Arby Wars Episode III

[shiftdelete]

Just in case you missed it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

So much for waiting until November. Just kidding. Hey, sell them while they're hot!

[vgc]

Now thats how to put an auction together. Sweet setup ! I have to bid just to be a part of that fine auction. Mike : )

[MrGneiss]

VGC you crushed my $1 bid.

[Firewire]

That video is great. Man Pachinko's have come a long ways!

[logicprobe]

That white case is simply awesome.
THAT'S the original Sankyo... not a swap-out with a case from one of their subsidiaries.
Now... will people want an original "Rembrandt"... or a copy?

[arbycoffee]

I CHANGED MY MIND AND I WANT TO GET BACK TO ENJOYING THE HOBBY.
I don't want to vend, I just want more to enjoy.

Plain and simple

[azlew]

......Now... will people want an original "Rembrandt"... or a copy?

That's a excellent statement!

I didn't think we would see customized pachinkos for awhile but sure enuff here comes TA with the cheap red case instead of sticking to the original better looking case. This just proves the value of the information here at Pahitalk.com

[azlew]

I CHANGED MY MIND AND I WANT TO GET BACK TO ENJOYING THE HOBBY.
I don't want to vend, I just want more to enjoy.

Plain and simple

That's really a shame. I hope another dealer didn't talk you out of being in the business. I see your departure from selling Pachinkos as a real loss for everyone.

Now there really isn't anyone left.

[logicprobe]

The selfish part of me hates to hear about you giving up sales, Arby.
There has never been a better place or person to buy these from... period!

The un-selfish part of me understands how you must be feeling, though.
After you've tried to help others get the best possible bang for the buck, I'll bet that you still get people that try to jerk you around. And when the hobby stops being fun, what's the point, right?

Both parts of me are very sad.

[arbycoffee]

yup, that be it

[d mowery]

Arby - I agree with you thats why Im setting on my keister that be butz to some folks , untill the coast gets better up here in Minnesota ,more fun playing and huslin a buck some other way than fightin buro kats
Don

[Tulsa]

I like Arby as a seller. I like him as a friend better. Whether or not he's selling machines is not as important as him being here amongst us.

[Bilko44]

Whether or not he's selling machines is not as important as him being here amongst us.

__________________

Amen to that! Long live the man in the Purple Hat!!

[arbycoffee]

you guys make me blush with your kind words, thank you.

[ocpachinko]

Arby, all the best in enjoying this pachinko hobby at a time when it is more dynamic than it has ever been.

I too am sad because I've contemplated asking about an "Arby special".

The funny thing is that if anything, your prices can seem low compared to the work you put in...and of course, that's not a way to run a business-much less corrupt a hobby.

I've been thinking lately about this strange pachinko retail world.

Anyone can look at slotier.com to see what a machine costs in Japan when it first becomes available, add the intermediary costs and shipping, and see what you have put into your machines at the time you bought them.

Of course, the supply follows the bell curve, and an enthusiastic and generous hobbyist buys earlier...and more expensively.

That's one thing when it's your toy. It's another when you're doing inventory management. And of course, when a machine sells at a lower price DAYS afterward, the early buyer can't help but feel bad...even though you've delivered what no one else could at the time.

I think that's why the main focus of the four main Pachinko sellers is titles available in volume at a time when they receive them in volume...and of course, primary focus on Pachislos that sell in volume.

How can any business run on some of the ridiculously low sale prices that some modern pachinkos draw on eBay? Even if you pay $35-$50 in Japan adding container shipping, cleaning, handling, and internet costs does not allow a ton of money from a $100 pachinko sale to pay the wages people like to receive for messing with big heavy somewhat fragile electronic machines in the US. Volume makes it up for pachislos; much less so I expect for pachinkos. And many on this board have celebrated their bargains (why not?)

Sure, there are bigger dollar deals. Sure, some machines draw big money. But enough to subsidize the cheap ones? I remember one of your posts about that...you were saying you'd be lucky to get what TA gets.

The bottom line is I've generally been happy (considering price paid) with the value I've received from the 'big' vendors. Sure, bad things happen, and if it happens to a forum member, I get to read about it. When it happens to me, I call them and work it out, and they do. I don't take it here, no matter how satisfying it might be, because that's not how I do business. If they don't take care of me I'd consider that when buying in the future. But darn it, I've lived my life with very few personal vendettas from business, while some seem to have one against every vendor that doesn't appreciate this forum (and now even sometimes those that do!)

How many people here have jobs that are criticized on a public forum minutes after an event? When I do business (which has nothing to do with pachinkos) I do the best I can, I listen to my customers, and I try to please. The vast majority are reasonable. A very small few are not.

When the unreasonable ones post on this board to vent, it carries a lot of weight to someone thinking about buying. I admit that if I hadn't bought machines from the 'big' vendors before I read this forum my impression might be (as azlew put it) "there isn't anyone left".

