I hope I am not affending anybody out there, but an ad for a KISS pin in Ottawa has me shaking my head a little.  The machine shown in the ad looks very nice...it should...he's asking $2000.  Upon replying to his ad, we exchanged some emails.  It went something like this...


Me:
Can you tell me about the playfield....it appears in very good shape.  Is it new ?  Is it an overlay ?  Also, wondering whether you are selling the machine for someone else. Is it your machine ?

Him:
The current playfield needs to be re-done but I know a guy who has a completely refurbished one I can get although he has a lot of work into it so the price would probably go up.
There is no coin mechanism on this machine. So it was set up to add credits at a low score of about 1,000 points. I was fixing the ball eject one day and had to keep hitting start, I exhausted the credits and that was that. You are right it is not my thing. I am sure it is just an easy fix.   The machine is mine and is in my basement

Me:
Would it be possible to get some close-up pics of the playfield ?  
You mention that it needs to be redone, but according to the pictures you have on Craigslist it seems like the playfield is in really good shape.

Him:
the pics on Craigslist were sent to me by the guy I buy my machines from. So I am not even sure if they are the actual machine.  I will take some myself this week and email them to you.

Although the guy is very straightforward with his replies, it seems misleading at the very least that he has pics on Craigslist and is not even sure if they are his machine.  How is that possible if the machine is in his basement ?  Does this whole thing smell bad to anybody.

Check out the ad on craigslist

http://ottawa.en.craigslist.ca/tag/951218533.html


Oh...I also just discovered that he's was asking $2500 for the machine originally and has a Harlem Globetrotters for sale for $2000.  Maybe he is just delusional more than anything else.

I saw a kiss and Globetrotters for sale somewhere else on Kijiji...maybe London, or Toronto....for less money.
My bet is that he saw them, stole some pics, and posted in Ottawa at a higher price looking for bites....But that's just a guess, I could be totally wrong!
His ad and communication with you seem really strange, that Im sure of!

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy.....ne-W0QQAdIdZ92646876

meh.. sounds legit to me.  Sounds like a guy who loved Kiss, remembered playing pins in his childhood and wanted one, and then realized that they actually require some work to own..  

Just saw this:

http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-buy-.....es-W0QQAdIdZ89189302

I guess that's his basement?

Not a scam unless someone gives this guy money. Ask to see them directly. If declined, smells fishy.      

Usually scammers don't describe odd problems like not being able to add credits, don't they usually describe everything as 'shopped'?

We have a tendency here too to think that just because a seller wants to sell for more than book value, it may be a scam.  Not all purchasers are collectors.  I rarely sell to collectors anymore (unless I need to make some fast cash) because the average Joe will spend more to get a quality pinball (with service attached) for their basement and there's less hassle (the price is the price).  It takes time, patience, connections and work to get those kind of sales. My 2 cents.  

Ok...I'm intrigued by this whole situation....tempted to give him a shout and check out these machines.
However, I don't want to be a pesky tire-kicker.
And "curiosity did kill the cat"

Quoted from Hippochrome

And "curiosity did kill the cat"

Especially if he's one of those guys who lure wanton pinball lovers into their basement and lock them up  

Quoted from machine.slave

Especially if he's one of those guys who lure wanton pinball lovers into their basement and lock them up  

Boy are you guys freaking up (unless it's a joke)! I've been scammed twice and reported scammers on ebay...first they usually don't include too many faults on a game, and second, they usually make the deal sound sweet by selling at a low price. This does not sound at all like a scam. Common guys, why do you think I've been scammed by Wayne? because a new MM for 5000$ sound too good to be true...right? Even if "I" want to make money fast, I'll sell at a lower price than the market. Nobody would get scammed if scammers repulsed people with high prices.

Quoted from ALJO

Boy are you guys freaking up (unless it's a joke)!  

I was definitely kidding.. jeeze, next thing you know people will start sending money to some crazy Australian dude!   His name's "Wayne" or "Kaiser Söze" or something..  whoever he is, I hear he eats babies!!    

"1. 1979 Bally KISS Collector item machine. Brand new fully reconditioned back glass. This machine works fine however has no credits, I ran them out working on the machine and do not know how to add new credits? Simple fix. $2,500"

It may be very well legit, but you have to wonder how the hell could he have been working on the pin but can't figure out how to put credit in it!!!....Seems a bit odd to me or his choice of words are not adequate.

tartagliag

Quoted from machine.slave

I was definitely kidding.. jeeze, next thing you know people will start sending money to some crazy Australian dude!   His name's "Wayne" or "Kaiser Söze" or something..  whoever he is, I hear he eats babies!!    

What crazy Australian dude? Is Wayne from Australia??

Quoted from tartagliag

"1. 1979 Bally KISS Collector item machine. Brand new fully reconditioned back glass. This machine works fine however has no credits, I ran them out working on the machine and do not know how to add new credits? Simple fix. $2,500"

It may be very well legit, but you have to wonder how the hell could he have been working on the pin but can't figure out how to put credit in it!!!....Seems a bit odd to me or his choice of words are not adequate.

tartagliag

Sounds simply like bad use of English.  He may have meant he ran out of credits playing the machine, or maybe he was cleaning it.  Who knows.  But generally speaking , machines that aren't working won't command top dollars from non-collectors unless the buyer knows a fixer.

It's funny the guy can't add credits...... because if the picture is legit  ( of both machines together KISS AND HG ) it looks like there is a added credit button where coin slot 2 would be ( right on the plate ) on the Kiss machine.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume he tried that.....

Perhaps my initial use of the word "scam" was a poor one.  I guess I just found the ad a little unethical and suspicious.  He words the ad as if it is his machine, but does not seem to know whether the pics in the ad are of his machine or not !  How is that possible ?  He says he was working on the ball ejector and used up all the credits ( all 40 of them ) !!! How is it that he knows enough to tackle a mechanical problem but doesn't know how to add credits ?  To me, if you ask $2000 for a machine and show pics of a nice-looking machine that is not yours, you are misrepreasenting your product and are "scamming" people into making that first contact with you.  WHo knows....once you make the drive to Ottawa with money in hand and see a less than stunning machine, perhaps he starts lowering the price.  He could also use the promise of a sweet machine to trick some people into sending him a holders fee.  Probably not in this case, but has happened in other cases I'm sure.