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So many very good/great games for sale here not selling?

ritewhereiwant2b

Well-Known Member
Dec 22, 2013
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Oakville
Just in the past month or so there has been so many very good/great games for sale here not selling? This strikes me an unusual for this site. What do you think is up?
 

MrMikeman

Well-Known Member
Nov 25, 2019
792
641
93
Ottawa
Games that are priced correctly according to what the market will bare are selling. Those that got in during the pandemic and that couldn’t really afford games but bought anyway thinking they’d make money or break even are likely in for a sad shock. Given the current direction of the economy I think it’ll slowly get worse before it gets better.

Whether pinballs or anything else, it’s not normal for items to go up in value after purchase. The normal thing to happen is that most items depreciate continually until worthless(cars, appliances, computers, tvs, etc). Some collectible things depreciate for years before becoming “classics” and start appreciating in value again.

So to claim that you are “losing money” when selling a used item for less than you paid new is a crock. It’s actually normal for something to be worth less after you’ve used it. Duh.

REAL limited edition games(like below 1000 units) may keep better value if you can find a buyer that gives a shit about exclusivity but I suspect regular ordinary games will take the biggest drop.
 

ritewhereiwant2b

Well-Known Member
Dec 22, 2013
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Oakville
I'm not disagreeing with the above, but:
1) we aren't in a recession yet
2) there has been talk about a pinball price correction for years and they've kept going up

I guess thats why I started this thread, to peoples thoughts in it. Thanks for responding!
 

MoPin

Active Member
Mar 2, 2021
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In a few months we will all be wishing for the prices we see posted today. Lots of games for sale for sure, but I have personally owned many of them or currently own them and don't plan to sell them ATM. Some great deals to be had with the upgrades that a few of the games have too.
 

Quatermass

Member
May 2, 2018
76
35
18
Toronto
I'm not disagreeing with the above, but:
1) we aren't in a recession yet
2) there has been talk about a pinball price correction for years and they've kept going up

I guess thats why I started this thread, to peoples thoughts in it. Thanks for responding!
1) There’s a bit of debate whether the US entered a recession already or not... Depends on how one defines a recession, I think. Admittedly, I’m definitely no expert.
2) Pins have appreciated in value over the years, but like so many things recently, completely skyrocketed due to inflated demand (among other things). The housing market now is a pretty clear indicator of a correction already taking place though.

…or maybe pins just keep rising exponentially, and it is just a summer lull…

I don’t pretend to know for sure, but expensive toys and recreational properties are usually the first things people unload during economic hardship.

I love how us pinheads discuss this stuff in terms of how it affects our hobby! “Pinheads on economics”
 

Perry L

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2016
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In the hills Mono
Does anyone ever remember when pins dropped in price over a few years? They have always inched up in my time in this hobby. Lol even still I’ve lost a lot of money changing up the line up over the years but it’s my hobby.
 
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MoPin

Active Member
Mar 2, 2021
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I only remember games like BKSOR and Houdini and Hotwheels kinda being hard to sell at P1A. And Now that JJP is pumping out LE's (which are nice but at those volumes they are not limited) they seem to be in plenty of over supply which will see them go down. Most Stern since covid have been in quite low supply and the newest games seem harder to find. It will be interesting to see what is coming and when they will stop producing the aging titles.
 

tom_454

Active Member
Nov 28, 2012
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Ottawa
I think many people are questioning whether or not the dollar value of a pin equates to the “worth“ in ownership. Looking at my own pins I can honestly say that the worth to me is less than their dollar value. That makes them easier to sell but harder to buy.
 

MoPin

Active Member
Mar 2, 2021
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I would likely agree with that in a little way but I think the fact that people in this hobby are not the type that struggle with cash/income and as such affording this type of fun is a luxury they can handle especially when we own 4 or more of them or in many cases 10+ games. Kinda like my dirt bikes, they are fun too but don't get used enough either to justify their investment but when I want to use them when a buddy is around I can. Perhaps those that can't really afford the games may have to decide to move on to another hobby but I don't personally know those players. One thing is for sure the NIB prices are only going up and that will take the existing games value up with them as there is still a limited supply of say 5000 games total to be sold to the entire world. So only a very small percentage of people have to want the game in the USA/Canada alone with a population of 360,000,000 between the two counties not including the rest of the world which means they only need 0.0014% interested buyers out there which is hard to believe there won't always be a market and a growing $$ value for the games.
 

Smokezz

Active Member
Apr 29, 2019
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Kingsville, ON
Some of the pins are being prices based on the current USD exchange... which is going to be a hard sell imo. People that have patience will most definitely wait until things return to more sane rates.
 
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ritewhereiwant2b

Well-Known Member
Dec 22, 2013
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Oakville
It's so hard to say. Apparently Stern is raising their prices next year. But to see some extremely well rated pins sitting here at, very very high prices, well...in the past the prices, for the time seemed high, but they sold...now they are not.
It was also said here that they are pros and premiums, not LEs...LEs being limited...
It's been an interesting time to watch what is going on here. ...and on kijiji someone is asking 9k for an EM original Kiss. I'm like, WTF???? While some GnRs are not selling for less than list price. Weird times!!!
 

kool1

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2021
542
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Oakville ON
I'm not disagreeing with the above, but:
1) we aren't in a recession yet
2) there has been talk about a pinball price correction for years and they've kept going up

I guess thats why I started this thread, to peoples thoughts in it. Thanks for responding!
Recession is just word for most people but negative economic growth is coming. All asset prices have softened. Housing and stock markets are down significantly, people feel it now and borrowing rates are much higher also.

On the flip side Stern supply is up - lots of new pins delivered this year.

I think prices will stabilize and new prices going up will help but there are some very overpriced pins on the market like others have said.
 
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Gord Smith

Member
Jul 7, 2020
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Toronto, ON
I could be wrong about all of this, but I think there were a lot of people that came into the hobby over the past few years, or at least have fallen further down the rabbit hole. I had two games previously, and now I have 6. I had a lot more time to get into learning how to repair and restore, so the hobby became a lot deeper for me.

As prices spiked and games were selling almost as fast as they were listed, it was easy for me to trade games and seemingly climb the pinball ladder without having to go crazy money wise, since my games were also going up in value. I think we have reached a bit of a saturation point, the people that wanted in are in, the people adding to their collections have maxed out space. So, I think prices will kind of hover where they are, dip a little for games that people deem as not keepers, but I do feel the trade market will still be there.

This actually prompted me to sit down and assess my collection and try to think about what 6 games I would want long term. This meant having to move some games I liked, but were not getting the play they should (Black Hole, TMNT), and to hunt out one particular game (Champion Pub... pour one out for Fish Tales). I figured that if I really loved all the games in my collection I would not really care if the market actually started to dip. I would say I am there with 5 out of 6 of my games, with the other being in the tier just below. Just enough to keep me checking listings to see if that one grail game does come up.