Pinflation Keeps Chilling; Used Pinball Prices Flat in 1Q 2024

Analyzing Used Pinball Price Data in 2024

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This data is courtesy of reader/contributor Ted Finlay, who operates the great resource PinballPrices.com. The last time we talked with Ted, we received a mid-year update on 2023 Pinflation, which was clearly starting to cool off from some of the highs we saw in 2022.

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After looking at the latest numbers, I would say that trend is holding true as we progress further into 2024. The average sales price across all game categories was down 2.4% in 2023, holding mostly steady through the first quarter of 2024.

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It gets really interesting when you break down the numbers by game era. There, the story is more about the top end of the market dropping off (LCD games released between 2016 and 2024) while other eras are either holding steady or increasing slightly.

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My read on these numbers is one that probably affirms what many of you are thinking already: that new-in-box pricing from the manufacturers is higher than the market can or wants to realistically support.

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Interest in pinball broadly and the total pool of pinball buyers has probably not decreased substantially. This is why we see other eras of games with higher price-to-fun ratios holding steady or increasing YoY. Suddenly, an early solid-state or alphanumeric game looks much more appealing at sub-$4k than something wholly modern at 2x or more of that cost.

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Interestingly, for the LCD Games category, the volume of reported sales (keep in mind this is sourced from verified secondary market transactions) is pacing to be about 6% above what was reported in 2023, which could suggest some normally NIB buyers are gravitating towards used games which trade at a discount to MSRP.

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More Detailed Used Pinball Market Charts & Graphs