Pinball Stories- How to avoid getting scammed buying a Pinball Machine!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 เม.ย. 2022
- We sit down With Craig Hassell from Fun! Billards and Gameroom Superstore the largest game room retailer in Texas, Craig shares some great info on how not to get scammed buying a pinball machine. Plus helpful buying tips for new pinball owners!
You can check out Craig's shop.
pinballandmore.com/
#whatsyourstory
#empirepinball
Thanks for posting this video. I was scammed by the very company you described for a Creature from the Black Lagoon machine that was slightly less than other postings but it looked legit. Because of PayPal I was able to recover.
Im glad you were able to get your money back!!!
You're only a few hours from here, I'll just come to your shop if I'm in the market for a machine.. lol. Good video!
Thank you!
Come see us anytime.
Very honest video on buying a pinball machine I have a big collection of pinball machines and do sell some sometimes when I do I make sure a person understands what there are getting into where to get help at on parts repairs down the road I even let them call me on questions even after the sale but there are people that sell machines on for the money and don't care about people this is how my Ebay account gives me a 5 best fee back on selling any one buying a pinball do your homework first ask questions if the seem to be too good to be true most the time it is
Yeah I do recognize the staircase.
You do offer lot of nice machines.
If only I could afford them.
I’ve been scammed before with Zelle. Now I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting a scammer. The scenario is..”oh we are out of town” (so you can’t see it).. but we will hold it for you with a deposit or pay it now. Then comes the money transaction- Zelle, CashApp, Wire Transfer.. these platforms are red flags!! Thanks for posting this.. I hope people stay safe..
I've seen that floor quite a bit! Great job. 100% same thing has happened to me with my art project.
Best to try local first and always an authorized dealer. if buying privately also local and go check it out before you buy or your rolling the dice
Thanks for taking the time to share this. Great to know...
Great info Craig! I knew that place was a scam the minute I saw the address... the guy even used pictures from the FUN lobby! I wonder how many people actually got scammed by that website? Ugh!
I keep getting these scam accounts attempting to follow me almost always with your pictures. Thanks for making the video, I knew they were scams but it feels less like a twilight zone episode now
The most legendary staircase and floor in all of Pinballdom.
Thanks for doing this. So scary, to think people can just rip someone off, like this.
Good video. I have a pre-order on a machine with Fun and have received many emails from Craig and the team. Good communication throughout the process.
I love pinball Arcade Game my friends so much,,🤗😌
Great video.
Thank you 😊
Thank you for the heads up!
You bet!
Do a reverse lookup on dns. I did on a scam website and it showed in Denmark. Red Flag.
Great Idea!
Great advice. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Never looked into getting a machine, if I do I’m looking for the best deal
I ran into the aforementioned pinball site early in my pinball buying journey searching for a ghost busters machine. The poor grammar and desperation to receive a large down payment to reserve the last pin they had available were the key points that set off my red flags. I also happened to know of the Stern dealer finder and was unable to find them on it. When I questioned them about it they said their registration has expired and they were redoing it as they were rebuilding their website. I also noticed that the default language on the webpage was not something that is typical to Texas.
All that being, you can always use an escrow company for private sales you don't trust or as the video says, stick with a seller that has a history or verifiable sales with comments. However, never relay on a single point of data and always go with your gut feeling if it feels too good to be true and you can't get that video. Or do it the old fashion way with cash on glass for private sales.
great informative video. Thanks
Thank you 🙏
Thank you for this. A few years ago I found a questionable listing with photos from your exact showroom. It all looked nice, but the listing featured a version of a game that did not match the photos. I called them out for being scammers in a DM. They eventually deleted their account. Despicable.
Scammer 101 needs to be implemented into high school, super important for survival in this internet Scammers age we live in
I've been watching too many horror movies because when you said "You may not know me," I half expected you to say "but I know you." lol
I raise my hand, almost happened to me.
I'm glad you were able to not get scammed!!
Ahhhhh finally a face to those stairs!!
First time I attempted to buy my Indy I was scammed out of 4,800 dollars and dragged a shipping company into the ordeal. Never going on Mr. Pinball again
Dumbass😊
Thank you ! can you help me find premium AC/DC
What are some tips on selling a game you have? Brand new to the market and had purchased a good table that I now need to sell due to space issues. Where would be the best place to begin?
