Greetings to all,

  I have been thinking about this for a little while. Starburst is a company that has done quite a bit for the hobby with the championships, parts supplies, etc... and I was wondering if we should give them a section in the Classifieds which would be dedicated to them.

Advantage would be that it makes it a one-stop shop for everything from Starburst on MAACA.

What do you think? Multiple choice option is active.

I am not sure what you would be giving them with a classified section. Do you mean so they could post F/S ads?

I think this is a great idea!
Although i am only 8 months into this hobby, i would like to see a section dedicated to them.

Doug at Starburst has ordered anything i needed, gave me advise to fix my pin and is willing to offer work arounds/ suggestions if they do not carry the item.

Glad that they have LED's in stock now also.

my two cents..

I would be more than happy to keep serving you guys and keep you informed to the best of my ability concerning the parts and supplies we carry. I am still somewhat of a collector myself after all these years, and I have worked in the amusement industry since the early 1990's, so you'll have to excuse my occasional craziness, - comes with the territory and the many "hard miles" on the road as a tech.

Nevertheless, I assure you that I can definitely speak your language and understand your requests, but I would ask you guys to do your part in providing part numbers and/or descriptions when possible and to know what you need before you call or show up.

Thanks,

Rob in parts

Starburst Montreal
514-856-2252   or   1-888-322-2252  ext.201
robert "at" starburstcoin.com

As long as they don't get pouty when they post machines for inflated prices and everyone craps on their threads.  

Quoted from McMean

As long as they don't get pouty when they post machines for inflated prices and everyone craps on their threads.  

Lol. After i made my comments that actually crossed my mind.  

Quoted from wbradley

I am not sure what you would be giving them with a classified section. Do you mean so they could post F/S ads?

I mean that in the Classifieds, they would have their own section. Currently you have Pins for sale, vids for sale, etc... I would add one simply entitled STARBURST.

Then they can post whatever they want in it, parts or machines for sale. That way, if anyone needs to know what they are offering, you can find it easily instead of surfing through the classifieds, trying to find info.

So long as you lock the section so that only they can post (i.e. no public responses).

Quoted from Sparky

I mean that in the Classifieds, they would have their own section. Currently you have Pins for sale, vids for sale, etc... I would add one simply entitled STARBURST.

Then they can post whatever they want in it, parts or machines for sale. That way, if anyone needs to know what they are offering, you can find it easily instead of surfing through the classifieds, trying to find info.

I cant see anything wrong with that.  although they will need to be ready for the inevitable flood of posts anytime they try to make a buck on a machine.  

Quoted from Dipstick Jimmy

I cant see anything wrong with that.  although they will need to be ready for the inevitable flood of posts anytime they try to make a buck on a machine.  

Yeah, the machine sales is a whole other ball game than parts, can be significantly more complex than providing a part number and a price, or posting specials. However, I am certain that posting information about a machine for sale will be no problem, and then any interested party could call or e-mail the salesperson of their choice.

Probably a good idea.  I'm not against SB making cashola, they are a business after all.  But this forum is never kind to profit.  

Quoted from websherpa

So long as you lock the section so that only they can post (i.e. no public responses).

Come to think of it though, what's to keep every other commercial enterprise from deserving the ame amount of exposure?  ( I personally haven't had especially good experiences with Starburst...over-priced, poorly maintained, wacka wacka sales people...   )

Starburst is the ONLY Stern distributor in Canada and the only ones who operate a full time walk-up parts counter of thew scale they do. Doug and James in Toronto have been helpful, albeit sometimes silly expensive on small stuff. They are a business after all.

I think it is OK for them to have their own place to post. However will people be surprised if they never post after that?

Also, agreed nobody should be able to comment in their threads.

Quoted from wbradley

Starburst is the ONLY Stern distributor in Canada and the only ones who operate a full time walk-up parts counter of thew scale they do. Doug and James in Toronto have been helpful, albeit sometimes silly expensive on small stuff. They are a business after all.

I think it is OK for them to have their own place to post. However will people be surprised if they never post after that?