That isn't fair to anyone--sellers, potential buyers, anyone--because it would mean that you could close the pachinko side of this forum right now. As people have pointed out on this board, the sellers generally try to do the right thing.

I guess I still wish a few more people would discover the hobby (I think there's still a bit of truth in the "Save a pachinko from destruction" line), and I truly appreciate the massive amount of work all of you moderators have put into this. But if even you, Arby, at the prices you set have gotten tired of vending, perhaps contributors to this forum could consider all the aspects of a situation before flaming, because I'm not sure that too many more will step into a situation that even you (given your generosity and patience) have had enough of. If the positive posts about vendors were in the ratio to negatives that the vendors get on ebay (again considering the incredible bargains referred to on the home page), all would be served.

But then, for most, it's a lot more satisfying to complain than to praise when most people figure "that's just their job".

And a board filled with complainers will always be a board filled with lurkers. You all have worked far too hard on all of this for that.

Can't we all just get along? (Sorry, couldn't resist)

[arbycoffee]

I think we do get along, I just what more time to play with my pachinkos. I run a 7 day a week Tattoo shop, work the Gold futures, and pachinko importing and dressing up.
Well, I am burning the candle at both ends and I am 60.
So I decided to cut my back on importing and increase the play.
Oh I will still import the lastest greatest new release, just not 20 of them, one or two if I have someone buying the other one.
When it just a hobby I don't look at the money as got to do this, I can thsan sell the import to who ever at a few bucks over my cost, cause it a hobby, not work.

Pretty simple, I was darn near triping over Star Wars & Star Blazers Pachinkos, thinking the collector only, They pay the highest amount. That was not why I got into it.
So that is why I cut the price way back. That way no reserve and ¢1 start on the bay.
How fully it will sell to a player not a collector.
I did list here first and a few takers, so the rest I will blow out on ebay.

I want to be able to answer questions and help members with problrms. Now I will have that time.
The point I did prove was YOU or anyone can buy direct there for a machine and have it in your hands in 3, 4 days. in a prime condition. No middle man, No boat ride, No sea salt, No warn out machines with allot of blemishes.

Yes You do spend a little more, but you get so much more.

And Cyclic Usage is the way for most people to go.

I hope more will understand my actions now.

[Tony Junior]

Hey Arby, it's your choice of what you want to do with your machines! A hobby is supposed to be just that!

I'm just glad I can say I own two Arby machines. Maybe not the latest and greatest, by bigawd fun! And that's what counts.

[MrGneiss]

I CHANGED MY MIND AND I WANT TO GET BACK TO ENJOYING THE HOBBY.
I don't want to vend, I just want more to enjoy.

Plain and simple

Cool! I've sucked the fun out of hobbies before by turning them into businesses. Sometimes it just takes you to far away from the part of the hobby you liked in the first place.

So I hope you make a bunch of money off all those Star Wars pachinkos so you can buy all the latest greatest pachinkos, post videos here and make us all jealous.

[Lazarus]

ocpachinko. I just did my soap box think on another post about slot USA. You may try to do the best you can in business but some of the vender's that are criticized here deserve it. They go for the quick buck do the least they have to and lie to you. They over look the small stuff. Yes they will mostly in the end make things right with the machine but not with the hassle of having to contact them and in some cases contact, contact, and contact!

If they did there job and cared in the first place the mistake the broken machine the machine not as described, slow shipping along with a lot of other stuff just would not happen. There are some things not there fault like the shipping goons. But as Arby has shown a better packing job can make a world of difference. This is for the vender's that just don't do as good as a job as they could. The vender's that are out there just to rip you off with that in mind when they put something up for sale deserve everything they get from members on this forum. Luckily I have not given my money to any of the ripoff vender's but like you said thanks to others here I have been stirred away. If we as a forum have so much impact on a vender's sales by steering potential buyers away from certain vender's than good!

Maybe they will do as some vender's do and check us out, make changes accordingly and actively participating in this forum to tell there side of a story and let us know what they are doing to improve. Some vender's can participate here easily. They don't lie to us then have to backtrack to cover themselves. The vender's that have respect have no problem here the ones that don't have our respect are the ones that don't participate here and are almost always the vender's that there are complaints about. I don't blame some of them from not participating here because if they said the same things here that they say to us as costumers over the phone they'd get ripped even more. But come here and say they have messed up and tell us as a whole what they are doing to improve them showing it with "consistent" sales to members then ma by they could gain some respect and come here and participate on the same level as some other vender's have.

OK I'm off this box.(for now) An Arby sorry to here of your vendor status. You would not have had any problems with the respect or costumer service issues we have seen with others. I'm not big into pachinko right now but you were tempting me big time! I don't have the money to lay out for the machines you were selling but if I did I would not have hesitated or even looked else ware to give my money and respect to you Arby.

[luckydog]

Ta's star wars went for 1,600.00

I hope Arby's does as good