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....