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6 Things You Need to Know About Getting Into the Pinball Hobby

Cary Hardy·video·20m 38s·analyzed·Jul 13, 2022
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Beginner's guide to pinball hobby covering costs, maintenance, addiction, mods, parts, and scam avoidance.

Summary

Kerry Hardy provides a beginner's guide to entering the pinball hobby, covering six key topics: cost (new machines average $7.5k, used machines median $2,800), repair and maintenance requirements, the addictive nature of machine collecting, mods and customization options, parts availability through various suppliers, and warnings about scammers. The video emphasizes that pinball ownership requires ongoing financial and time investment beyond the initial purchase.

Key Claims

  • New in-box pinball machines average $7,500, with prices typically ranging from under $100 for pre-1977 electromechanical games to over $15,000 for premium models

    high confidence · Kerry Hardy directly states median pricing for new machines and price ranges based on condition and manufacturer tier

  • Used pinball machines have a median market price of approximately $2,800 in 2022

    high confidence · Kerry Hardy cites this as observable current market data from active sales

  • Technician service rates for pinball repair are typically $75 per hour plus additional parts costs

    medium confidence · Kerry Hardy provides this estimate based on general industry knowledge but acknowledges it varies

  • FOMO (fear of missing out) is deliberately created by manufacturers through limited production runs to drive sales

    high confidence · Kerry Hardy explicitly describes this as a manufacturer marketing strategy

  • The pinball industry was expected to die in the late 1990s, causing operators to liquidate machines rapidly

    medium confidence · Kerry Hardy references this as historical industry perception that influenced parts availability

  • Multiple parts suppliers now exist including Marco Specialties and Pinball Life, making reproduction playfields, backglasses, and plastics available

    high confidence · Kerry Hardy confirms these suppliers are actively providing parts and expanding catalogs

  • Purchasing new pinball machines only through authorized distributors is safer than alternative channels to avoid scams

    high confidence · Kerry Hardy provides this as consumer protection advice based on fraud patterns observed

Notable Quotes

  • “No longer is golf considered an expensive hobby to me.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 2:01 — Establishes the relative cost burden of pinball compared to other expensive hobbies to contextualize the financial commitment required

  • “If a business honestly knew that all they had to do was increase the price of their product and they would make more money? Do you think they would just go, nah, we're good? No.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 3:33 — Explains manufacturer pricing strategy and business incentives driving price increases in the pinball market

  • “There's an engineering rule, if it moves, it will break. And since pinball tends to be primarily mechanical, with a lot of moving parts, then the chances are you're going to have some problems down the road.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 7:10 — Emphasizes the maintenance requirements inherent to mechanical pinball machines

  • “It always starts with one, guys. I remember I used to only want just one pinball machine in my house.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 10:02 — Illustrates the addictive nature of the pinball hobby through personal anecdote

  • “The pinball bug is a very contagious thing and this bug is typically transmitted whenever you first turn on your very first game and you step back to look at it.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 10:54 — Uses colloquial 'pinball bug' terminology to describe the psychological phenomenon of escalating machine collection

  • “You do not need multiple machines. What did you say? You don't need it. You're just really gonna want it.”

    Kerry Hardy — Distinguishes between want and need in pinball collecting, addressing the psychological pressure of collection growth

Entities

Kerry HardypersonMarco SpecialtiescompanyPinball LifecompanyPinsideorganizationPinside MarketproductTexas Pinball FestivaleventPinball ExpoeventPinsomniaevent

Signals

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Pinball collecting has shifted from accessible hobby in past to expensive and difficult barrier to entry in 2022, requiring significant financial commitment

    high · Building a collection these days in the year of 2022 is pretty difficult on your wallet...That's why I talked about number one the way I did because it's definitely not like it used to be.

  • ?

    community_signal: Multiple organized parts suppliers (Marco Specialties, Pinball Life) and reproduction manufacturers have emerged supporting long-term machine viability and parts availability

    high · we have multiple sources for parts these days...there's a number of other websites these days guys including even your local market or pin side market...the people that completely do reproductions on play fields back glasses and plastics

  • $

    market_signal: 'Pinflation' is identified as a real phenomenon affecting secondary market pricing for vintage machines due to finite supply and growing hobby popularity

    high · pinflation, as they call it, is a real thing as well...Because they only made so many of a particular game...There's only a finite number of those and they're not currently being made. So therefore, it's supply and demand.

