The Playfield - Tips to Getting the Most from the Data
What's your pinball machine worth? What do pinball machines cost? After double digit inflation in 2021 and 2022, used pinball prices went down 2% in 2023 and year to date down 1% in 2024. So you need to be a smart shopper (or seller) and know how to get the most from the Pinball Prices free price guide. Here are 5 simple guidelines to better understand what your pinball machine is worth:
(1) Don't just look at the average price!
The yearly average is just that, an average. It includes everything from non-working project machines to top of the line mint restorations. Take a minute and look at the sales detail section directly below the average price. The detail section gives you all the information available about the pinball. But remember...
(2) Prices can vary greatly
A lot of factors can influence the final sale price of a pinball machine - theme, condition, rarity, age and where you buy. Our free price guide tells you exactly where the sale was made - eBay, Pinside, or an online auction house. No one particular channel has higher or lower prices but they do often include fees for either the buyer (auction sites) or the seller (eBay). Buyer fees are included in the price listed here.
(3) Pinball Condition is Self-Reported
The condition of the pinball machine has a great deal to do with its true value and may be overstated by the seller. PinballPrices has no way to rate the actual condition of any machine sold, so the condition listed is what the seller reports.
(4) Use the Hyper-links for more detail
Hyper-links to the original listing are given for every sale. Click on those links to get more detail and pictures of the actual machine. Machine links from Pinside.com sales do not expire, however eBay links are only available for 90 days after the sale date.
(5) What we don't include
-
Any sale that includes "Free Shipping"
-
Any eBay sale marked as "Best Offer Accepted" (as no actual sale price is given)
-
Facebook Market or Craigslist sales (as no actual sale price is given)
What's Your Pinall Worth?
Website photos courtesy of pinballphotos.com
The Backbox - How it All Works
One of the first things people want to know when they consider buying a pinball machine is "Is this a good price?" And pinball owners always want to know "What's my pinball worth?"
The bottom line is that pinballs are expensive and getting pricier. It's trite to say, but your pinball machine is worth as much as someone else will pay for it. BUT it's nice to know the market. It's nice to have a starting point - an idea of worth and value.
Ebay only data website price guides are nice but the market has many other sites selling pinball machines including dozens of online auction sites. Printed guides are expensive and out of date by the time they are published. Our price guide is free and based on Pinside.com, eBay, and both online auction sites and "brick-and-mortar" verified sales with links to the actual past sale with pictures!
Recency is key! More than 900 sales logged for 2024. Knowing what pinballs used to sell for is nice but that is not why you are here. You want to know the value of the pinball NOW.
Where do we get our data? We only include pinball sales that are judged to be verified. More than 70% of our 2022 database is from Pinside.com sales. Ebay is also a good source for verified sales because lots of data are captured at the time of purchase including price, seller name, and seller location. "Best Offer Accepted" sales are NOT included, as there is no way to confirm actual sales price.
Craigslist and Facebook Market sales are NOT included as there is no way to verify actual prices paid. And finally, keep in mind ALL the data you see is hand gathered, no website scrubbing is used.
