{"id":251,"date":"2015-03-25T04:43:07","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T00:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jrtwine.com\/blog\/?p=251"},"modified":"2025-11-14T00:29:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:29:51","slug":"how-to-sell-your-arcade-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jrtwine.com\/blog\/how-to-sell-your-arcade-game\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Sell Your Arcade Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Correctly Manage Your Expectations Before you try to Sell your Arcade Game<\/span><\/h2>\n

Something I see far too often are outlandish prices when uninformed people try to sell a game.\u00a0 I usually see this with someone that originally overpaid (badly<\/strong>) and is trying to make their money back or thinks all games magically appreciate in value as they sit getting dusty in their garage or basement.\u00a0 \u00a0For example, “I bought this Street Fighter II 10 years ago for $1500(!) and I am sure<\/strong> it is worth $2500 now!<\/em>”<\/p>\n

First: It Is Not<\/strong> Worth What Google Tells You<\/span><\/h2>\n

Occasionally I see someone that has a busted-ass Pac-Man, in a generic converted cabinet with water damage and a dim monitor, and they Google “Pac-Man Sale Prices<\/em>” and then think that they can sell it for $1200.\u00a0 And they have the audacity to believe they are getting low-balled when someone offers $250.<\/p>\n

No, you are not getting low-balled<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You just did your search (“research”)\u00a0 incorrectly.\u00a0 You shoulda Googled something more like “converted damaged<\/strong> Pac-Man prices<\/em>.” But hey, you did not know any better.\u00a0 Take the advice of people that know more than you about things like this.<\/p>\n

Also, just because someone<\/em> paid $xxx for that game in the past does not mean that anyone<\/em>\u00a0will now.<\/p>\n

Second: It Is Not Worth What eBay Tells You<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some people search eBay for prices and use the final sale price.\u00a0 But before<\/em> you do that, make sure your game matches up perfectly with the listing you are looking at for your “research.”\u00a0 Do not try to compare your “home use only” Star Trek pinball with one on eBay that was clean, shopped, and has no peeling paint on the backglass or playfield.<\/p>\n

And, remember: that price is the price that ONE person was willing to pay.\u00a0 Look at the bidding history, if you can, to see what most people were willing to pay.<\/p>\n

Bigger is Not Better<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Another mistake: thinking larger games are worth more.\u00a0 If you think you are gonna get someone to buy your dual\u00a0Cruis’n Exotica sit-down for $2000, you are sorely mistaken<\/strong>.\u00a0 Larger games are much<\/em> harder to sell to the general public because of their space demands.\u00a0 Look closer to $100-$300 per cockpit instead of $1000 per cockpit.\u00a0 If you get lucky and find an arcade or amusement center that wants it, you might be able to command a higher price, but from the general consumer?\u00a0 Nope.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What You Need To Know<\/h2>\n

So!\u00a0 First thing you need to know.\u00a0 If your game is not in its original cabinet, or it does not have an original cabinet because it was released only as a conversion kit, aim low<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 Like $500 or less low.\u00a0 Games in converted cabinets are literally only worth the sum of their (used) parts.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Lemme say that again for the people in the nosebleed seats:<\/p>\n

Games in converted cabinets are literally only worth
\nthe sum of their (used) parts.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

For example: if you have a bootleg Ms. Pac-Man (that has hearts instead of dots) in a generic or poorly converted cabinet with aftermarket graphics, marquee, and control panel overlay, that has\u00a0 a monitor in severe need of a cap kit (i.e. dim and folded over), here is what you are actually looking at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Cabinet<\/td>\n$20-50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monitor<\/td>\n$50-100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Parts (controls, mechs, power supply)<\/td>\n$20-50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Board<\/td>\n$20-50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Do not expect to sell that game to anyone knowledgeable for anything more than $200.\u00a0 Maybe you will get $250 if it has $50 in quarters hidden in it.\u00a0 It does not matter how long you had it, or how much you got duped into paying<\/em> for it<\/em> at some auction in NJ 10 years ago.\u00a0 Does that price seem kinda low to you?\u00a0 Then go ahead, try something higher and see what happens.<\/p>\n

“But Google says my game is rare!”<\/em><\/h2>\n

So<\/em>?\u00a0 Rare does not always translate to worth<\/strong>.\u00a0 Suppose you bought a bunch of tile flooring and in all those tiles, you found one that was completely missing a color.\u00a0 Is that rare as hell?\u00a0 Certaintly.\u00a0 But is there something magical about that tile that makes it suddenly worth $100s of dollars?\u00a0 No<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So you have one of the Battlezones<\/em> that were modified into a Bradley Trainer<\/em> in fantastic condition with a working monitor?\u00a0 Definitely rare and worth something!<\/p>\n

On the other hand, a Mega Zone<\/em> or Superman<\/em> board?\u00a0 Sure, a little hard to find.\u00a0 Know why?\u00a0 Because they are shit<\/strong> games (IMHO) that got tossed in the trash.\u00a0 (I have personally<\/strong> tossed MZ boards before.)\u00a0 Are they rare-ish?\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 Are they worth something?\u00a0 Not really.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“But my game is all original!”<\/em><\/h2>\n

Again, so<\/em>?\u00a0 Got an all original Phoenix game in its original cabinet?\u00a0 Congrats!\u00a0 Is someone gonna pay $1000 for it?\u00a0 Likely not.\u00a0 Phoenix is an OK game, but its collision detection is a bit buggy due to how its graphics were implemented (it is actually a character-based screen, which is why the animation is a bit sloppy), and its cabinet is nothing to write home about, and is not very friendly to conversion.<\/p>\n

If someone is looking to expand their collection and play more modern 2-player JAMMA games, they would pay more for a generic Olympia cabinet or a Z-Back that has a 2-joystick, 12-button setup rather than buy your “all original” Phoenix game.<\/p>\n

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Correctly Manage Your Expectations Before you try to Sell your Arcade Game Something I see far too often are outlandish prices when uninformed people try to sell a game.\u00a0 I usually see this with someone that originally overpaid (badly) and is trying to make their money back or thinks all games magically appreciate in value […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-repair-logs","category-resources","category-youre-doing-it-wrong"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t