A (rare) Craigslist Success Story

[HaRuMaN]

So I find an ad on CL for a Pac-Man and a crane game, both non-working for $125.  Email the guy back and forth, he won't split them up, he wants the garage back, etc...

Originally I was going to go on Sunday, that was when my brother could come help me with his truck.

So, the guy asks for my phone number Saturday morning, says he has a guy coming to look at them at 9AM, and he wants to call me afterwards if the guy buys them...   

My wife says "Just go now, I'll call your brother up, and have him meet you there...".  So I take off to the guys house, like 10 minutes away.

I beat the other guy there by 5 minutes.  Hook the Pac-Man up, wicked speaker hum, scrambled display, but it's complete and the monitor works.  Crane machine is about half full of stuffed animals and is missing a fuse, but looks complete.

So I offer the guy the $125 before the other buyer shows up.  Other buyer shows up, offers the guy $125, says "I have a truck, and can take them right now."  My brother pulls up, so I mention that I can take them right now as well.  The seller, not entirely sure what to do, finally decides since I arrived first I get first dibs.  Guy #2 isn't too happy, but doesn't make a fuss, and leaves.

We decide to take two trips since the guy is only 10 minutes away...

[HaRuMaN]

So, we finally get everything back to my house.  Bring the Pac-Man inside the house since it's already getting hot out. 

I take the back off and look around inside.  I notice a small daughter board had fallen off...  I replace it, close it back up, and just for S&G's, fire it back up...  and this happens:



Can it be?



Oh yes...  and looks original, too:



My daughter approves: 

[HaRuMaN]

So, the Pac-Man was the main objective of this trip, but the claw game is kinda neat, too.  Maybe my daughter will like it.





Can't fire it up yet, because I need a fuse cap:



Anyone know what that cap is called and where to get it?

[HaRuMaN]

Uhm, wow. 

Lol... what are you saying 'wow' to?  At this point I was getting fairly irritated, and was thinking of not going.  My wife reminded me that I'd probably regret it if I let it go without trying, and I agreed, so...  turns out, she was right.   

[yotsuya]

Awesome pickup! I'll have to share a 'recent pickup' story with you when I get back from Disneyland.

[Well Fed Games]

What a great find!... the claw game, too... what kid wouldn't want their own one of those?! Congrats on CL being useful for once!

[CheffoJeffo]

 

[wp34]

Awesome pick-up. 

My daughter has been after me for a couple of years to get a Crane Machine. I am sure yours will love it.

[ChadTower]

BTW, I don't think you can buy just those caps, but they carry that type of fuse holder at Radio Shack.  It's a 60 second swap.

[Le Chuck]

I love happy endings

[HaRuMaN]

BTW, I don't think you can buy just those caps, but they carry that type of fuse holder at Radio Shack.  It's a 60 second swap.

Nice, thanks for the tip.  I'll stop there on the way home.   

[HaRuMaN]

Nobody had lined up as a buyer...  people had lined up to come look at them.  No arguing either...

I show up maybe 5 minutes before guy #2, my brother was there like 5 minutes after guy #2.

I say I have the money & am willing to take them.  Guy #2 says same thing...  that's it.  Seller then decides.

[HaRuMaN]

And, FWIW, the seller was lining up multiple people to come and look.  He had a buyer flake out on him Thursday night, and so then he proceeded to tell a bunch of people to come out & look.

[ChadTower]

Looks to me like it was a reasonable situation that he explained poorly.  Multiple potential buyers and whoever shows up first with cash wins.  We all know cash in the driveway is king on CL if you don't want to deal with flakes and tire kickers.

[HaRuMaN]

Yeah, I probably could have done a better job explaining...  in any case, here was the seller's last email to me:

Lee-
 
If you can be here at 9 I’ll show it to both of you
 
Bud

Seemed to me that the seller was trying to hedge his bets, and just get a warm body over to his place to come get these things.

He had just bought the house, and they were there when he got the place.  He basically just wanted the garage space back.

[HaRuMaN]

Yeah, well, that detail changes everything.

