DDRMixer
Member
Posts: 22
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How about selling cabinets, boards, parts...
on 9/13/2013 1:44:57 PM
I have no idea where to start with this. I work at an arcade that has a pretty big arcade graveyard with cabinets ranging from Atari games from 1976 to Sega's 1991 Hologram machine. I want to move these machines since they are all getting water damaged due to the this basement flooding, or part them all out so much that I can take a sledgehammer to the machine. However the flooding creates a problem, how much can I sell these machines for? My boss wants between $50 to $3000 for some of these machines, which are iffy to me. http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/336/a/7/arcade_graveyard_by_ddrmixer-d5mug0f.png This was taken by me in the basement when I was showing some people around. As you can see, the bottoms of the cabinets are pretty much toast. Now, these are just the full cabinets, there are about 50 in this basement and I, and many other co-workers, want them gone. http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/001/d/e/dead_pac_man_by_ddrmixer-d5q3iio.png
I also have a stack of unknown condition boards, mainly 70s Atari boards and Taito boards. There are also broken jamma boards and random arcade board parts. The part I am worried about with the boards is the fact that we had many bad game techs come in and steal from these boards or steal the copper out of the machines. I wouldn't know where to begin to test all of these boards, but I did know how to test the jamma ones. Found at least two that worked. :)
Also, have stacks of glass marques, plastic marquees, bezels, control panels, control overplays, screen stickers, and arcade advertising. Most of which are from older games.
Any advice would help. I personally want to get these machines and parts to a new owner, however I need to convince my boss that selling these things is in his favor. Mainly just looking for a good default price range on these things. Thank you! :)
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Nashvillan
Admin
Posts: 659
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RE: How about selling cabinets, boards, parts...
on 9/14/2013 1:52:15 AM
While I have no clue about the value of parts and equipment, I bet there are some arcade owners/repair technicians that would be happy to chime in about this. To help them out, I would suggest getting a digital camera and photo documenting all of the significant parts like cabinets, bezels, control panels, potentially big ticket items.
The downside to this is probably what your boss is thinking. He may not be too thrilled to spend $1000 worth of extra labor to potentially sell equipment that may or may not generate $800-$1000 revenue. Though he might be more motivated to haul the equipment away for safety reasons.
Best answer I can give is documentation. Taking photos and emailing these photos to appraisers, then drawing up an estimate to present to your boss. They like to see numbers.
I'm sorry y'all got flooded. I'm watching parts of Colorado going through the same problems right now and I'm wondering what arcades got hit out there.
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The_Pro
Admin
Posts: 58
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RE: How about selling cabinets, boards, parts...
on 9/14/2013 5:03:08 PM
If some things are just going to be trashed maybe check if ACAM can use them? I'm sure they are always on the lookout for original parts.
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SanTe
Admin
Posts: 31
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RE: How about selling cabinets, boards, parts...
on 9/14/2013 7:43:38 PM
Prices always depend on the game in question, its condition, its rarity, its desirability among collectors, and its location. Game prices are higher is some parts of the country than in others.
Non-working games are typically $25-$150 max. Generally no collector will pay more than that for a non-working game, as it is unknown what the causes are and what will be needed to repair it. Replacement parts can be hard to impossible to find, and hence expensive. Certain rare games are the exceptions to this rule, but there aren't many.
I'll tell you this, though: water damaged games sell for next to nothing and often have to be given away to someone who will invest the time to part them out and dispose of the ruined cabinets. If your boss is expecting hundreds or thousands of dollars for water-damaged games he needs to put down the crack pipe.
There are a few notable exceptions, games from the golden era that are exceedingly rare today, where collectors would still pay a premium for even a water-damaged specimen in an effort to obtain needed parts for constructing a whole one. There are maybe 1-2 dozen titles that fit this description. Some examples off the top of my head: Major Havoc (dedicated), Reactor, Splat!, Inferno, Cosmic Chasm, Blaster, Aztarac, War of the Worlds, Warrior, Mystic Marathon (dedicated), Quantum (all original, as virtually everything has been reproduced in recent years), and I, Robot.
The same rules generally apply for loose PCBs. Non-working PCBs are $10-$20 tops. Tested 100% working run from $40 to as much as $500 or $600 depending on the game. The vast majority fall in the $40-$150 price range. A handful are rare and are desired by many, hence the higher prices. Good examples here would be Super Punch-Out!!, Splatterhouse, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and the Cave shooters.
A better place to get help with pricing would be the KLOV forums. It costs $2 to join (this very effectively weeds out spammers), but it's a huge community with a wealth of collecting, restoration, reproduction, and repair knowledge. It's also a great place to buy and sell and will get your items in front of a lot of the right kinds of eyeballs. Post in the correct sections, give your general location, post pictures, and be honest on the condition of what you are selling, and you'll have a better time of it.
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