When shopping do you lowball unrealistic sellers?

[jcar302]

I've been keeping my eye out for a few weeks for my first arcade game.
I have my want list, but am willing to start with any version of pacman or old school game like galaga, frogger etc.

Just seems like people want a ton on craigslist and ebay.
Stuff that i see in the for sale section here trading for $250-$500 people are asking like $800-$1500 or even more.

Most ads appear for weeks at a time or on ebay now for at least the third time over for the same damn prices.


If you see something you want, do you just throw a price out there at 50% of the asking price? Or do you let it sit and let them learn for themselves they don't have $1000+ machines?
I can't even find a decent cabinet to build something.

 

[sandmanx]

In my area there are enough sellers with reasonable prices that I just skip over the people that think they have a goldmine. If I were trying to reason with a seller like that, back up why you're offering a 'lowball' price and try to talk them down to reality.

The first game is the hardest but if you wait long enough you should come across a good deal. My first pickup was Frogger which I got working for $175 with some minor monitor issues.

 

[charger]

I have been known to only pay $100 or less for the games i want. But some times i do pay a little more.LOL

 

[jcar302]

The first game is the hardest but if you wait long enough you should come across a good deal. My first pickup was Frogger which I got working for $175 with some minor monitor issues.

Yea well, 2 days ago i saw a crappy frogger with water damage for $1100, lol.

 

[bungy]

Where in NJ are you?

 

[WadeLanham]

If they are asking numbers that high I just don't even bother. There are SO many games out there available for very good prices. People practically give away games. We can't sell working or mostly working games around here often for just $100! The best thing is to get with your local pinball and arcade groups, what ends up happening is people give stuff away because they end up with too much, or they pass good deals on to you that they don't want to bother with. I've done it many times myself.

Wade

 

[Spunkmeyer]

I would do my best to provide them with evidence that their price is too high (quoting Jon's price list, recent eBay sales as opposed to unsold eBay listings, etc.) and let them know what you're willing to offer and how to contact you.

Most people who are not really dedicated to the hobby don't realize that they're not sitting on a gold mine for 95% of the games ever produced. No sense in insulting them, but educating them and letting them connect the dots for themselves.

Nobody likes to be told how stupid they are... give them a "face save" chance and you can oftentimes resolve the issue. Everybody has an ego, and everybody wants to feel pride.

 

[MKplayer1start]

I think it depends on the area. In my area all you see is people asking over $1000. The most I ever paid was $400 and that was my first game. Now I mostly buy non working projects for $100-$200 and restore.

 

[Sectorseven]

I low ball on just about everything.

I go low and you go high, that's just how you play the game.

 

[gameguy1957]

Be patient and turn over some rocks where other folks don't look. I got a bulk buy from a retiring operator because my wife saw an ad in the classifieds in the newspaper.

The ad was two lines long and said arcade game for sale and the phone number. I called and to ask if it was still available and the little old lady said, "yes, the games are still here".

Games, being plural, got my attention. So I went to take a look.

Got there and he has twenty-nine classics and tons of parts. I got them for a few hundred and helping him haul some stuff with my trailer.

The guy didn't have a computer, so he didn't know about Craigslist or eBay.

I've also picked up two games and a pinball machine at a thrift store. The video games were $99 each and the Jurassic Park pinball was $15.

Be sure to have cash, a dolly, tools, and a truck with you when you go looking. If you see a good deal you have to get it then and there. If you have to line up money and a way to move it then it will be gone when you get back.

- JM

 

[CHALLENGER]

This bothers me a lot, people who think their games are made of solid gold.
There is a Wizard of Wor on ebay that is all scuffed up and appears to be working for
$1,750 + 300 Shipping. That has been on their for ages, and I can see why.

It's hard to tell if it's really working or not, or how well because there isn't any good pictures. If I was to sell my games for that high of a price, I'm going to add more than one lousy picture so it can try to sell. You know people with half a brain are going to ask "Um o....k. Why do you think your game is worth XXXXXXX? Do you have any pictures or a decent description to TRY and back this up?"

Ok, I would love to get a WOW machine, but not at that price. THEN spend another few hundred dollars and my time to restore the damn thing?

I see this all the time on ebay with games. What is worse is... When you see someone selling a crap said game for a high price, then when you scroll up or down you see someone else selling the same game for way less in mint or almost mint condition. To ice the cake, when the crap game doesn't sell. Do you think they lower the price? Or think.. "Hmmm there are a few better pac man machines listed than mine and for a lot cheaper. Maybe I should give up or cut my prices down." Nope they don't.

On the flip side of the coin... Some games that are nice, but really high on the asking price is beneficial to me because I won't be able to buy them then.

 

[jcar302]

Where in NJ are you?

Jackson,
Not far from Great Adventure.

Gameguy,
I learned the hard way with the whole not picking it up right this second thing, so the dolly and cash ready theory makes sense. I'm a man of my word, but i guess not everyone is.
Made a deal on a pacman table via ebay, said i would pick it up on saturday, woman agreed, i offered a paypal deposit, they said no need.
2 days later they say they sold it for a higher price.
Put my complaint in with ebay.
She gave me a load of crap on why they needed the extra $75 they sold it for, but whatever.
Should of went to get it that day.