Also, agreed nobody should be able to comment in their threads.

I disagree a 110% we should totally be able thread hi-jack and point and laugh, and make fun of,  THAT is what Maaca is all about- only reason I come here

meh...

oui Starburst ses une grande entreprise et une des rare qui reste sur le marcher des pinball,il mérite une section juste a lui!et Robert est un gars tres sympatique et toujour pret a trouver des piece de pinball! Faut pas fermer la porte au entreprise qui permettre a ce hobby de survivre, merci a stern de continuer dans cette lignier.

Quoted from websherpa

So long as you lock the section so that only they can post (i.e. no public responses).

2nd that, or it might turn into s sh!t show

Quoted from PAT01

oui Starburst ses une grande entreprise et une des rare qui reste sur le marcher des pinball,il mérite une section juste a lui!et Robert est un gars tres sympatique et toujour pret a trouver des piece de pinball! Faut pas fermer la porte au entreprise qui permettre a ce hobby de survivre, merci a stern de continuer dans cette lignier.

Merci Pat, je suis rester collectionneur un peu moi aussi.  C'est "tuff" de voir ca comme juste un autre business des fois.

Je suis aussi pour le fait d'avoir une section pour Starburst,qui n'a pas été au moin une fois acheter chez Starburst
Pourquoi pas Allouette aussi,y vont peut-etre s'ajuster a nos prix  
Comparez des fois les prix sur certain articles a vendre sur Maaca et allez voir ces 2 fournisseur et vous pourriez etre surpris

Quoted from b1buwg97

I disagree a 110% we should totally be able thread hi-jack and point and laugh, and make fun of,  THAT is what Maaca is all about- only reason I come here

I agree.  Why promote favouritism?  If they didn't want comments, they are free to post on Craigslist and Kijiji.  

Oh wait, they already do that!

Quoted from Monkeybug

I agree.  Why promote favouritism?  If they didn't want comments, they are free to post on Craigslist and Kijiji.  

Oh wait, they already do that!

I don't think SB ever said anything about not wanting comments, in fact I haven't heard squawk from the Toronto office about this idea yet, but I suspect I will today. In fact, I am happy to say that it was some MAACA members themselves that recognized that this proposed section would get "messy" if the thread was open to replies.

Know thyself. Somebody said that about 2000 years ago or so, and it "stuck" for some reason.

Quoted from RAB

I don't think SB ever said anything about not wanting comments, in fact I haven't heard squawk from the Toronto office about this idea yet, but I suspect I will today. In fact, I am happy to say that it was some MAACA members themselves that recognized that this proposed section would get "messy" if the thread was open to replies.

But on the flipside... something gets posted and then suddenly you (or someone else) has a deluge of the same questions.  Locking a thread does not help if there are common questions such as...

1. Is the machine a re-import?
2. What is the warranty?
3. What much is shipping?
4. How long is the offer valid for?
5. Does it have the manuals?
6. Does it come with locks?  
7. etc. etc. etc.

The Toronto office has known about these boards for a long time (even when they were still located in their old location on Kipling) and I have yet to see them post.  

While I am not bashing Staburst and they are a good source for some parts, I just don't understand how locking threads helps anyone on a hobbyist forum.


--edit--
one last point... if the thread gets out of hand, then the moderators can step up.  Isn't that the reason for moderators?

Quoted from Monkeybug

While I am not bashing Staburst and they are a good source for some parts, I just don't understand how locking threads helps anyone on a hobbyist forum.


--edit--
one last point... if the thread gets out of hand, then the moderators can step up.  Isn't that the reason for moderators?

Yes, moderators can edit threads. And we have been for a while now in the Classifieds. But here are a few answers to questions and comments I got:

1- Why do this? It's called supporting a local economy and a SMALL industry in Canada. If you like to send your money down south, it's your thing.

2- Alouette? I am working hard with them, but they simply don't have anyone to do it nor post. None of the people dealing with sales there have a computer, so it's hard to post... I have been asked by them to sell for them, but I simply don't have the time nor the interest.