You are forgiven.

 

 

[HaRuMaN]

Someone took the time to install a twobits pac-mend.  Board itself looks pretty nice, power supply board could use a good cleaning...   

[Malenko]

PBJ shouldn't you be off showing up to CL posting with less than the guy wanted and saying "but I have this much cash in hand" or thread crapping in SNAAAKE's sale, or thread crapping when someone is trying to sell an xbox VGA adapter?

congrats on the pick up Haruman, now list the crane for $125 on CL and then its like you got a free PacMan 

[HaRuMaN]

congrats on the pick up Haruman, now list the crane for $125 on CL and then its like you got a free PacMan 

Lol...  gonna get a fuse & see if it works.  If it does, I may sell it, don't know yet. 

Any idea what a working crane half-filled with stuffed aminals goes for?

[Le Chuck]

congrats on the pick up Haruman, now list the crane for $125 on CL and then its like you got a free PacMan 

Lol...  gonna get a fuse & see if it works.  If it does, I may sell it, don't know yet. 

Any idea what a working crane half-filled with stuffed aminals goes for?

Just make sure to put in the CL ad "If you're the guy that was left holding a fist full of dollars when I stoled this out from under you let me know and I'll give you a discount  "

[ChadTower]

Should have just offered $100 for the Pac and left the crane game in the guy's driveway.

[ark_ader]

Should have just offered $100 for the Pac and left the crane game in the guy's driveway.

No he shouldn't.  Neither would you.    

I agree with PBJ about the showing up and gate crashing a sale for the same amount of money when the seller already had a buyer coming, is rather poor to be honest.

Then to brag about it on the forum.  It doesn't set the bar very high does it?

[Woodshop Flunky]

My son would fall over dead from sheer joy if I brought home a claw machine like that!

Good going! 

[shponglefan]

I agree with PBJ about the showing up and gate crashing a sale for the same amount of money when the seller already had a buyer coming, is rather poor to be honest.

Then to brag about it on the forum.  It doesn't set the bar very high does it?

If you read the OPs replies, he received an email from the seller inviting him.  So it wasn't gate crashing.

[HaRuMaN]

I agree with PBJ about the showing up and gate crashing a sale for the same amount of money when the seller already had a buyer coming, is rather poor to be honest.

Then to brag about it on the forum.  It doesn't set the bar very high does it?

If you read the OPs replies, he received an email from the seller inviting him.  So it wasn't gate crashing.

 

[Le Chuck]

No he shouldn't.  Neither would you.    

I agree with PBJ about the showing up and gate crashing a sale for the same amount of money when the seller already had a buyer coming, is rather poor to be honest.

Then to brag about it on the forum.  It doesn't set the bar very high does it?

  

[ChadTower]

Should have just offered $100 for the Pac and left the crane game in the guy's driveway.

No he shouldn't.  Neither would you.    

I absolutely would.  I'd rather pay $100 for the game I want than $125 and have to haul off a broken crane game.

[CheffoJeffo]

Let's lay of of ark, folks -- he's working two jobs and in school -- don't expect him to read, let alone comprehend anything!

[HaRuMaN]

Should have just offered $100 for the Pac and left the crane game in the guy's driveway.

The guy really wanted his space back, wouldn't split them.  Plus, after looking at it, the crane kind of interests me.     My daughter may get a kick out of it, which would make it worth it.   

[HaRuMaN]

Yeah, I really don't see how someone could get in there.

[ChadTower]

If it's even physically possible some kid will find a way.  I've seen some small kids at Chuck E Cheese climb into some pretty impossible looking places. 

[Mysterioii]

I love happy endings

Not only that, but it's a cool story too.   

[paigeoliver]

My "game buying nemesis/nice guy Rob/guy I buy a lot of stuff from"  beat me to a minty clean nonworking $125 Ms. Pac by about 5 minutes about a month ago. I got to the house selling the games and saw his vehicle there I knew if there was a deal on the dead game then it was gone. Yep, he loaded up that NICE Ms. Pac and took it on home. Thank god he just has a SUV, so at least my buddy was still able to score a nice Dig Dug and I almost got a Donkey Kong but got too greedy on price (tried to take off $25 too much, so the wife checked with the husband who promptly doubled the price).