Honestly, i would restore any pac man machine that is reasonable to repair for the right price, but anything pacman around here starts at $500 and goes up.
Then i get to look at the same ad for the next 3 weeks.
I priced out parts, glass, controls etc.., it ads up. I guess people don't get it.

 

[PhoenixStar]

This older thread may help clear things up. It's pretty much the same thread
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=182207

 

[pipcade]

I got my pristine Tron from craiglist from a guy who had it listed for $1000. I got it for 500 after proving to him it wasn't worth 1000 ( this was before the new movie came out) he said people sell them on eBay for that much all the time and I showed him ppl were selling but nobody was buying. I showed him they were selling for about 500 and offered him 500 cash and he took it. Nicest Tron I think I have ever seen in person (and if he had better pics I prob would have offered him more)

Lesson: if it's a game you want it's worth trying.

 

[sosage]

There is no catch all way of handling these situations. Details and specifics are too key to haggling successfully. I have had some dealings where the seller's starting price was so high, that there was no way I could get things kick started, let alone reach a price I'd feel was fair. So I've had to walk. I've had others with almost the same exact thing happening, but the person seemed flexible enough to let me explain why I needed to start off so low.

Some sellers don't understand...or in some cases refuse to understand...that the "lowball" is really the starting point of negotiations. So you always run the risk of reading the person wrong and insulting them. That door swings both ways, since some buyers in the Internet age really do lowball without negotiating, expecting that to be a fair price.

There are also the flippers that know what's up with listing their multi-board conversion for 1K. They typically already know their prices are high and aren't catering to you.

You're looking for Super Sprint? I've known people who couldn't give theirs away. Hold out. Frogger and Galaga are also a dime a dozen. Especially Galaga. Again, hold out or piece a nice one together.

 

[Malice95]

Jackson,
Not far from Great Adventure.

Sweet.. I'm over in Howell. Jersey prices can be high sometimes and you
have to be super quick when a deal comes up. People around here monitor
CL automatically via their smart phones all day long and have alerts setup.

I used to hunt CL and ebay all day long. I've actually found most of
my games here on KLOV.

 

[jcar302]

You're looking for Super Sprint? I've known people who couldn't give theirs away. Hold out. Frogger and Galaga are also a dime a dozen. Especially Galaga. Again, hold out or piece a nice one together.

For the most part, i'm a car guy, and i like games with steering wheels.
I was thinking of getting the regular old school games for the mrs and guests and then the racing games for me.
I tend to gravitate towards multiple player racing because it's more fun to beat someone else than it is the computer
I see some of the sit down setups for reasonable prices (on here, not ebay) but i guess my problem is the mobility of those games and how much room they take up.
My optimal game is a demolition derby upright.

Malice, if you see anything local interesting that you don't want for yourself let me know.

 

[smoke]

Sweet.. I'm over in Howell. Jersey prices can be high sometimes and you
have to be super quick when a deal comes up. People around here monitor
CL automatically via their smart phones all day long and have alerts setup.

.

same in the seattle area phuckers have their trucks in the driveway running ready to go at a moments notice...snooze for 20 mins...you are out and they are in...

 

[TransAmFan]

If they're too high, I'd personally just ignore 'em and wait for something cheaper. If they're reasonably priced, I might haggle just a bit like I did with my Super Zaxxon. Never hurts to try. I really can't stand the ones who will nitpick every little nook and cranny on something that is obviously in pretty decent condition just to try and get a better price... My buddy did that while we were looking at a collector-type Trans Am once: "it's got bad rubber on the window, and a tiny spot of rust here... That bad rubber means it'll leak if it rains" etc, etc. I wanted to scream "it's a COLLECTOR car, for god's sake!!! It's not going to be driven in the rain! The rubber doesn't MATTER!!!"

 

[vicemikey]

Even if they are overpriced machines, you'd be surprised what a halfway intelligent email or phone call can yield. You have to remember anytime you sell something on CL - Assholes call and email with fucking bogus offers and with REALLY shitty attitudes, I'm sure it's the same way everywhere - Here's an example:

Let's say you're selling a PacMan - Honestly in really good original condition, it's far from perfect, but it's WELL worth what you're asking.

"FS: Original Pac Man - $400"

"Hey, I'll give you $150 for it and I'll be over around 8 to pick it up"

"Saw you had a Pac Man for sale for $400, it looks like it's in rough shape, I'll do $50 and I'm doing you a favor because they aren't worth near $400 in that condition."

"Where do you live, I'd like to come check out the PacMan" Buyer would arrive, look over the machine and tell you he's a technician and that it's only worth $125 - If someone bites on it, he takes it home, parts out the pac man parts, drills holes in the CP and makes it a multi-game - you'll see it on CL two weeks later for $1,500 firm, because he paid $5,000 originally. (THESE MOTHERFUCKERS PISS ME OFF THE MOST, fuck MAME flippers in general)

Point is Craigslist if full of ass-hats on both ends, and talking some honest sense into people without being condescending can work out for you.