3- If we have to moderate threads, we can. But keep in mind... if you bash someone in the Classifieds, they will no longer post. Then, everyone whines that there is nothing for sale anymore. By bashing, you are all shooting yourselves in the foot. If you don't like a price given in an ad, look away, just like when you read an ad in the paper. If you believe an ad to be a fraud, PM an admin.

4- No, I am not making a single penny of commission. And yes, Starburst would make profit on parts. But that is business. Starburst is not the Salvation Army. By offering a view for Starburst items, I want to show members that there are places locally to get things. And with A LOT less hassle.

Case in point, I now get my IPACs and joysticks from them. Why? The only thing I have to do is call and pay for it when I pick it up. No Paypal bullshit, no shipping hassle, no duty fees, no administration fees, no UPS bullshit, no problems whatsoever.

Shouldn't this be a Yes / No / Abstain poll?  (or even just a Yes / No poll) It's pretty hard to interpret the results as is, me thinks.

Quoted from Sparky

I mean that in the Classifieds, they would have their own section. Currently you have Pins for sale, vids for sale, etc... I would add one simply entitled STARBURST.

Then they can post whatever they want in it, parts or machines for sale. That way, if anyone needs to know what they are offering, you can find it easily instead of surfing through the classifieds, trying to find info.

Or, you can go to their website.

I don't care either way though, I just use the portal, and there the categories don't matter.

I think it is fine to let them pay for a section (I third no public responses). Set the rate at something like $50 a month and they can choose. The reality is if it ups thier business then they will continue to pay; if not the section will go away. This puts some revenue into MAACA then. (This could also set up as a commercial section so other commercial interests could decide if they want to pay to play.)

Quoted from jonny_eh

Or, you can go to their website.

I don't care either way though, I just use the portal, and there the categories don't matter.

The website is a complicated thing to maintain and keep up to the minute in a large company with so many things happenning at any given time.(i.e. sales, parts, service, operations etc.) Being at the Montreal office everyday and communicating with the T.O. parts dept. and salespeople daily helps me filter useless info and communicate things that I know will interest you guys and that may not yet be posted on the website.

I still don't understand how such a supposedly internet saavy generation doesn't understand that human beings are still behind the dry & watered down information of certain websites, therefore it can never be totally accurate or up to date and should never be relied on as your only source of information. Talk to competant people instead, that still works and probably will for a while yet. Besides, it can be alot more interesting, and helps to keep us human. The internet is a very efficient way to communicate, but it lacks certain elements that have been part of the way we have been doing business for centuries.

FYI voting has made it clear; the Leafs Suck!

Quoted from Jester

FYI voting has made it clear; the Leafs Suck!

Yeah, at least some truths do get posted on the net once in a while.

Just jivin', - I love the Leafs.

Quoted from Jester

I think it is fine to let them pay for a section (I third no public responses). Set the rate at something like $50 a month and they can choose. The reality is if it ups thier business then they will continue to pay; if not the section will go away. This puts some revenue into MAACA then. (This could also set up as a commercial section so other commercial interests could decide if they want to pay to play.)

Oh wait?  They are paying for a section?  That would change things.

If they don't keep their own website up to date due to the volume of parts/constant changes, then what makes anyone think that posts on here would be accurate and up to date?

The only benefit to a whole section that I can see would be to be able to track scenarios like: "Hey, does SB carry X, if so, how much?".  Then if I need X, I can search and see if they carry it or don't and how much.  However even that is limited over time as prices and stock vary.

Would it not suffice to give RAB a sticky in the for sale section?  Just a single entry (locked except for him and admins) that could be periodically updated with sales/specials of interest.  If people want to comment on a particular entry, let them start their own thread.

Quoted from Monkeybug

Oh wait?  They are paying for a section?  That would change things.

That would certainly be an option for the Sparky and the other admins to take up with the SB admins.

Quoted from QN

If they don't keep their own website up to date due to the volume of parts/constant changes, then what makes anyone think that posts on here would be accurate and up to date?