Got the Ms. Pac board from Rob later at a decent price (he builds multis) and miracle of all freaking miracles I actually repaired it in short order. It is running fast Pac-Man now, but I don't have a Pac machine to put it in.

[ark_ader]

I agree with PBJ about the showing up and gate crashing a sale for the same amount of money when the seller already had a buyer coming, is rather poor to be honest.

Then to brag about it on the forum.  It doesn't set the bar very high does it?

If you read the OPs replies, he received an email from the seller inviting him.  So it wasn't gate crashing.

So, the guy asks for my phone number Saturday morning, says he has a guy coming to look at them at 9AM, and he wants to call me afterwards if the guy buys them...

Which doesn't make sense unless it was supposed to read:

So, the guy asks for my phone number Saturday morning, says he has a guy coming to look at them at 9AM, and he wants to call me afterwards if the guy doesn't buy them...

Which would make more sense and my justified response.   

Let's lay of of ark, folks -- he's working two jobs and in school -- don't expect him to read, let alone comprehend anything!

Graduated BSc (Distinction) 

Reading Psychology for next year....   

[404]

excellent timing and great find HaRuMaN 

[coorslight]

Good find. I would have done the same thing first is first no mater how you look at it.

[Rando]

How has nobody commented on this part of the story yet...

He had just bought the house, and they were there when he got the place.  He basically just wanted the garage space back.

He bought a house that had a Pac-Man machine and Crane game in it when he moved in? 

My house had a non-working furnace, some holes in the ceiling, and a large pile of coal & bricks in the backyard... There were random pipes and scrap wood that I had to remove... Some dead mice...

But an arcade machine AND Crane game?  Sweet!

[HaRuMaN]

Yeah, my house came with 2 foot weeds and a dry-rotted irrigation system.  Nothing as cool as a couple of arcade games.

[ChadTower]

Graduated BSc (Distinction) 

Do you plan on going for your Silver Swimming Certificate?



My house had some fairly decent stuff in it when I bought it.  Mostly yard equipment in the basement.  I still use most of it 11 years later.

[Mysterioii]

Graduated BSc (Distinction) 

Do you plan on going for your Silver Swimming Certificate?

Haha I love me some Red Dwarf....   

[opt2not]

I think I saw that claw machine featured in Prometheus. You can extract aliens out of your belly with that thing.

So now you got a working pac! It's in rough shape though, you planning on restoring it at all?

[HaRuMaN]

I think I saw that claw machine featured in Prometheus. You can extract aliens out of your belly with that thing.

So now you got a working pac! It's in rough shape though, you planning on restoring it at all?

Yeah, I am.     Although, it being in working condition is going to hinder my progress...   

[Gray_Area]

I thought it was obvious the seller was being a dork. Glad you got it, man.

[yotsuya]

I got dibs on the crane machine when you get tired of it! 

[HaRuMaN]

I got dibs on the crane machine when you get tired of it! 

Hmm...  interesting that you should say that, since...

I got the crane game working yesterday!  I was able to get the locked coin box open (poor design, a small nail & hammer defeated the hinge), and inside the coin box I found the missing 3A fuse and fuse cap.  Popped them in, hit the power, and:

[HaRuMaN]

The game plays perfect.  Haven't checked the dollar bill validator yet, but the coin door works on tokens.

Unfortunately, I can't grab any toys because of the black sheet covering everything up.  Now, I just have to defeat this lock somehow:



Any ideas?  It looks like it would be a royal pain in the  to drill.

[Le Chuck]

Now is a great time to revisit the lock picking thread!

[Wayne's World flashback noises]http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=119173.0[/Wayne's World flashback noises]

Man, that wasn't actually that helpful.  You should get this:  http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale/tubular+lock+pick.html

or go read this:  http://www.analoghacking.com/documents/ftw/FTW%20Defeating%20Tubular%20Locks.txt

Or use some freon to freeze the lock and whap it really good with a screw driver and hammer

Or just try drilling it out and be amazed at how fast a good sharp bit will chew through the lock.  Start small and work larger until you're through. 

