One step closer to Japan

[JamesM]

Every week
a hundred or more pachinko games
of less then fifteen months age
are up for auction on YahooJapan.
These auctions close at between $40-$80 in most cases!

That doesent include "old" games more then two years old
that sell for as little $10!!

I know how incredible that sounds to us.
But in Japan, 1000's of pachinko are destroyed every year,
and pachinko are as prevalent as summer kittens are here.

To the seller in Japan, earning $40 bucks on a pachinko auction
is like us earning $40 bucks selling an old sofa.
It's almost money from trash.

Our good friend Kiaigumi
has found a shipping box designed for pachinko.
You can see the box here
It meets the strength, size, and weight restrictions of (sea) shipping companies.
Sea shipping would still take 4-7 weeks to reach the west coast,
but the cost of shipping low priced current '04 & '05 pachinko games
from Japan just got alot less expensive.

Imagine buying say RoboCop, or Thunderbirds, or Nyan Nyan Paradise
for $40-$110!
Not next year, but right now today.

Then, shipping it home for $130-$160!
(plus well earned handling fees)

Buyers outside California will incur additional trucking expenses.
Amounts mentioned here are only examples. Prices and costs may vary.
Three cheers for Kiaigumi

[arbycoffee]

Kiaigumi is a honorable gentleman, I have delt with him now on many things.

[Firewire]

This is great news!

[Bilko44]

Hmmm,

Eliminating the stateside middlemen could have interesting consequences.

We should see a decrease in prices for non-video pachinko games as current vendors scurry to dump older, slow-moving games (TA comes to mind as a player holding a lot of these games). This is what is happening with pachislo as dealers dump the glut of non-lcd bonus screen stock.

Obscene gouging of buyers by some stateside vendors through monopolistic only one game at a time selling (LOTR and Popeye, for example) will end as buyers exercise overseas options.

Stateside vendors will charge more to repair direct import games.

Independent repair services will spring up to counter vendors who try to charge excessive prices for repairs.

Pachinko balls will drop in price as buyers become comfortable with cyclic use conversions.

What a year 2005 promises to be!!!

[keesterdog]

if we all convert to cyclic does that mean we don't need to shine our balls anymore

[Firewire]

And Dennis we can thank the efforts of everyone on this board that participates in helping achieve that goal!

[Bilko44]

we can thank the efforts of everyone on this board that participates in helping achieve that goal!

Absolutely! A LOT of people have worked to bring us this far.

Thanks one and all!

As regards cyclic usage, I still prefer the noise and excitement of the balls falling into my payout trays. I would opt to buy a parlor ready game and have the option to convert it later if I change my attitude toward cyclic play.

[slotter]

I agree with Dennis. I'm not interested at all in cyclic usage. Part of the fun of the game is having the balls fall and the refilling, etc. To just rotate a couple hundred balls around and around doesn't do it for me. But, heck, opinions are like...

[JamesM]

Direct importing will likely remain a niche.
Many will not be comfortable with the idea, nor the time delay.
There is room for segmentation of the market.

U.S. vendors have good reputations and name recognition,
as well as providing hand-holding & service.

An Exporter can provide wider sellection, and more current games,
at increasingly competive prices.

A U.S. vendor could also start a partnership with an agent in Japan,
and create a new premier subsidiary, such as Pachidirect.

[keesterdog]

or in arby's case after eating all those easter eggs "pachi-erect"

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

Line me up with Bilko and Slotter. The cyclic thing is not for me either. I did not let Slotter talk me into buying 8,000 balls just to start coverting to cyclic. Let me hear the balls.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[Tulsa]

Go cyclic. Chasing balls around all day long is for the pachinko inept.

[David Wile]

Hey Tulsa,

Shame on you. I figured you for a Pachinko purest. I am disappointed.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[Tulsa]

Umm, it's what the Japanese do. The Americans are the only morons passing balls back and forth. I am a purest!

[David Wile]

Hey Tulsa,

You have obviously been infected by a CTD (Cyclic Transmitted Disease) and you should be put on antibiotics. Please do not tell me that Arby has also become a Cyclic convert - my Pachinko world will crumble.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[Tulsa]

Why not? I'm on damn near everything else the doctor can put me on! bwahaha

[slotter]

Dave, he's all yours. He's wrong, but I work here and have to keep my mouth shut, so I can't tell him that.

[logicprobe]

LOL!!!

That's right... he might withold our paychecks... heheheh.

Wait a minute... we don't GET paychecks.

But Tulsa, they also rip the displays out, and mount them like tabletop trophies in Japan. You're not going THAT far, are you?

[luckydog]

cyclic isn't for me,

the more balls the better.

fever mode is good exercise for us old folks!!!!!!

[Bilko44]

Why not? I'm on damn near everything else the doctor can put me on! bwahaha

It's OK, Slotter, it's just the medication talking......