The only benefit to a whole section that I can see would be to be able to track scenarios like: "Hey, does SB carry X, if so, how much?".  Then if I need X, I can search and see if they carry it or don't and how much.  However even that is limited over time as prices and stock vary.

Would it not suffice to give RAB a sticky in the for sale section?  Just a single entry (locked except for him and admins) that could be periodically updated with sales/specials of interest.  If people want to comment on a particular entry, let them start their own thread.

That could work as well, options options & more options, where will it end.

A mon avis Starburst doit commenditer le site pour avoir une section dédié. Aussi commenditer les ligues et les tournois.
Starburst est avant tout en AFFAIRES et sont là pour faire du PROFIT, c'est une business et on ne devrais pas ''donner'' une section.

Si Starburst commendite MAACA et les ligues je suis daccord, autrement je suis totalement contre.  

I'm curious, is it Starburst or Playdium?  I thought Starburst had officially re branded to Playdium?

Quoted from Sparky

1- Why do this? It's called supporting a local economy and a SMALL industry in Canada. If you like to send your money down south, it's your thing.

Case in point, I now get my IPACs and joysticks from them. Why? The only thing I have to do is call and pay for it when I pick it up. No Paypal bullshit, no shipping hassle, no duty fees, no administration fees, no UPS bullshit, no problems whatsoever.

Agreed on both points. In my other hobby, slotcar racing... We only have two raceways left in all of southern Ontario and one in Montreal. Many of the guys buy from the states and dont support the local tracks.  If we supported them better then they would stock more items. Sometimes saving that extra $$ costs you more in the long run.

Quoted from RAB

The website is a complicated thing to maintain and keep up to the minute in a large company with so many things happenning at any given time.(i.e. sales, parts, service, operations etc.) Being at the Montreal office everyday and communicating with the T.O. parts dept. and salespeople daily helps me filter useless info and communicate things that I know will interest you guys and that may not yet be posted on the website.

I built and ran an online shopping cart/website to sell my slotcar goods. it does take skill, time and patience. paying some one to upload photos, create categories, apply regional taxes and shipping selections to goods is a cost for sure.

But i think on this message board they may get slaughtered if posting higher proceed machines.

Quoted from RAB

The website is a complicated thing to maintain and keep up to the minute in a large company with so many things happenning at any given time.(i.e. sales, parts, service, operations etc.) Being at the Montreal office everyday and communicating with the T.O. parts dept. and salespeople daily helps me filter useless info and communicate things that I know will interest you guys and that may not yet be posted on the website.

I still don't understand how such a supposedly internet saavy generation doesn't understand that human beings are still behind the dry & watered down information of certain websites, therefore it can never be totally accurate or up to date and should never be relied on as your only source of information. Talk to competant people instead, that still works and probably will for a while yet. Besides, it can be alot more interesting, and helps to keep us human. The internet is a very efficient way to communicate, but it lacks certain elements that have been part of the way we have been doing business for centuries.

The problem is that some companies don't apply competent dedicated staff to update their websites, they're either using expensive thrd party to update manually (in a non CMS environment), or rely on their "IT guy/gal" who is often competent at network systems, but not marketing (or a marketing person who is not competent at design, etc.)

My business (Third Party Content Creative or integration of Content Management Systems) has been sufering because many of my target market mid-sized and larger companies are investing in dedicated web marketing staff now.  

Did I mis-spell competent, now that is ironic.

Quoted from QN

If they don't keep their own website up to date due to the volume of parts/constant changes, then what makes anyone think that posts on here would be accurate and up to date?

Exactly. If they can't be bothered to update their site (they're too busy or its too difficult, why would they update this one? Is their site too complicated for them? Sounds like their problem. There's no reason why their backend cannot be dead simple, simpler than posting a new thread on a forum.

Has someone from Starburst (or is it Playdium?) actually asked permission to post stuff here? If so, good on them for asking. But other pin retailers like PBL, Marco, and BAA seem to have no problems keeping their site up to date.

If this is just another venue for them to market to pinball collectors, then they should pay up. They have the right to earn a profit, but they don't have a right to free advertising. It's just the cost of doing business.

