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.

Quoted from novaguy

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

Yeah, we all start out that way.  Just wait until you take an interest in WPC's.  Or you're on your 30th pin... it's all down hill from there my friend.  

Quoted from b1buwg97

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

For you it practically was, my friend... for you, it practically was..  

Quoted from machine.slave

For you it practically was, my friend... for you, it practically was..  

Gaffaw!  I haven't laughed so hard on a Friday morning in ages... sniff... thank you! (Sorry Terry.)

Quoted from websherpa

Yeah, we all start out that way.  Just wait until you take an interest in WPC's.  Or you're on your 30th pin... it's all down hill from there my friend.  

My fiancee knows what every one of my WPC DMD's costs, hell she bought me my LOTR, but I got a keeper   

Quoted from Vengeance

My fiancee knows what every one of my WPC DMD's costs, hell she bought me my LOTR, but I got a keeper   

Ahh, you must have equal dirt on each other then.  After 20 years together - everything changes.

"But honey we don't need a second car, the kids LOVE the pins AND walking to soccer practice is good for them!"

Quoted from websherpa

Ahh, you must have equal dirt on each other then.  After 20 years together - everything changes.

I got 10 thus far, and we don't have anything like that.  I guess I'm just lucky I never have to explain what I'm doing or why I'm doing it and neither does she we both support each other regardless of what the other person wants to do.  

Right now my wife is pissed that I'm considering trading my LOTR. It puzzles me because she doesn't even play it unless we have guests over.

Quoted from jonny_eh

Right now my wife is pissed that I'm considering trading my LOTR. It puzzles me because she doesn't even play it unless we have guests over.

Mines is still pissed i sold my GnR, the only game she liked over the years (and of course she wasnt playing but once in a while)

Quoted from Vengeance

I got 10 thus far, and we don't have anything like that.  I guess I'm just lucky I never have to explain what I'm doing or why I'm doing it and neither does she we both support each other regardless of what the other person wants to do.  

Nice to have somebody else that's on the same playingfield as me.Oh by the way,I'm a buddy of Mcmeans,thanks for hanging on to my legs.

Just for reference, my spouse prefers NOT to know how much I have invested, only to have the keys to the pin shed, and access the asset list and inventory when it comes time to liquidate. I too was scolded for selling Fish Tales.

We have no secrets either, it's more a "need to know" kind of thing....

...but I was trying to illustrate that not keeping an inventory and value list has hung some widows and divorcees up in the post estate liquidation process.  (I'll likely be buried in my BK2K or HS cabinet, so at least that's one down.)

Quoted from jonny_eh

Right now my wife is pissed that I'm considering trading my LOTR. It puzzles me because she doesn't even play it unless we have guests over.

I had that problem too but eventually she told me it was because trading (moving pins in/out) was scratching up the hardwood floor in the living room..

Not an issue anymore since it's MY hardwood floor..

Mike

Quoted from Azatotht

Mines is still pissed i sold my GnR, the only game she liked over the years (and of course she wasnt playing but once in a while)

That's funny because my wife HATES my GNR and wants it gone. Too bad for her, it's my favourite pin! It'll never leave, NEVER!

Quote from the very essence of this thread =  There is a large lurker community that is smart enough not to get involved in online chit chatter until it's absolutely necessary.  

Getting mighty close !  

Try to stick to the topic boys, it's best for everyone in the MAACA collective.

Quoted from websherpa

Gaffaw!  I haven't laughed so hard on a Friday morning in ages... sniff... thank you! (Sorry Terry.)

Don't be sorry at all, it's true he knows me well!

Quoted from b1buwg97

Don't be sorry at all, it's true he knows me well!

As do we all...    

But then who really has the last laugh....

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"  

Quoted from Azatotht

Mines is still pissed i sold my GnR, the only game she liked over the years (and of course she wasnt playing but once in a while)

Quoted from jonny_eh

That's funny because my wife HATES my GNR and wants it gone. Too bad for her, it's my favourite pin! It'll never leave, NEVER!

The solution is quite obvious... trade wives.

Quoted from necro_nemesis

The solution is quite obvious... trade wives.

ahah !

Based on the amount of drama around here lately,  perhaps Post #1 on this thread should be required reading.  

New MAACA Rules #21 - 23

21) Don't make any assumptions about anyone on this board or in this hobby. None of us are perfect, except Tuborg, and most of us have terrible online personalities. Be thankful if someone has a transparent dealing personality because at least you are pre-prepared.

22) Don't attack fellow members online, or resort to juvenile name calling in response.  Feed the trolls at your own risk.  And learn to use the "Block List" feature to help avoid an issue.

23) Trying to protect members from other members in open forum unless it's an obvious scam can be fruitless.  We all have different experiences at different times with each other. Most of the real action happens in the background between people who meet face-to-face.  And a face-to-face and a hand-shake changes everything in an instant.

23) Some of your best deals (and pizza topping combinations) will come from those who you trusted the least...if you are careful, discrete, and open-minded.  

Take this from someone who has met many, if not most, of the active members on this board and tried their pizza topping suggestions.  We should be very thankful to have such a cohesive, cooperative and benevolent community as we have developed ... we are the envy of the coin-op world!!!  

24)  If you openly take advantage of people with less experience, you'd better be wearing a Kevlar™ suit

25)  When you meet a member in person, they're generally a lot nicer than their @$$hole MAACA alter-ego    (I'm lookin' at you, Wayne    )

Quoted from machine.slave

25)  When you meet a member in person, they're generally a lot nicer than their @$$hole MAACA alter-ego    (I'm lookin' at you, Wayne    )

You gotta have me mixed up with someone else, perhaps someone with terrible front teeth......