stated all are in good shape, no playfield wear, not HUO, but in good-excellent shape with maybe only a few nicks. No fade etc.

I have had all of these since being new, or right after they came out. I have seen that many many pinballs have gone up in value as of lately, so I don't really know what to ask for them. Im in Michigan if location matters. Im only asking because I have sold 20+ MM, CV, AF, MB and other top pins for like 2500 before I found online pricing, and im not kidding, I would be a millionaire if I knew what I knew now. (granted I did sell these 4-8 years ago, but even my MB was in really good shape and only got 3500 for that about 2 years ago)

No Fear
Congo
Scared Stiff
Rescue 911 (HUO mint)
Johnny Mne
Getaway
Stern Playboy
Strikes and Spares Gottlieb (HUO mint)
SSPP
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars Episode 1
STNG (HUO mint)
Theatre of Magic

Thanks again sorry for the long post, should I eBay these pinballs to get my top dollar? Or is it rare for the buyer to buy YOUR pinball at that high price when they do pull the trigger? Thanks again!

P.S. I think I might have posted in the wrong section, sorry if I did.

Are you interested in doing a 1 lot deal?
 
No thanks man, I sell them relatively easily, I just wanted to know where I could get the most out of my stuff ya know.
 
Ebay seems to fetch the most, but like its been said, most of the exuberant prices on ebay are for machines that never sell. Ex. Personally, I consider the real world value of a nice working Addams family to be in the 3K range plus or minus. Seen one sell on the bay for 4K plus...But I don't know how much of the price was ebay fees. I've heard at least 15%, and I think its more now...Greedy bastards keep going up.

Then you have the Pinside forums. Its a great place to market your pins. You can post them and search using their map feature so you can see most of what is in your area at a glance. Also, it seems to cater to the "Pinball Collector" market more than most. You know...the people that have too much money and are driving the cost of everything now into the stratosphere. Nothing against those people, but it does make it harder for any new collectors to get into the hobby if they aren't loaded to start with. But I digress. You can set your price on the pinside at top dollar and I don't think they will call you on it too much...Everyone on there is a collector. And if they think its too high, they just won't bite....But it seems that most things sell.

Then you have Mr. Pinball. Its probably the most democratic place to sell. You post your for sale for your state with your contact info. Its free, you set the price, and you don't really haggle if you don't want to. You can leave the item up till it sells...I think...and they compile all the info of everything that sells on the site and sell the price guide, "Mr. Pinball Pinball List & Price Guide." I think 2013 just came out. And for the most part, it is the definitive guide of what a pinball is really worth since it takes into account what the pinball average price is overall for the entire country where regional differences affect the cost. I.e. A game selling in Chicago or New York will go for more than one in say GA or TN. But the average of all sets the price. At least, I think that's the way the prices get tabulated. And for the most part, the guide seems to be the accepted standard for retail pricing considering that most games are routed machines.

But like the previous poster suggested, condition is everything. A pinball in like new condition or home use only will fetch a premium....Hell, I even heard tale of an Addams Family that was restored by Chris Hutchins fetched 10K......Probably from one of those collectors with too much money. Sure the pin was nicer than the day it was made....Coupled with the fact that his restos usually run from 4K to 5500 on labor, and your going to end up with a game that going to fetch some coin.

The one place, I have heard to avoid is RGP. Rec.Games.Pinball on the google groups. I have had a friend place games on there with good success, but he wasn't trying to hold anyone up...and probably took a loss on more than one occasion just because he wanted rid of something in a hurry. But if the price isn't on or the condition is poor, I've heard they will bust your balls to no end...But that's just hearsay, as I have yet to figure out how to post to that site yet...

And KLOV is a great community of support, but like myself, the community has a good number of poor boys, and cheap bastards. Many self proclaimed. Its not impossible to get top dollar here, but you might have to take a ribbing to do it. However, I do sleep safer at night knowing the price police is on patrol ;)

Of course, if you really want to sell a game....you put it on all of those at your price. List the price as firm and it will probably take you less than a week to sell assuming the price is remotely reasonable meaning somewhere around the Mr. Pinball price.

That seems like most of the basics to selling. I'm sure some will disagree....but that's just how it seems to me. Others mileage may vary.
 
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