  • $

    market_signal: Kerry Hardy confirms that pinball machine pricing has increased significantly due to supply chain issues (COVID) and/or manufacturer perception that consumers will pay higher prices, indicating sustained market pressure on entry-level costs

    high · Over the last couple of years, the prices have been slowly going up, and that's more than likely due to COVID and the supply chain issues. Or it could be because maybe they know that people will still pay for a pinball machine at these prices.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.062

0:00
So you're new to the hobby or you're thinking about purchasing your first game. That's great But there's a few things that you may need to know and I'm gonna tell you about six of them in this video
0:19
What's up guys and welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball So if that sounds interesting to you then hit that subscribe button down below below. First and foremost, a big thank you and shout out to all of my Patreon supporters because they have bought me a new camera right here and I'm really liking the look of the colors and the options I have for it. I think it's going to give a much better overall quality to you guys going forward. So I have six items that I'm going to be telling you about and I know that the veterans out there that watch this video are going to be like why didn't you mention this why didn't you mention that and by all means rightfully so there's a lot that I could tell you about this hobby but I narrowed it down to at least in this video to six but I think the veterans out there would have to agree with the six that I chose to give you at least on the first video this is in no particular order when it comes to like the top six one being the most important six being the least or vice versa. I'm just going to start with number one and that is cost. Now the veterans watching this are well aware of the cost involved in this hobby but for the new people out there you are not prepared. Now when I got into golf years ago I used to tell my friends and myself as well that this is an expensive hobby as I'm throwing all this money into the country clubs as well as the equipment involved and stuff like that. And then years went by, and then pinball got my interest.
2:01
No longer is golf considered an expensive hobby to me. Now, it could always be more expensive depending on how often you play, but that's another subject. So when it comes to financials with this hobby, let's first dive into the older games. Not only are we dealing with inflation in the current year of 2022, too, but pinflation, as they call it, is a real thing as well. Right now, people are selling their games, and they're marking it up to a ridiculous price. Now, nothing wrong with that. If you put your game on the market, and you put it for a price that's really high, and you sell it to make a profit, bravo, kudos to you. The real problem is the people that are willing to pay these prices, And that is partially due to the growth of the hobby as we already have it. Because they only made so many of a particular game. They only made so many last action heroes. They only made so many getaways. There's only a finite number of those and they're not currently being made. So therefore, it's supply and demand. Okay, well what about the new games that are being built as we speak? Well, that hasn't gotten any better either. Now, over the last couple of years, the prices have been slowly going up, and that's more than likely due to COVID and the supply chain issues. Or it could be because maybe they know that people will still pay for a pinball machine at these prices. I mean, if a business honestly knew that all they had to do was increase the price of their product and they would make more money? Do you think they would just go, nah, we're good? No. The point of a company is to continuously grow. Now, the manufacturer's marketing team, their primary job is to present their product to you and make you want it. They give you that feeling that you need what they have. That's their primary job. They will also create only a certain amount of a particular game, and by doing so, they create FOMO, which is F-O-M-O, stands for fear of missing out. And with that mindset, you thinking that, oh, this will be the only time I'll be able to get this game. It'll be gone. Never see it again. Won't be able to purchase it. With that energy inside of you you're going to get the major urge to spend a bunch of money and not think about the repercussions or whether or not you're even going to enjoy the game and honestly this drives i'd say a good amount of sales now i could easily do a video solely about pricing on pinball machines but let's get down to brass tacks now if you are looking to buy a pinball machine in the year of 2022 in this market your median price about 2 2800 bucks now obviously games can be lower and games can be higher but looking on the market these days if you want a fully functioning game in okay condition if it less than like 2 it almost considered a deal. It always depends on the game and the brand of course and that brings me to another point that buying a pinball machine is very similar to buying a car. Now because it Depends on the quality and the make of the vehicle. I don't think you would spend $30,000 on a 1992 Ford Taurus. But you might spend $30,000 on a 1992 Porsche.
@ 12:16

  • “Building a collection these days in the year of 2022 is pretty difficult on your wallet.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 13:27 — Acknowledges current market conditions making hobby entry difficult for new collectors

  • “If the prices seem too good to be true, it probably is.”

    Kerry Hardy@ 17:49 — Provides practical fraud detection advice for identifying scam sellers

    • Craigslistplatform
    World Cup Soccergame
    ?

    product_strategy: Pinball machine quality and value vary significantly by manufacturer and tier, analogous to automobile market differences in same year/price bracket

    high · buying a pinball machine is very similar to buying a car...Same year, different make, different quality. Same thing goes for pinball machines.

