Hey guys, sorry for taking so long. The next used arcade auction will take place on Saturday, 02/16/02 at Lakewood. It's at the same location where they do the antique show/flea market every month.
I, unfortunately, will not be able to attend. But for those that do, here's some helpful info:
8 AM - 10 AM is the preview. The auction starts at 10 AM. Bring at least 1 extension cord, as they do not plug in the machines. You have to plug them in yourself to the sparse amount of outlets in the building. Bringing a power strip might be beneficial as well. You also need to sign up for a bid card when you're there. I can't remember if this costs anything or not. I don't think it does. If it does, it's only like 2-3 bucks. Try to get there at least by 9:00, mostly for the bid card. Do that as soon as you walk in. Bring at least a pen, and maybe some paper, so you can write down info on games you may be interested in bidding on. You can also keep track of what some games are selling for, so you can get a better idea of how much you'll spend next time. You don't have to buy anything. You can just show up at 8:00 AM, play games for free until 10:00 AM, and then leave if you want.
If you do buy a game, you have to take it that day before the auction is over. They have people that will help you load the game into your trailer/truck/whatever.
Games are sold "as is". If a button is sticking, or the controllers seem to not work right, you can find the person selling the game (based on the lot number) and talk to them about it. Also, some of the games will have their coin slots locked. To play these games, find the owner and have them open it. PLAY THE GAME BEFORE YOU BUY IT! I can't stress that enough. The case may look cool, and the screen great, but the controllers may be screwed.
Sometimes there is a ton of stuff to auction, sometimes there isn't. Some of the products that may be available are: Arcade games (stand-up, cocktail table-type, and "sit-down" games like Pole Position, etc.), Pool Tables, Vending Machines (cigarette, soda, asprin, etc.), dart boards, slot machines (which can be adjusted to accept coins instead of tokens), video poker machines, pinball machines, signs (Budweiser, etc., electrical signs, some neon), and juke boxes (both CD and record juke boxes). Usually the bigger the product, the cheaper it sells, because most people don't have the equipment to haul it off, and/or the space to put it anywhere. At one of the auctions I was at, a sit-down version of Spy Hunter sold for under $100. Popular classic games like Galaga, Donkey Kong, and Ms. Pac Man tend to go on the high side ($500 and up), but some of the older, non-main stream games can go for as little as $50. I saw an Operation: Wolf machine sell for $75, mainly because the gun itself wasn't attached...but you just had to screw it back into the base. The only game I've bought was Gyruss and paid $150 for it. I spruced it up a bit, and it works great. I've had it for about 2 years. And the pinball machines (unless there's something wrong w/ the game) always go for $300 and up, usually into the thousands. And some owners will try to goad you into bidding more for the game if they don't think they're getting enough for it. Try not to show too much excitement about the game. You never know where the owner is. When bidding starts, they usually try to begin the bids at $300-$400, but 99% of the time, no one will make a bid until they back down to the $25-$50 range. And some owners will take the game off the bid block if they don't think they got enough for it.
That's about all I can think of. If I happen upon anything else, I'll let you know. You can find a map and some more info at Super Auctions.
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"Oh yes Vyvyan, when the mountain won't come to Mohammed, smash the drawing room to pieces! That's very Buddhist, isn't it?"
I, unfortunately, will not be able to attend. But for those that do, here's some helpful info:
8 AM - 10 AM is the preview. The auction starts at 10 AM. Bring at least 1 extension cord, as they do not plug in the machines. You have to plug them in yourself to the sparse amount of outlets in the building. Bringing a power strip might be beneficial as well. You also need to sign up for a bid card when you're there. I can't remember if this costs anything or not. I don't think it does. If it does, it's only like 2-3 bucks. Try to get there at least by 9:00, mostly for the bid card. Do that as soon as you walk in. Bring at least a pen, and maybe some paper, so you can write down info on games you may be interested in bidding on. You can also keep track of what some games are selling for, so you can get a better idea of how much you'll spend next time. You don't have to buy anything. You can just show up at 8:00 AM, play games for free until 10:00 AM, and then leave if you want.
If you do buy a game, you have to take it that day before the auction is over. They have people that will help you load the game into your trailer/truck/whatever.
Games are sold "as is". If a button is sticking, or the controllers seem to not work right, you can find the person selling the game (based on the lot number) and talk to them about it. Also, some of the games will have their coin slots locked. To play these games, find the owner and have them open it. PLAY THE GAME BEFORE YOU BUY IT! I can't stress that enough. The case may look cool, and the screen great, but the controllers may be screwed.
Sometimes there is a ton of stuff to auction, sometimes there isn't. Some of the products that may be available are: Arcade games (stand-up, cocktail table-type, and "sit-down" games like Pole Position, etc.), Pool Tables, Vending Machines (cigarette, soda, asprin, etc.), dart boards, slot machines (which can be adjusted to accept coins instead of tokens), video poker machines, pinball machines, signs (Budweiser, etc., electrical signs, some neon), and juke boxes (both CD and record juke boxes). Usually the bigger the product, the cheaper it sells, because most people don't have the equipment to haul it off, and/or the space to put it anywhere. At one of the auctions I was at, a sit-down version of Spy Hunter sold for under $100. Popular classic games like Galaga, Donkey Kong, and Ms. Pac Man tend to go on the high side ($500 and up), but some of the older, non-main stream games can go for as little as $50. I saw an Operation: Wolf machine sell for $75, mainly because the gun itself wasn't attached...but you just had to screw it back into the base. The only game I've bought was Gyruss and paid $150 for it. I spruced it up a bit, and it works great. I've had it for about 2 years. And the pinball machines (unless there's something wrong w/ the game) always go for $300 and up, usually into the thousands. And some owners will try to goad you into bidding more for the game if they don't think they're getting enough for it. Try not to show too much excitement about the game. You never know where the owner is. When bidding starts, they usually try to begin the bids at $300-$400, but 99% of the time, no one will make a bid until they back down to the $25-$50 range. And some owners will take the game off the bid block if they don't think they got enough for it.
That's about all I can think of. If I happen upon anything else, I'll let you know. You can find a map and some more info at Super Auctions.
------------------
"Oh yes Vyvyan, when the mountain won't come to Mohammed, smash the drawing room to pieces! That's very Buddhist, isn't it?"