Some people sell pins here for a profit so where do I draw the line? When sales taxes are charged, at that point it's a business sale.

Si j'me trompe pas,y'a quelques années,y'avait pas des games a vendre de Allouette sur Maaca,pas sure mais j'pense que c'était Richard de Allouette qui annonçait ses games  

I personally think that it could only help us collectors to have more information on MAACA from starburst, especially for old parts. I think they sell mostly new machines, so I don’t care about what is for sale in machines, people who want can go to their website for that. I like the older machines so I would look for parts information in their section and for stuff that is not on their site, then I would just call Rob if I needed it. I have ordered PBR parts through the Montreal office and it is so much easier than dealing with all the details of an order from my place.

Moi je suis d'accord avec Ian (Sparky)si ca peut aider les entreprises local et nous aider par le fait meme pour avoir des pieces ses un plus!moi je proposerait de leur donner une section pour essaie, 6 mois ou 1 ans et si ca va bien pourqu'oi ne pas continuer au pire apres essais si ce leur est benifique qu'il deviennent des commenditaires ou un frais fixe annuelle.qui serais gestionner par les admins.C'est a eux a voir, je felicite Sparky Azatotht Splitskull et les autres anciens admins pour s'occuper de maaca un site fort utile pour les amateurs de pinball.et que je crois bien que plusieur personnes en profitent!

Quoted from Monkeybug

I agree.  Why promote favouritism?  If they didn't want comments, they are free to post on Craigslist and Kijiji.  

I think that for a business to have their own classified space (any business), they should be paying 'SOMETHING' (percentage, monthly fee, maaca member discount, etc) to the owner of the website...  After all do you think they would hang a Maaca sign in their showroom?  If so, then sure, sounds fair to me.  If not they may be taking liberties that they would not offer.

Why not have an additional COMMERCIAL/OPERATORS classified, so we can see who is a hobbiest and who is an operator.  Starburst would fit in there without special treatment.

Quoted from Tilt

do you think they would hang a Maaca sign in their showroom?

That would be sweet! And a fair trade IMHO.

Quoted from Tilt

Why not have an additional COMMERCIAL/OPERATORS classified, so we can see who is a hobbiest and who is an operator.  Starburst would fit in there without special treatment.

While I hate to agree with you...its not a bad idea.  Why not a commercial section, open to commercial subscribers?  People like Marco, BAA, Pinball Life, Mad Admusements, Shay Group, Curly's Little Shop of Games, Pinrestore (even if the owner is a wacko), Pinbits, pinballdecals, SRG, Mr Pinball Australia, IPB, Cointaker, Phoenix Arcade, Arcadeshop, Pinball Inc etc. etc. etc....

For something nominal, they can have access to post in a certain section, where no one can reply.  Specials or whatever.  We are basically the target audience for their products and its a great way to target their audience without all the noise associated with RGP.  As well, MAACA is one of the few community boards that has been strong in Pinball all these years across the globe.

We always need place to make league nights, so we can let them have a spot here in exchange of one or two game nights... all new stern line-up!

Quoted from Hyann

We always need place to make league nights, so we can let them have a spot here in exchange of one or two game nights... all new stern line-up!

Bonne idée Yan, deja dans les cartes.

I already thought of that and mentioned it to Michel (sales manager-MTL branch), but it is up to the admins.

I'm all for helping out Starburst, they're one of the largest distributors of pins in the world.  They've also made great strides in the last year or two to really help out the collectors by bringing in many hobbyist-related parts like rebuilt boards and LED's.. they've also setup booths at many trade-shows, and I'm not just talking the Toronto Gameroom Show either.. they were setup at the Homeshow as well.  I'm sure they'd have no problem with letting people know about the MAACA site, it's a great community and Starburst is a big part of it.  They're also fully aware of our parking lot dealings, and they let us go on with it without any hassle or complaint.

I owe a great deal of my positive experiences with this hobby to Starburst, and I thank them for it.

