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Thread: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachislo?

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    Blind Shooter 777+15's Avatar
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    Default Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachislo?

    Years ago there were tons of vendors and numerous machines to choose from. Over the years it has dwindled to virtually nothing compared to how it was 10 years ago. You can still find machines however most vendors have an idiotic pricing that includes up to $200 for shipping. Did the laws in the US change restricting pallets and pallets to be brought into the US?

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    Goodwill Ambassador luckydog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    its all about supply and demand,

    machines taken out of play are plentiful, buyers demand is limited to a small group.

    container and local U.S. shipping cost have gone sky high the last 10/15 years.

    wholesalers are not getting rich importing them, they are just making an honest buck
    幸運わんわん Luckydog or Yukiwanwan in Japanese

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    Stuey - The RADministrator MrGneiss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    Back 10 years ago the bubble burst..So many people were bringing over cheap pachis, but I think most people that wanted to have a cheap "slot" for their game room had gotten one by then and didn't want more..leaving lots of pachis that people needed to get rid of, so prices were lowered which meant that the few actual pachi dealers that were trying to serve the hobbyists (us) and not just selling pachis as another gameroom thing had to lower there prices too until stuff was actually selling on ebay for as low as $1, which for a few months was Great for us, but was soon over and with the now perceived value of pachis so low no one was able to make money anymore and dealers started closing up shop..

    Fast forward a decade and with only one or two dealers, they can set whatever prices they want, or need too to stay in business.. Higher shipping costs don't help either..

    We just got really lucky with the early to mid 2000s retro arcade/game room thing that happened that brought over thousands of pachis as cheap slot alternatives..I don't see it ever being like that again and since this hobby is So small I don't think there will ever be enough demand to have enough dealers to get the price wars back..

    I'm just glad there are still a few ways to get pachis here..even if I can't afford them right now!!




    "Blowing smoke rings at the moon."

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    Fever Hunter alucard7x7's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    I've imported a lot of machines from Japan, but only on an individual basis. When I tried to bring over a pallet of pachis, the customs and shipping was so ridiculous that I couldn't afford it and customs seized the machines. The supply/demand is a huge thing. I think there are plenty of people who want pachinko and pachislo machines, but they are all over the place, most fans don't know there are groups of people like them and they don't know what the going rate is for machines.

    For the suppliers, it's hard to make a living on selling the machines, because you have to sell them for what is perceived as a really high price, just to make a profit! Many people don't want to spend more than $300 tops for machine, and many of the newer machines with all the bells and whistles are much more than that just to buy and ship into the states, so you need to sell the machine for $600-800 just to make $100 on one machine, and very few people want to spend that much on new machines. Then you have suppliers selling machines for $1700+ and it just gets ridiculous! I had hoped to bring pachinko into the states and sell them for a reasonable price to spread awareness that you can get these awesome machines for a reasonable price and everyone can enjoy them but sadly it's much more complicated and expensive than that.
    Pachi Fever!

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    Fever Hunter alucard7x7's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    A side note, I contacted a now defunct supplier in New York last year about getting some trays for machines. We had a good conversation about his days running a pachinko business. He told me it would cost him $25000-$50000 just to get a pallet of 400-500 machines shipped to him. If you think about that, it's hard to believe anyone could afford being a supplier and selling 500 machines, let alone turning a profit.
    Pachi Fever!

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    Fever Hunter thcrw7391's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    A good percentage of them are still 1/2 the cost of a us based slot machine or video poker..Heck even those bartop multi game machines like the merit megatouch go for a lot more and all they are is an old coin taking touch screen computer..

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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    Quote Originally Posted by thcrw7391 View Post
    A good percentage of them are still 1/2 the cost of a us based slot machine or video poker..Heck even those bartop multi game machines like the merit megatouch go for a lot more and all they are is an old coin taking touch screen computer..
    So what you're saying is... fill that game room or den up with only pachis, right? ;D
    俺はデブの戦士、キューティージョニーさ!

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    Fever Hunter thcrw7391's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl


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    Default Re: Did the laws in the US change stopping or restricting importation of pachisl

    It is definitely a pain now and expensive to import pachislos. Most of our shipments usually get held up during customs and we have had them open containers and go through a lot of the boxes to make sure there isn't anything fishy going on. Luckily we are still at it even though they are more expensive then they used to be.
    Clover Collectables - the US's largest Pachinko and Pachislo dealer - [email]Contact@clovercollectables.com


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