Selling collectables, especially arcade, video, or pinball games, requires more attention than auction listings for new items. Being an arcade collector myself, I see sellers making some common errors.

As a seller, you should be careful with the terms fully restored and 100% working. I have bought many arcade games and pinballs on eBay which were described as restored, shopped, or fully working and not a single one has been as-described.

Recently I purchase a 1953 Seeburg 100C jukebox which was described as Fully Restored. The seller only had a single photo with no close-ups which I knew was a warning sign.  I bid accordingly(which means low) and won. Other collectors were not willing to take a chance on the poorly presented auction. When I received this Fully Restored machine I opened it up and by no means was it restored.  The connectors had corrosion from the 50's still on them. The front rods had been replaced with mismatched chrome bathroom piping which was mostly held in place by clear tape. The amp had been re-capped but not cleaned or restored.  The power cord was the original cord which was rotten. Someone did a poor hack job to make the machine into a free play version too. This was absolutely not restored. At best, it should have been described as good shape/working.

The previous owner was not a jukebox collector and he may have thought it was fully restored because it had some fresh veneer and new paint but that was completely wrong. If he had sold to another collector who would have expected a truly Fully Restored juke, he might have found himself with negative feedback for misrepresenting the item or even a PayPal chargeback for an item significantly not as described.  He was lucky this time because I bid low and expected it to need some work. Next time he might not be so lucky with his buyer.

I have purchased other items which were not as represented. I bought a Chicago Coin Commando Machine Gun EM game which was listed as Shopped(everything fixed) and 100% working. When I received it and started going through it, the helicopter rotor motors were not working and someone had twisted the mounting bracket for the forced-feedback motor so it would not turn plus it was missing the counterweight. The machine was working but it was not 100% working.

Video games suffer the same problem. Many sellers offer games in 100% working condition but the buyer finds that the wiring is wrong, there have been unsafe and dangerous changes to wiring or fuses, parts are replaced with make-do substitutes or the board may be a knock-off multi-board which does not play like the original game. I purchased an Empire Strikes Back video which was advertised as working. Of course, the seller said 'it works when it gets warm'. That is a seller keyphrase that means 'it does not work but I am not going to admit it'.  When I received it, it did not work at all and there was nothing shaken loose. It was a board problem.  This seller wanted to make a sale and was not afraid to twist the truth to finalize the auction.
This is a good example of what you can expect when purchasing arcade items from eBay. The seller may not want to reveal damage or may try to hide the condition or, as with my jukebox, they seller may be clueless as to what he is talking about when he claims it is restored or working.  Fully restored means different things to different people.

Selling a pinball is even more tricky! Pinball people are very picky when it comes to condition. One person may look at a playfield and think it looks great while another pinball collector may look at it and think it needs to be replaced. A dealer may look at a pinball backglass and think it is perfect while the collector who receives it sees only the flaking along the edges which severely reduces the value.

It is best to play down the condition of items and always include lots of photos. Pinball people are very concerned with every flake and every scratch when it comes to collectable machines. Never describe damage or scratches only in the text, show them too. Any damage should be clearly shown in photos. You may realize, when you read the negative feedback comment, that the buyer thought the scratch was more serious than you did when. Always include plenty of photos and describe the item accurately and honestly. Describing an item honestly does not mean it will receive fewer bids. It simply prepares the buyer for what they will receive.  The same buyer may have not cared about the scratch if they knew in advance, but when they buy an item first then find out there was a damage, they feel cheated.

It pays to know your category. Be honest in your descriptions and it is safe to always assume a seller has missed something in their assessment.

This is one of a series of Guides I have written. Make sure you check out my other Guides for more information on trading safely on eBay.

Also check out my AboutMe page for advice on trading safely on eBay.

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