[Dervacumen]

Nice find.  Put all of your kid's stuffed animals in the crane, set it to the most difficult setting, and tell her she can play with them when gets them out.  Keeps toys off the floor.

[HaRuMaN]

Nice find.  Put all of your kid's stuffed animals in the crane, set it to the most difficult setting, and tell her she can play with them when gets them out.  Keeps toys off the floor.

LOL... 

[HaRuMaN]

So...  I've been drilling on the lock... haven't had a whole lot of luck yet.  Here is the same lock, removed from the coin door (luckily the coin door was open, so I could get it off):



If you can see, it has a little metal tab that sticks up through the housing:



If I push on the tab so that it goes all the way in, the front face of the lock pops out (it's spring loaded) and I can turn the handle.

I've drilled enough of the lock to reach the arm that the tab is on, I can pull it down, but the face isn't popping out yet.  I'm thinking maybe I'm just not able to pull it all the way down, and maybe some more drilling will fix that.

Anyone else played with this type of lock?

Here is the manufacturer:

[404]

thats going to be a mission there. Best bet is that if you can get access to the lock from the inside somehow, cut it with a cutting disk. Hopefully you can cut enough that the lock mechanism simply falls apart.

[Nephasth]

Time to invest in a master key...

[HaRuMaN]

Time to invest in a master key...

Lol... only problem with that is the close proximity of the stuffed animals inside.  I can only imagine the disaster if something were to catch fire in there.

[Vigo]

When I drilled a vending machine lock just  like that, I had to step to larger drill bits until I practically ground up the entire barrel lock insert. Those Chicago Barrel lock Mechs are a PITA. When all is said and done, I did save the lock mech without more than lite marring on the inside lock insert area.

Tried the whole picking route as well, at least without going as far as buying a specialty pick set for barrel locks. No dice.

[Gray_Area]

Yeah, those locks are meant to keep people out. Of course, in this situation breaking the glass might be easier. But we don't want that. Talk to someone in the shop at work, I bet they can get through that thing in no time - probably with a plasma welder.

I was talking with a guy, he said he wanted to get a claw machine so when the kids were bad, he could put their toys in there, and they could work to get them back. I didn't think to ask whether he might charge them coins. Evil I say.

[sharpfork]

Sweet pickup!

Your wife is cool to push you to go early.  Good lady who knows you there...
The early bird gets the worm.

 

I could get my kids to do their chores for a chance at a stuffed animal in the crane game.

[HaRuMaN]

Success!  Lock 0, Haruman 1:



Now that I can get inside, I took the black sheet out:



Toys!  lol:

[yotsuya]

You should set it up outside and let the neighborhood kids play for a quarter each! 

[HaRuMaN]

Lol...

It's got a dollar bill validator.  Haven't checked that out yet.  The plan is to re-key it, clean it... and then?  It's gotta a couple of cracks, looks like the thing was dropped once.  I may slap some bondo in there and sand it back down.  Who knows.  I may hold on to it for a while or may sell it.

[Vigo]

Success!  Lock 0, Haruman 1:

That there is exactly how you take care of one of them Chicago locks. 

[HaRuMaN]

Took a couple of hours of effort.  That sucker was a pain.

[Yenome]

there is an old trick for pc case locks that work like those that you can unlock them with a simple piece of cardboard in a circular shape but alas i am late to the party gj on this nice score.

[CoryBee]

there is an old trick for pc case locks that work like those that you can unlock them with a simple piece of cardboard in a circular shape but alas i am late to the party gj on this nice score.

Oh yea I read somewhere about that....and I am a bit late to the party but there is an easy way to unlock barrel locks I saw on youtube. Involves a bic pen.....check it out.

I would love to have a claw machine in my house, I just like winning at things that give me a prize for such.

[Gray_Area]

...but there is an easy way to unlock barrel locks I saw on youtube. Involves a bic pen.....check it out.

