I am FAR from perfect.  But here's what I've learned about dealing in the MAACA world*:  

It's all about how much information you give, how you filter it, and the timing. There are many personalities here, and each has their style and quirks.  But we generally all have one thing in common.  We mostly wish we had a detached building dedicated to arcade and pinball machines and a lottery win.

MAACA is a community that consists of a smallish group of dedicated posters, many of which has met each other, a smaller sub-set of which have done deals with each other, and an even smaller subset of friends.  There is a large lurker community that is smart enough not to get involved in online chit chatter until it's absolutely necessary.  

And then there's the obsessive compulsives, like myself, that feel like everyone needs to hear every funny thought that crosses their mind.  


I don't always follow my own advice, but here's the things that I "try" to stick to in order not to piss off the MAACA membership when I buy/sell/trade coin-op stuff online.

1) Don't "brag" about how much you spent on a purchase, or about how much you sold something for. It comes back to haunt you down the line when you are ready to sell/buy.

2) Never say "I'm not in it for a profit" unless you are really taking a loss. If it smells like a fib....    It's all about perception and not about how much profit.  In reality we all probably take more losses than we care to admit.  

3) Don't talk about your contacts.  It just makes people jealous.

4) Be subtle about your "wants".  Take the time to get to know the seller personally and determine what motivates the sale.

5) Hold back your cards, no one online needs to know your opinion of someone else or of a "deal gone bad". If you look carefully you will see that the people who say "Tell me more about how you got screwed." are fishing for information. They themselves are smart enough not to divulge confidences or tell how they "feel" about a MAACA deal online (they save it for pinball parties).  

6) Realize that just about every deal seems like a loss to both the seller and the buyer.  The seller wished they charged more, the buyer wishes they got a better deal.  It's human nature.  But if we just accept that the deal is done and move on, then everyone stays happy. Occasionally it works out that both are exceedingly happy.  

7) Even if you are interested in something someone else has, don't covet it.  Don't send them repeat requests to be considered a future purchaser.  Sure it may work with some junk sellers and vendors, but backfires with collectors.

8 ) Do not mislead buyers/sellers by fishing for better deals or putting them on hold while you do so. Even if you tell people up front that you're juggling deals, or accepting offers -  as honest as that may be, MAACA isn't an eBay auction and we don't like it.  You either want to do a deal, and set a price you are happy with, or you don't.  Yes, mess happens, minds change, people lose jobs, etc.  But you deal with that when it happens and not set people up for a fall just in case you want to change your mind.

9) Deals fall through all the time for many reasons; be disappointed but understand and move on.  Don't hold grudges. Today's Pit Fall is tomorrow's Treasure Chest.

10) Don't hold someone to a deal they are having second thoughts about. Another deal always comes around if you're patient enough.

11) Don't fret losing out on a deal.  Another deal always comes around if you're patient enough.  Or you just stop caring about it anyway.

12) Don't make the deal a moving target just in case something better comes along, or if you're not certain if you can get all the pieces in place.

13) Being honest "after the fact" doesn't work well either. Decide what you're willing to commit to, be honest about what you have, and stick to it until either the deal is done, or someone backs-out; without strings.    

14) Let a dying deal die on the table.  Don't try to resurrect it, let it go. If you want to pick up the threads and start again, wait for the other person to make an offer; or do it after a decent  cooling off period.  

15) Don't regret letting a good deal pass you by once in a while, especially if your spouse's birthday is coming up, or the kids need new shoes.  

16) If you really want to make a profit, open a Tim Horton's franchise, or sell pinballs to neighbours, not to other MAACAnites.

17) In collector communities, both parties usually do better in trades than they do in outright sales.

1 Don't expect the cash value you place on an item (or book value) to have anything to do with reality.  Value items for what you'd pay for them or what you're willing to sell them for based on your experience and place in life.

19) Don't offer someone an opportunity for a bulk deal, especially to someone who deals fairly and quickly in the past, then turn around an hour later and offer it up in a public forum at a higher price because you're too impatient to wait for a reasonable refusal time to pass. i.e. "don't mess where you eat"  

20) Don't offer to screw someone else to try to make good on a deal you already kiboshed.

Your mileage may vary.  *Inspired by a certain MAACA member.  

19)  Never, EVER mention that you own a lamborghini or your prices will always be 150% higher than everyone else'  

Quoted from machine.slave

19)  Never, EVER mention that you own a lamborghini or your prices will always be 150% higher than everyone else'  

You missed zero.

Nicely put,

keep on playing brothers

I vote we make this a sticky for the buying/selling section.

Well said.

20) Don't look at pinball as your retirement savings plan.  Look at it as a hobby.  

Quoted from McMean

20) Don't look at pinball as your retirement savings plan.  Look at it as a hobby.  

21) Only if you have enough of them

Quoted from novaguy

21) Only if you have enough of them

Nope, it's a well documented fact that the overwhelming majority of value dies with the collector.  

Collector's are so reluctant to tell their spouses the real value of what they spent on their collection (and who the h*ll is going to sell their collection going IN to retirement?? that they die without leaving a record, the spouse liquidates at a fraction of the book value.  (That's how some of us acquire old gems at fire sale prices.)

It's been said before that you should take digital photos of all your pins (and all your possessions) and lock it away with a value sheet* in your safe/safe deposit box in case of a fire or other inexpected "ahem" occurence.

Do your heirs a favour, and do it now.  

Quoted from websherpa

Nope, it's a well documented fact that the overwhelming majority of value dies with the collector.  

Collector's are so reluctant to tell their spouses the real value of what they spent on their collection (and who the h*ll is going to sell their collection going IN to retirement?? that they die without leaving a record, the spouse liquidates at a fraction of the book value.  (That's how some of us acquire old gems at fire sale prices.)

It's been said before that you should take digital photos of all your pins (and all your possessions) and lock it away in your safe/safe deposit box in case of a fire or other inexpected "ahem" occurence.

Do your heirs a favour, and do it now.  

Thank god I'm in the minority on this one,my wife knows what everything is worth.

Quoted from novaguy

Thank god I'm in the minority on this one,my wife knows what everything is worth.

Nope. My wife knows what pins are worth as well.


... All of them are 100 bucks.

mess...then I am in trouble, my wife thinks evrything in my basement was free off kijiji

Quoted from wbradley

I vote we make this a sticky for the buying/selling section.

Well said.

Done.