CAD at .70

[maken]

pinside is not to blame, it happens on our forums too. Hobby growth and a limited supply of older games, combined with higher NIB prices are more likely culprits.

Many of the older 'good value' games are no longer good value. BSD, Shadow, Congo, WhiteWater etc have all gone way up. Part of that is the fact that they were relatively good bargains to begin with, prior to the increase in their perceived value.

 

[kiwi]

All I can say is that there was a huge change in prices shortly after Pinside came online. Maybe it is partly do to Pinside getting more members and people just coming across because it was a forum and not RGP newsgroup where it kind of stayed behind the scenes and would never come across it unless you looked very hard. It probably drastically increased supply and demand and quite possible greatly helped in the resurgence of the hobby, the only compliment I can give it. Otherwise it is just a brag and investment site always pushing up prices.

When did PinSide show up?

 

[Slam_Tilt]

When did PinSide show up?

Not exactly sure when it first came online but it was around 2011 where it really started taking off and have the look it does now.

 

[mitch_a]

Pinside started in 2001.

 

[DRANO]

Not exactly sure when it first came online but it was around 2011 where it really started taking off and have the look it does now.

Pinside sort of exploded in late 2012 if I recall correctly. RGP was having a ton of technical issues and a lot of the regulars there made a mass migration to Pinside.

I spent about a year on the site before that happened and it was actually really nice with no drama and not a lot of idiots.

I still very much enjoy the EM hangout. Great group of guys. As for the rest... It's gone to the birds and those that need a big audience to pad their egos.

 

[Luckydogg420]

The dropping dollar is part of the reason that I bought a game of thrones premium. This was a title that I couldn't miss out on. Originally I thought about buying a TSPP or LOTR and trading for a GoT in a couple years, but then the dollar started to drop and many people mentioned that they weren't going to get it nib because of the declining buck. I began to think, if no one is buying one new, then whom will I be able to get one from in the future. Some games that are popular here and plentiful are still difficult to buy because of demand. I've watched enough TSPP games sell quickly that I realized I might not ever find a game of thrones in Ontario if I don't get one while there being made.

The dollar sucks and it will make some current titles more difficult to find in the future.

 

[spiroagnew]

Get ready for a 0.59 dollar. ALLENTOWN 2016 isn't looking that appealing anymore. ..

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/macquarie-loonie-forecast-1.3401644

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[kiwi]

Pinside sort of exploded in late 2012 if I recall correctly. RGP was having a ton of technical issues and a lot of the regulars there made a mass migration to Pinside.

I spent about a year on the site before that happened and it was actually really nice with no drama and not a lot of idiots.

I still very much enjoy the EM hangout. Great group of guys. As for the rest... It's gone to the birds and those that need a big audience to pad their egos.

ah I see. I was on RGP back in 1989-early 90s. Been out of the loop since then pretty much. I only found out Williams and Bally were gone last year!!

 

[REVOLUTION]

Honestly if people want USD values for their games, then they should sell to the US market IMO. It's not as easy as it sounds.. anything worth over $2k has to be declared with the US border guards, and them there's paperwork that must be filled out. This of course is assuming you're doing things the honest way and not committing fraud at the border

That being said, as a mod maker who's sales are about 99% to the US market I'm really liking our dollar right now!!

 

[mitch_a]

If someone who lives in the states drives up here and picks up the game in Canada when they bring it back home with them into the states they don't pay anything crossing the border as they are a us citizen and it was made in the USA. Or so I've been told by a few people who live in the states and have bought games here.

 

[scylla]

If someone who lives in the states drives up here and picks up the game in Canada when they bring it back home with them into the states they don't pay anything crossing the border as they are a us citizen and it was made in the USA. Or so I've been told by a few people who live in the states and have bought games here.

Yes - that's right. We had one of ours leave that way a few weeks ago. Buyer (friend) drove up, stayed for the weekend, and then drove back down with the pin. No payment required at the border.

 

[DRANO]

Yes - that's right. We had one of ours leave that way a few weeks ago. Buyer (friend) drove up, stayed for the weekend, and then drove back down with the pin. No payment required at the border.