I remember that. I do have a lock that requires it, but I don't put coins in the machine so forgot about it.

[Vigo]

I think those Chicago Locks are a much tougher than most other barrel locks though. I tried the cardboard trick, bic trick, tried making my own picks, and even made a metal dummy key out of an old fuel line. That lock did not budge for me until it looked like the lock in Haruman's photo. I had a nice impact drill as well and it took me a few hours of straight drilling. The thing was solid.

Of course, it could be that I am inept at lock picking, I won't doubt that for a second, but I have never seen a vending machine ransacked in the wild. Given that there are so many unattended machines out there, I think I would come across this by now if all you needed was a lighter and a Bic pen.

[HaRuMaN]

I tried the bic pen thing, didn't work.  Didn't try the cardboard trick.  In the end, I just had to brutalize it till it gave up...   

[Nephasth]

Of course, it could be that I am inept at lock picking, I won't doubt that for a second, but I have never seen a vending machine ransacked in the wild. Given that there are so many unattended machines out there, I think I would come across this by now if all you needed was a lighter and a Bic pen.

There was a snack vending machine in the driver's lounge at the shop I used to work at. My Snap-On toolbox has barrel locks. My toolbox key was by no means a match for the vending machine lock, but it opened it just as easily. I never ransacked the thing, but I did enjoy complementary snacks...
 

[Le Chuck]

Of course, it could be that I am inept at lock picking, I won't doubt that for a second, but I have never seen a vending machine ransacked in the wild. Given that there are so many unattended machines out there, I think I would come across this by now if all you needed was a lighter and a Bic pen.

There was a snack vending machine in the driver's lounge at the shop I used to work at. My Snap-On toolbox has barrel locks. My toolbox key was by no means a match for the vending machine lock, but it opened it just as easily. I never ransacked the thing, but I did enjoy complementary snacks...
 

Those coil feed vending machines are often ransacked through a good shacking or momentary inversion.  Won't get you the money but you will make off with all the chips, candy and gum you can carry.

[MacGyver]

I hope you pulled out those stuffed animals and vacuumed out all of the scorpions that were probably living in there.  You never know what kind of crazy things the guy that abandoned it left in there.   Nice find btw.

[Yenome]

there is even tricks to unlocking a car with nothing more than a tennis ball.

[HaRuMaN]

I hope you pulled out those stuffed animals and vacuumed out all of the scorpions that were probably living in there.  You never know what kind of crazy things the guy that abandoned it left in there.   Nice find btw.

Ugh.  Now I'm gonna have to go home and vacuum the thing.   

[Mysterioii]

OR....   change it from a stuffed animal grabbing machine to a scorpion-catching machine...      You've seen these done as live lobster machines right? 

[MaxVolume]

there is even tricks to unlocking a car with nothing more than a tennis ball.

Yes, and it has been proven to be fake... just as I assume the "bic trick" is.

[HaRuMaN]

It's really weird watching a bunch of 40 year olds get giddy about stuffed animals.

 

Hey, I'm only 34...    

Did I mention I collect Super Mario plush?

[Mysterioii]

Get off my lawn, you! 

[Gray_Area]

For 34, H is pretty retro. I'm down.

[Fang Doctor]

Did I mention I collect Super Mario plush?

Pics? 

[HaRuMaN]

Did I mention I collect Super Mario plush?

Pics? 

Lol... no...  my daughter has claimed my collection as her own, so they are now scattered all over the house.  She's 2.

There are 2 mushrooms (about 6" size), 2 bob-ombs, toad, pirhanna pete, a cheep-cheep, a ghost, a fireflower, and one of those spikey cat-catepillar things (about 19" tall).

[yotsuya]

When I buy the crane off you, you better take those plush back from her or the deal's off!!!!!

J/k!!! 

[yotsuya]

Don't sweat it - yotsuya doesn't have any money anyway.

Actually, using the cash in hand method, I picked up a working Asteroids a few weeks ago, saving over $100 off the asking price. So I'm rolling in it.