Facebook marketplace, Pinside and craigslist. are good places to sell, The biggest thing is Good pictures! lots of them inside and out, and a detailed description of any mods or work you have done to the machine. Hope that helps!
Another one Is pinball machine shop they havecan iron maiden premium for$4800 🤣🤣
Your instagram I think I follow. There are a few others that constantly post ads for machines but the backgrounds are never the same, the account page changes names constantly, have websites and then don't have websites.
Half the gun websites on Google are the exact same thing. When in doubt, always call before buying and speak to an American.
I wanna buy the GnR pinball machine or T2 pinball.
GNR All the way!!
HENCE WATERMARK ON PHOTOS?
We've been doing this. I noticed last week one of the scam Instagram accounts is now putting their logo over our logo. Seriously?!
I lost $3500 on a centaur machine it was pictures from here to
So sorry to hear that! I hope this video helps others from getting scammed!
I bought a Roller Disco from them👍
Pinball arcsde tech since'79
First job was travelling Carnival after 2 weeks all techs quit I was last man standing.. By the end of the season I was the manager and. I could spit a Cartoon character a block away if they were heading my way.
I do not buy what I do not see wiith my own eyes
I thought I might tell you my story about my Gottlieb's Target Pool, as now fully restored 'n it's in my You Tube music videos. I bought it from an ad in the old Gameroom magazine. I thought I was dealing with a fellow collector, not some asshole junk hustler.. In the year 1997 I paid $530 including truck shipping from Florida to Texas. The game was a $5 badly beat 'n bare wood, delaminated, rusted junker that had blown around in the rain in a hurricane. The playfield was covered in some kind of sticky brown substance like nicotine, and also what had to be gritty red air pollution like from a smelter chimney. There were light shields missing and about $600 in parts either gone or had to be replaced. The guy said the game was in good original condition. There are laws that say, you can't do this to people
Wow, I had something similar happen to me in my early pinball days! what did you end up doing with that machine? Did you restore it?
"What a dealer is allowed to sell it for"
The state does not regulate game sales; of any type.
Who makes and enforces these "laws"
The hobby is on its way out in this "mode"
David you are correct regarding the legality of it. The difference is that companies, and not just pinball manufacturers, set MSRP's and typically set a binding contract that requires retailers to sell machines within a set price range and limit how discounts can be provided. This keeps one retailer from undercutting all the other competitors and running them out of business only to turn around and charge premiums when they have no more competition. This model is what keeps the government from having to get involved and enforce anti competition laws or a monopoly state.
This is a key component to any large business that ever stands a chance of long term viability
All of our vendors of Pinball, Arcade, Pool Table, etc have a set MAP Price. (Minimum Advertised Price). It’s the lowest price we can advertise it for. Violating MAP Pricing can result in the manufacturer pulling your distributor ship. Thus why we say be leary of any pinball sales website advertising new machines below MAP pricing.
Biggest scam about pins is owning one .... go buy a new car and let everyone drive it for 10 dollars a week ... then see what you have in 6 months ... 1/4 your money back... um no! you have been fixing it since week 1 ... no thanks never run pins again
Thank you for this, I wish everyone in the market for one could see this. I almost got taken. The price was not too far off, "in inventory", and initially the site allowed a credit card. I know I have the disputes process with a credit card if it was not legit. Then after making the purchase, a rep contacted me via a web IM from their site. The credit card portion of the site was not working and they needed another form of payment like one of the ones you mentioned that take the money straight out of your bank account or wired money. Any money transfer process that takes money directly from your bank account will not have a disputes process, so with all transactions, be careful of that, including the use of debit cards. Although there may be a process to dispute with a debit card, you are physically out of the money in your account until or if they get the money back from the individuals. So don't use a debit card either. Fortunately, when they ask for money in one of these forms of payment that made me pause I did some more research and found that site was listed on PINSIDE as a scamming site. Even if it was not listed, I was not moving forward with that transaction unless they took a credit card. Be safe out there and thanks for taking the time to post this video...
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