  • ?

    business_signal: Manufacturers deliberately use limited production runs to create FOMO as a primary sales driver, documented marketing strategy

    high · The manufacturer's marketing team...will also create only a certain amount of a particular game, and by doing so, they create FOMO...you thinking that, oh, this will be the only time I'll be able to get this game...drives i'd say a good amount of sales

    • 5:49
    Just saying. Same year, different make, different quality. Same thing goes for pinball machines. So when you ask the question, how much for a pinball machine? It's the equivalent to asking how much for a car. There are many other variables to consider, but if you need a range, a pinball machine can cost from anywhere under $100, which is typically your older, like pre-1977, electromechanical machines that obviously need some work. They're out there all the way up to and even past $15,000. But for the current price of new and box machines, also known as NIB, you're looking at an average price of $7.5k. And that also depends on the manufacturer and the tier of that machine. But the price of the game isn't the only cost that you should be thinking about in this hobby, which brings me to point number two. Repair and maintenance. Now, if you think that owning a pinball machine is going to be easy, you can just set the machine in your house or your game room, play it, have no problems, never have to remove the glass, you are in for a rude awakening. There's an engineering rule, if it moves, it will break. And since pinball tends to be primarily mechanical, with a lot of moving parts, then the chances are you're going to have some problems down the road. Now, even if nothing ever breaks, you have a machine that just runs like no problems, nothing ever breaks, you will still need to be removing the glass to clean the playfield and clean the rubbers routinely, depending on how often you play it. Now, obviously, you could. If it never breaks and you never clean it, the machine will keep playing, but honestly, you're going to be degrading the machine over time. And when it comes to reselling this to someone else, they're definitely going to prefer to buy from someone who has taken care of the machine. If you need information on how to go about cleaning your game, I released a video for the year of 2022. You can find it on my channel. I'll put a link in the description down below. Now, if your game does break down, then you need to be prepared for additional costs, whether it be having a tech come out there or buying replacement parts, which is a hint on number five on my list. Either start educating yourself on pinball repair, or if you have the means, get a technician out there, but let it be known that chances are the rate's going to be maybe $75 an hour, plus any other additional costs that they may include. There are tons of sources online to assist you in learning how to repair your issue, whether it be YouTube or Pinside Forums or even Facebook, they have help pages on there as well. Those are great sources of information in this hobby We have plenty of people out there that are highly educated on particular systems Or even a particular game in general Look for these sources online By all means, like I said, I listed them off Facebook groups, Pinside, as well as even YouTube For you new in-box purchasers If something happens to your game, then you need to contact your distributor The distributor will get in touch with the manufacturer and figure out what needs to be done. Their job is to take care of you as their customer, so by all means, use them. So basically, a pinball machine or machines will require money and effort throughout their entire life. So if you want to reduce the cost of that, then you need to learn how to fix it yourself as well as keep your game clean. Now, of course, if you don't feel comfortable performing these technical tasks yourself, get a technician out there. The chances are very likely if you don't know what you're doing that you're gonna make the problem even worse. Number three is addiction. It always starts with one, guys. I remember I used to only want just one pinball machine in my house. That was it. That was my goal at the time I was like I just need to have one arcade one pinball machine just to feel that nostalgia that I missing To have that little mmm little niceness right there in the corner of my room over there That would be really cool.
    10:28
    Now look at me. Not including the machines I've got on the other side of the house. I mean, we don't ever use the dining room anyways. And I'm not the only one that has had this problem, guys. A little known fact about pinball machines. and that is they like to be in groups and they look a lot better in groups too. For those of you out there with only one game and you're completely content with that one game, you are a rare beast because something known as the pinball bug is a very contagious thing and this bug is typically transmitted whenever you first turn on your very first game and you step back to look at it. at that moment, you're planting a seed within you of not just enjoying one game, but then all of a sudden you'll start getting these thoughts of, well, what would look even better is if I had a, maybe another game next to it. Just one more. Just one more. I've probably got room for one more game right here, or one game over here, or somewhere else in the house. That's where it starts, with that mindset of, well, what's just one more? I mean, I can't explain it, guys. But there's just something about seeing a row of pins that are all lit up. It's beautiful. It's like art or poetry in motion. Let me show you what I'm talking about.
    12:04
    See what I mean? Now, is the bug a bad thing? It can be if you can't control it. I mean, you could lose your house for all you know, or your love partner, whatever. But just understand, guys, that you do not need multiple machines.
    12:22
    What did you say? You don't need it. You're just really gonna want it. And the thing is, if you want to be a pinball enthusiast, then technically, you don't even need to own one game.
    12:36
