FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What's this website about? Pinball Owners is a database of vintage pinball machine owners from all over the world. Its main purpose is to help pinball collectors and enthusiasts to get in touch; it includes a platform that helps members finding, buying, swapping and selling coin operated pinball machines. I see there are many games for sale here. It is safe to buy on this website? Our website contains a platform that enables members who want to buy a pinball machine to meet members who have it for sale. Our service does not go beyond the initial contact between the two parties, and any transaction takes place between buyer and seller, much in the same way it would if you had found a pinball machine listed in a newspaper classifieds ad. Since you don't know the seller in person you *have* to be cautious. Before sending any money, make sure the pinball you are looking to buy is really as you expect it to be: ask for many detailed pictures; ask for pictures of specific parts of the game, to make sure you are not being sent pictures taken from the Internet but rather those from a machine actually owned by the seller; if the seller refuses to send the pictures you are asking for, do not proceed with the transaction. Do not buy games proposed via messages that the seller has not explicitly listed for sale, it could be a phishing attempt! We also recommend you go seeing the game in person whenever possible. Is it necessary to be a registered member to use this website? Membership is not required to search for games and owners. However, you must be a registered member in order to contact any other member of our website. Registraton is very easy and completely free of charge, just click on sign up from the leftside menu. How do the various searches work? There are three main search variants. The game search allows you to search by game title (eg. "addams family") and/or manufacturer. The owner search allows you to search for owners by nickname and/or state/country. The wanted list search allows you to search for games wanted by other members and to see how much they are willing to pay for them. I have found a game that I like, and it is listed for sale. How can I get in touch with the owner? You must be a registered member of our website. Log in with your user-id and password, and a contact member link will appear at the bottom of the Collection page that contains the game you are willing to buy. Alternatively, you can copy the nickname of the seller and click contact a member from the leftside menu to send him a message. I would like to sell a pinball machine, how do I? To sell your pinball machine, after you have logged in with your user-id and password, just click on add a new game from the leftside menu, and follow the instructions that will appear on your screen. Be sure to mark the game as available for sale when prompted! Your pinball will immediately appear in search results. If you click on current collection from the leftside menu you will access your Collection page, where you will automatically see if some other member is looking to buy your game, and the price he is willing to pay. If more than one member is looking for that game, the member which pays the most will be automatically shown! How do the auctions work? If you mark any pinball in your Collection as up for bids other members of our website will be allowed to place bids on the game. For every bid made on the game you will receive a message in your inbox with the bid details. If you like the offer you have received just reply to that message to get in touch with the bidder. Even if the bid is unsatisfactory, we suggest to get in touch with the bidder nonetheless: be kind, and tell him that the offer is not high enough. The agreement about the sale has to be taken between the two of you: our website takes no part in the transaction and we offer no warranty of any kind on the transaction itself. Can I ask to buy a game which is not explicitly listed as available for sale? Generally speaking, the answer is NO: our community population is mainly collectors and hobbyists, not dealers. You can still ask the owner if you do it politely; be kind, and do not insist if the owner refuses to sell his game! We remind you that our code of conduct specifically forbids mass-mailing of unsolicited "sell me your game" requests to other members, and such activity could cause your account to be closed. Please contact the webmaster for more info.