[MaxVolume]

Actually, using the cash in hand method, I picked up a working Asteroids a few weeks ago, saving over $100 off the asking price. So I'm rolling in it.

Care to share what you got it for?  You can PM me if you prefer, but I understand if you want to keep it to yourself.  There's one available locally and I'm trying to figure out a fair price for it.  Thanks

[yotsuya]

Guy wanted $235 for a non-working Asteroids complete with new side art and overlay. It didn't sell for a month, but I was in contact with him. I made a cash-in-hand offer of $100 for just the machine, no art. He countered at $115, throwing in the overlay, which I accepted. I gave him $120 when I paid ($5 tip for helping me load it).

I had to change the power cord and switch, and I put in a known working board that I had, and it fireworks fine. The actual side art is in good condition, but the bottoms and corners need a bit of work. It's nothing horrible, though. If it had worked when I bought it, I would have been fine with his asking price, easily.

I'm glad I didn't buy the artwork, though. The CPO he threw in I'm not planning to use.

[yotsuya]

It was nice of you just to give him the tip.   

Love how he had a fish on the hook at $100 but was gonna cancel the deal unless you sweetened it with another $15.  He's going to really enjoy that case of Bud Light he stuck you for.

Keep telling yourself that, Jimbo. All I know is I have a nice Asteroids in my living room that works.

[Lilwolf]

My wife wouldn't make it easier for me to get a new cab...

I love happy endings

She also doesn't allow me to spend the extra cash for the happy endings...

Great find!  (and why I bought a pickup...  when the opportunity comes, you have to hop in and go...  But for me I have to ask my wife... see if she had something more important to do... roll her eyes...  ask where I would put it... then decide what she wants after I get back...  then I get the go ahead...)

[vintagegamer]

It is really getting sad how cutthroat this hobby is getting to be these days.  I've seen that kind of stuff happen with car parts, but the arcade hobby, it was never this insane in the past, IMO.

I know a guy who has games rotting out in his backyard right now, and I've been able to save 1 so far, but the others are still there.  The seller claimed another local was coming to pick them up, but that the guy's "a little slow on coming over".  Every time it rains, I go hug the game I saved from him already. 

Nice grab Haruman...

[Well Fed Games]

 

It is really getting sad how cutthroat this hobby is getting to be these days. 

People rage on KLOV when someone else gets a machine off Craigslist or Ebay that they wanted. It is real competitive in the Chicago area, I have given up on trying to get something off CL locally unless it is gutted to the point a collector wouldn't want it.

[Seith]

Some great stories in here!  I really need to start hitting up my local CL more often...

[MaxVolume]

Guy wanted $235 for a non-working Asteroids complete with new side art and overlay. It didn't sell for a month, but I was in contact with him. I made a cash-in-hand offer of $100 for just the machine, no art. He countered at $115, throwing in the overlay, which I accepted. I gave him $120 when I paid ($5 tip for helping me load it).

I had to change the power cord and switch, and I put in a known working board that I had, and it fireworks fine. The actual side art is in good condition, but the bottoms and corners need a bit of work. It's nothing horrible, though. If it had worked when I bought it, I would have been fine with his asking price, easily.

I'm glad I didn't buy the artwork, though. The CPO he threw in I'm not planning to use.

Thanks for the details... I ask because a local guy has a working Asteroids that he wants a lot more than that for.  I'm guessing he paid $1000+ several years ago and now I'm getting a vibe from him that he wants very close to that figure.  Nobody who knows the arcade market is gonna pay that, but I suggested he post it on Craigslist.  I wouldn't know where to put it, but it's very tempting, especially if he'd take the $250 it's probably worth.  It's almost all original, except for a repro CPO.  I don't like those things myself, especially over what was obviously painted graphics.  Replacement CPOs are okay, even repros, but doing that to an Asteroids seems like sacrilege.  It does make the machine look better though, and getting that stuff repainted might be pricey (and would just rub off again).  Still, I don't blame you for not using the one you got in the deal, and I kind of wonder how bad the original CPO on this machine really was.