Well, I negotiated with Robert and Michel today and all is set. AWESOME guys to deal with. The sections have been created. There will be 2 accounts created. One for machine sales, one for parts sales.

Enjoy!!

I don't entirely get it, only 25 of 66 voters actually said "Yes"?  I hope the section is of some benefit to the hobby.

Yup... what's up with that?

Quoted from websherpa

I don't entirely get it, only 25 of 66 voters actually said "Yes"?  I hope the section is of some benefit to the hobby.

you could vote multiple times.

For instance, I voted "Sens sucks" and "leaf sucks".  That's 2 votes right there that shouldn't be in the total count.

There might have been only 25 individual voters for what we know.

...and of 'real votes', it was 26-8 for/against.

How in the world do you vote twice?  I was only allowed to vote once, it keeps track of your login id.

Maybe they agreed to host the 2010 Pinball Championships????   That would be GREAT!  Hint, Hint....

Regarding the new sections,
can only certain members respond?

i do not see a reply button with my profile.

Quoted from websherpa

How in the world do you vote twice?  I was only allowed to vote once, it keeps track of your login id.

Maybe his buddy "inyourface" helped him out..  

Quoted from websherpa

How in the world do you vote twice?  I was only allowed to vote once, it keeps track of your login id.

Sparky made the poll so that you can could choose more than one choice when you vote.

So you can't vote for the same choice twice, but you could vote for and against the idea at the same time. Messes up the stats a bit. Tony Clement doesn't see a problem with the stats though, so it's probably fine.

my only problem with the section is that they got the top of the classified section,  they should be down at the bottom where I don't even have to scroll down far enough to see them.

Quoted from scbadboy

my only problem with the section is that they got the top of the classified section,  they should be down at the bottom where I don't even have to scroll down far enough to see them.

I didn't even notice that!  I don't scroll past the "Pins For Sale" section  

Seriously though, y'all are making a big deal out of nothing here.. just follow the CGCC method:  If you don't like it, don't read it.  

Man, the ops over at CGCC must have it pretty easy compared to this place  

Quoted from scbadboy

my only problem with the section is that they got the top of the classified section,  they should be down at the bottom where I don't even have to scroll down far enough to see them.

Because... they sponsor us. Otherwise, I have been paying for it for 6 years. If I didn't, you would be on RGP instead.

Here's a stat for you...

There has been over a million dollars in transactions (that I know of) in the classifieds.

Member donations doesn't even total 0.04% of that over 6 years. Thousands of dollars have come out of my pocket, and I have NEVER asked for a membership fee. So please forgive me if I give a small position advantage in the classifieds section in order to get but a small fraction of that back. It's just a bit of common sense and curtesy.

Had it been any other company, I would have offered the same.

I think is fine as it is now.

Quoted from machine.slave

Man, the ops over at CGCC must have it pretty easy compared to this place  

Its so easy that I can go months forgetting I am an op there.

then what about a special section of boards for sponsors   looks kinda weird with it splitting up the pinball pages

Quoted from Monkeybug

Its so easy that I can go months forgetting I am an op there.

I tried to get into the CGCC site, but it kinda sucks..
Sorry for the hi-jack.

Quoted from aerostarz

I tried to get into the CGCC site, but it kinda sucks..
Sorry for the hi-jack.

Ya, I can see how its not for everyone.  Quite boring most of the time.  All the drama queen's left awhile ago.

Quoted from Sparky

Because... they sponsor us. Otherwise, I have been paying for it for 6 years. If I didn't, you would be on RGP instead.

Here's a stat for you...

There has been over a million dollars in transactions (that I know of) in the classifieds.

Member donations doesn't even total 0.04% of that over 6 years. Thousands of dollars have come out of my pocket, and I have NEVER asked for a membership fee. So please forgive me if I give a small position advantage in the classifieds section in order to get but a small fraction of that back. It's just a bit of common sense and curtesy.

Had it been any other company, I would have offered the same.

Sponsorship from car dealers/part dealers seems to work just fine on a car forum that I'm on a member of. If it pays for the site or the majority of it I'm all for it.