Pinball Pricing

"You have to make $70,000 to be able to afford a Pirates of the Caribbean Collector's Edition. Is that not the moment where this hobby has jumped the shark?"

You need to make $70,000 before taxes to afford a Pirates Caribbean Collector's Edition - the hobby has jumped the shark

"I don't think pinball machines are worth over $10,000, I think it's silly when people are spending $15,000 on all these stern LE's and premiums and pros, it's dumb, it's a pinball machine people... if I take a machine and I ask you to tell me what's the magical moment in this game and I bet on half of these pinball machines you can't even pinpoint a single magical moment"

Modern pinball machines lack magical moments and aren't worth over $10,000

"I don't think any pinball machine is worth more than $10,000. I don't. I think everyone is getting so ripped off"

No pinball machine is worth more than $10,000

"I kind of laugh at it because I don't think any pinball machine is worth more than $10,000, let alone 20, let alone 30, let alone 40."

No pinball machine is worth more than $10,000

"If you're someone who owns 10, even five Pinball machines and they're all brand new, like Stern or JJPs. And so let's say just say your collections worth 25 to 30K and you're complaining because the next machine is 10% more for you or 5% more depending on which model you're getting. Right. Come on. Give me a break."

Price increases are justified for collectors with existing collections

"They're going to bottom out and they're going to slide back down to reality... More amazing games are coming. This is not the end."

Recent crazy pinball prices will bottom out when more amazing games are released

"no game is worth $38,000 no pin is even worth $20,000 I would say the ceiling for me of a pinball machine that's fully decked out that's limited I would say 15k is as much as I ever would want to spend"

No pinball machine is worth more than $15,000

"As much as I complain about the high prices in pinball I would rather pay $15,000 and have one pinball machine that I would never let go because it's based on a theme I love so much versus all of these transient games"

Would rather pay $15,000 for one magical game than multiple mediocre games

"how did we get to the point in the Pinball hobby in which two Stern Ali's with all of their accessories side by side is now over $20,000"

Two Stern LE machines with accessories now cost over $20,000 which is ridiculous

"alien pinball was 6450 bucks back when it was originally offered for sale right 6000 that's the price of basically a stern pro now and so it's quite clear when we look at pinball games now and you know Dutch pinball is selling the big Lebowski for twice this price for 12.5 I mean it is insane"

Alien pinball was originally $6450 which is now the price of a basic Stern Pro, showing how ridiculous pinball pricing has become

"If you can afford a six or seven thousand dollar pinball machine, if you're in a financial position in life and which you can afford six or seven thousand dollars for a pinball machine, you have to tell me that you could also spend nine or 10."

People shouldn't buy pinball machines if they can't afford the premium versions

"there is no way most pinball people want to spend twenty thousand dollars plus in one month on pinball machines...if all three of these games hit at once who's gonna spend thirty thousand dollars in one month on pinball"

Spending $20-30k in one month on multiple pinball releases is unrealistic for most buyers

"all of us are getting ripped off. That all of these games are so overpriced and it's just happened gradually that no one's noticed it"

All pinball games are overpriced and less complex than 90s games

"$3,500 for Lord of the Rings. $9,000 for Black Knight sort of rage LE. Three times as much, with less than a third going on in it."

Lord of the Rings for $3,500 vs Black Knight: Sword of Rage LE for $9,000 shows how pricing has gotten out of control

"we live in this ridiculous notion that every single Pinball machine has to be priced between five thousand dollars or twelve thousand five hundred dollars it's it's it's idiocracy to me that nobody has the guts to even go further up market"

Boutique companies should charge whatever it costs for dream themes, not compete on Stern's pricing

"Lower the rings, fully featured game, $3,700. Go look at Black Knight Pro. Almost twice the price of that game."

Pinball pricing has increased dramatically compared to older games

"one of the things that I'm scared about the most is that people's expectations of pinball machines are the lowest I think they've ever been... I'm starting to look at like $9,000 machines and feel like they look like they're $4,500 machines to me"

People's expectations of pinball value are at lowest point ever

"Why are these games costing three times as much with three times as little inside them?"

Modern games cost 3x more but have 3x less content than classic games

"I think the max price for a pinball game, I do. I think the most you can really ask for people to buy for a new inbox machine is between $15,000 and $18,000."

Maximum price for new pinball should be $15-18k

"I think also people need to stop blaming Jersey Jack for where Stern prices are at The only person you should blame for Star Wars LE being $9,000 for Batman super-arlie being $15,000 The only person to blame are you or your Pinball friends that spent that money on those games"

Don't blame Jersey Jack for high Stern prices - blame collectors who pay them

"So if you buy a dialed in for nine grand, how much do you think you're gonna sell it in a year? How much do you think that's gonna be worth? You know, people are gonna lose a grand, two grand per game now."

Modern pinball machines will lose significant value due to high prices and oversupply

"So next time we want to get in big arguments on Pinside and yell at each other about pinball prices and whatnot. Just remember that in other areas out there in the world of non-essential items that are supposed to bring people happiness, you could look at it like pinballs of bargain"

Pinball pricing debates are pointless when luxury items like $65k Gucci coats exist

"But honestly, I don't think any pinball machines worth $9,000. It's emotionally maybe, but actually, monetarily, we're crazy for doing this, but it's kind of what it costs to play these days."

No pinball machine is actually worth $9000 but that's what it costs now

"I'm dismayed shocked, overwhelmed when I hear some of the price points... I can't believe that, you know, it's that big of difference from a $4,000 game to an $8,000 game."

Roger Sharp is dismayed by current pinball pricing, believes it's driven by early adopters rather than manufacturing costs

"I really believe in what I said last time guys that I am sort of getting over this whole notion that every time I want to play a Pinball game or collect a new one, I am going to be dropping $10,000. I am over it."

Getting tired of dropping $10,000 every time he wants a new pinball machine

"now all of a sudden a Ghostbusters LE feels like a cheap piece of shit. It just does like I mean you spend eight thousand dollars on a Stern Ghostbusters LE and you want to feel like you have something special."

A $15,000 pinball machine makes the $8,000 Ghostbusters LE feel like a cheap piece of shit

"what the fuck are we doing guys? Everything now is so expensive and can this hobby sustain itself?... I just always have a hard time justifying that these new machines are like $8,9, $10,000. I really do... I think it's stupid"

Pinball prices are ridiculously high and a bubble will burst

"I'm really getting sick and tired of people not understanding one simple thing that in this hobby and people who buy toys like pinball machines a lot of people just want a toy ASAP."

Price police complaints about MMR markup are wrong - immediate availability justifies premium

"I just think these games are getting too expensive and I think when you look at the numbers and you look at the data and you look at what these games used to cost and you look at what they cost now, is there a gap?"

Modern pinball games are significantly overpriced compared to historical pricing even after adjusting for inflation

"This is an easy pass for me. I don't care how the game plays anymore all this stuff at these prices. I'm only buying dream themes."

Only buying dream themes at current pinball prices

"No manufacturer, nobody will ever survive selling pinball machines for $5,000. It's not possible. You can't do it. Ask Charlie Emery, ask George Gomez, ask Gary Stern, ask Mike from Homepin, $5,000 in 2017 is a number that will put everybody at a bankruptcy."

No pinball manufacturer can survive selling machines for $5,000 in 2017

"People forget Lord of the Rings with everything in it was like less than $5,000. And that has more in it than Willy Wonka. And now we're looking at these games and we're spending $16,000."

Pinball prices have become absurdly inflated

"This hobby is so ridiculously overpriced right now. It's not even funny. That's what you should be crying about."

Pinball hobby is ridiculously overpriced, that's what people should complain about