I can't say for certain, but I think it has a lot less to do with where the item was manufactured than it does with their general policy on personal importation and tax.
I know several US citizens that have came up to Canada on vacation and purchased several hundred dollars worth of goods only to be waived through the border.

Again, I'm no expert, but I think our government just takes a very different view on such matters and opts to tax everyone and anyone regardless of whether the items are for personal or business purposes. It is definitely a revenue stream for them... whereas American citizens seem to be given a lot more liberty than we do.

 

[cdnpinballer]

USA: "the land of the free and the home of the brave"....

 

[kiwi]

Again, I'm no expert, but I think our government just takes a very different view on such matters and opts to tax everyone and anyone regardless of whether the items are for personal or business purposes. It is definitely a revenue stream for them... whereas American citizens seem to be given a lot more liberty than we do.

For sure this is true. Way back in 1996 I was travelling the West Coast with a friend who had dual citizenship - NZ and Canadian. We crossed the border many times enroute to the Yukon/Alaska . He choose to cross the border every time with his Canadian passport and I only had a NZ at the time. I had no problems , Just told them what stuff (alcohol, etc) in the car was mine, but they always grilled him on what was his and where he bought it and how much. We at first we thought they always gave the driver hassles, as he had been driving most of the time we crossed borders.. but then when I switched with him, the boarder guards would walk around to the passenger side of the car and go at him. A friend in Vancouver told us it was all to do with the taxes & duties that Canada has for its citizens. As a "tourist" they didnt care too much for hassling me. I think I eventually found a paragraph in my Lonely Planet book that also commented about the Canadian Border security.

 

[fantasygoat]

It's nice to see someone of Drano's stature and reputation saying what I was saying before about the "buddy price" situation. That Robocop I was selling last year suddenly doesn't seem so pricey...

But the big problem now is the cost of parts. It was almost $100CAD to rebuild the flippers on my Meteor! It's hard to justify the parts cost on lower priced games. Then tack on outrageous shipping and suddenly I've paid $100 for a bunch of header pins and sundries from Big Daddy. Won't make that mistake again.

Even though Canada is only 10% of the market the US is, with the dollar and shipping the way it is there must be a market for Canadian-Made pinball parts. Anyone up for tackling that?

 

[DRANO]

For sure this is true. Way back in 1996 I was travelling the West Coast with a friend who had dual citizenship - NZ and Canadian. We crossed the border many times enroute to the Yukon/Alaska . He choose to cross the border every time with his Canadian passport and I only had a NZ at the time. I had no problems , Just told them what stuff (alcohol, etc) in the car was mine, but they always grilled him on what was his and where he bought it and how much. We at first we thought they always gave the driver hassles, as he had been driving most of the time we crossed borders.. but then when I switched with him, the boarder guards would walk around to the passenger side of the car and go at him. A friend in Vancouver told us it was all to do with the taxes & duties that Canada has for its citizens. As a "tourist" they didnt care too much for hassling me. I think I eventually found a paragraph in my Lonely Planet book that also commented about the Canadian Border security.

I don't know if that it's fair to say Canadian border security treat Canadians less fairly than tourists.

I was simply stating that Canada and USA seem to have somewhat different policies or attitudes towards what their citizens bring into their respective countries and how/when they are taxed.

The border agents are simply executing that policy.

 

[REVOLUTION]

But the big problem now is the cost of parts. It was almost $100CAD to rebuild the flippers on my Meteor! It's hard to justify the parts cost on lower priced games. Then tack on outrageous shipping and suddenly I've paid $100 for a bunch of header pins and sundries from Big Daddy. Won't make that mistake again.

I've always found flipper rebuild kits to be a litte bit overkill... Since when is it necessary to replace every single part of the flipper mech? More often than not, simply replacing the coil sleeve and a good cleaning (and maybe a new spring) is all you need.

 

[Vengeance]

I've also moved away from full rebuilds.

But IMO for a proper playing game.

Plunger link
Coil stop
Spring

Are the 3 must replaces in any flipper rebuild

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

 

[REVOLUTION]

Even still, the plunger just needs some novus and the coil stops can usually be filed down if they're mushroomed

 

[superjackpot]

coil stops can usually be filed down if they're mushroomed

..and then your plunger travels farther and flippers come up higher than they are supposed to.
New coils stops are the way to go.