    No! All we ask is for your support and love and interest for the hobby. And then technically, you're a pinball enthusiast. Now, we strongly encourage you to support the hobby in one or more ways. Going to locations and playing on location, obviously. Attending these pinball festivals that we have throughout the year. Expo or Texas Pinball Festival. Pinsonati. And a number of other ones that I'm not remembering off the top of my head. but there's many shows that go on throughout the year. You need to check these shows out to show your support. Or you can do something as little as sharing the manufacturer's new release online somewhere, because that post could simply attract another person into the hobby due to what that theme is. Building a collection these days in the year of 2022 is pretty difficult on your wallet. That's why I talked about number one the way I did because it's definitely not like it used to be. Number four is mods. Now mods are anything that can go in or on your pinball machine that isn't manufactured by the manufacturer of the game. If it's not original then technically it's a mod. Now you have universal mods that are designed to fit on multiple machines and you also have those mods that are designed strictly for a single game. We have a lot of talent in this hobby, and there's a good amount of that talent that are dedicated to people who make mods for games. If you want your game that you're looking at to look even better than it did out of the factory, then chances are there's probably mods for it. A quick little Google search will give you some good ideas of where you can look for these pinball mods, as well as look on Pinside Market. there's definitely some individuals out there that make these mods and they look great. On to number five and that is parts. Now pinball has been around for a long time but in the late 90s it was a widespread belief that the industry was going to die very soon. So a lot of these operators were selling these games as quickly as they possibly could because they didn't want to be stuck with the machine that was no longer going to be able to get parts. Well, you had that and the fact that everyone was busy playing consoles and video games and people kind of lost interest in pinball, but that's a whole different other story. Now, luckily, we have multiple sources for parts these days, whether it be Marco Specialties, Pinball Life, there's a number of other websites these days guys including even your local market or pin side market where you can get particular parts And you also have the people that completely do reproductions on play fields back glasses and plastics That's all available and their catalog is only getting bigger. Just like mods, there's a lot of hardware that is universal to multiple games, but there's also mechs that were designed for one game. And so certain games are still not able to get parts, but they are definitely going to be getting there down the road. My suggestion when you're looking at a particular game is to look online to see what all parts are available. Let me just give you an example with my World Cup Soccer. Let's say you found a really nice looking World Cup Soccer online. You could purchase it, but they do say that the soccer ball is missing. Now, that's a very big part of the game. If you don't have that, then that game is going to play horrible. so that I would recommend that you look online to see what all is available for this game. You know what? Let's see if the soccer ball is available. Ah, it is. It's available on Marco's Specialties, guys. So there you go. That's nice. I know at one point they were out of stock, so it's nice to see it's back in stock. But yeah, that's just something to think about when you're looking at an old game is to see what all is available for it. That way you can keep it going for longer. Now, obviously, I'm speaking about older games. What about the newer games, Carrie? What about the games that we just bought and we have something that's broken on it? Like I mentioned earlier, call your distributor. They will take care of you and get the parts you need. Now on to number six. Last but not least, scammers. Now the scammers have been around since I can remember first selling pinball machines like on Craigslist or looking to buy one. when it came to them sending me a check or money order and little iffy tactics i never fell for it but they were definitely out there now after all these years have passed not only has pinball evolved and the hobby grown then therefore the scammers are even more into it and they have evolved as well creating websites that look legit and you would think that it was legit by looking at it if you didn't know any better. The thing to look for is the pricing on it. If the prices seem too good to be true, it probably is. They will tend to have images up and pricing and then of course you can always give them money and they will take it and run. My advice to you on purchasing a new in-box machine is to only purchase through an authorized distributor. Each manufacturer's website should have a distributor list available. Then you can go to them give them a call and they will take care of you but do not trust a website and if anything else feel free to vet this website like using pinside or even facebook to those of us that are very knowledgeable in the hobby can let you know whether or not this website is real or fake we like to flag these websites so that way no one can be hurt by them also if you're looking to buy an older game I would be hesitant on buying a game that requires shipping that's just me but a lot of the times for us pinball enthusiasts when we purchase a game we always like to look at the game in person and play it before we put the cash on the glass but without a doubt there are reputable people out there with a history that you can view to let you know whether or not your money is going to a legit person and they will follow through. That's why Pennside Market is also a good thing because by going to these particular classified ads you will get to see the history of said seller and whether or not you feel a little more confident and throwing that cash out there. And that is my list of six things you need to know about when getting into the pinball hobby. Out of these six items I mentioned which one do you feel was most informative? Let me reiterate again, that's cost, then repair and maintenance, addiction, then you have mods, then you have parts, followed by scammers. And it's evidently that spells cramps.
    19:54
    Huh. Thanks for watching, guys. By all means, give me the thumbs up if you liked the video or even learned something. And if you haven't already, I have a subscribe button down here. Ding my dong. That way you can be notified of whenever I upload something for your viewing pleasure. And until next time, guys.
    20:13
    Peace out. Thank you.