Are you hitting enter each time your text gets the same width as the text box? Why are all your posts like that? That isn't how computers work, it will wrap the text for you automatically. It isn't the same as a typewriter. Also are you doing a cross gender roleplaying thing here? I ask because honestly, in 12 years of game collecting I have never encountered a big time female collector or really even a female collector who was into the tech area of the hobby at all. It is just about the most male dominated hobby in the world. It only put a flag up for me because in other posts you mentioned having thousands of boards and you seen to have quite a lot of tech knowledge as well, although some of it seems dated.
Operators were great sources for games in the 90s, probably the best back then.
By the late 90s most operators weren't really sitting on classic cabinets anymore. At that point the classified ads became the best source. Around the same time RGVAC became a pretty good source and remained one until the mid 2000s, the klov.com messageboards also became a good source as soon as they came on the scene and remain so to this day. Arcade game auctions have also always been great, however their frequency and the amount of classic era gear available at them has really gone down over the years.
About 2003 ebay became a great source for machines and remained so until they changed their listing format to favor stores where items sat continually with unrealistic prices on them. I can't recall when exactly this happened, maybe 2007?
Craigslist came on the scene as a great game source about the time it became mainstream, maybe around 2005. They replaced classified ads as a game source almost completely.
Today their are so few operators left that they just really aren't that great a source anymore. Particularly when trying to purchase one of the few things still out their earning them a profit. Sure they might have more back at the shop, but they will probably ask double (or triple) what you could get the same machine at for auction for. Very few of the still in business ones are sitting on massive stashes of golden age parts anymore (the ones that are tend to have unrealistic pricing, which is why they still have the stuff). There are guys sitting on full warehouses full of classics, but they are more game dealers than operators and they know what everything is worth and their prices include expenses that Joe Dude doesn't have to factor in to his prices.
The monitor shortage has been a slowly building thing over the last few years since the last remaining stock of 19" and 25" crt monitors has dried up. For lesser titles the monitor is often as valuable as the whole game, although craigslist isn't really the best place to sell monitors. I bought a truckload of "burned up ones that have outlived their life expectancy", around 17 of them IIRC for $50 back in July from a guy trying to open his own arcade (all MAME with PC monitors in them, not kidding, he mamed every machine other than the big simulators). I spent another $75 on a bunch of caps and parts to repair them. Ended up salvaging 10 of them so far, with 2 I haven't touched yet. Been getting $100 each for them on an exchange basis (trade in your wonky one for a good one), although I do it cheaper if I know you.
Jen understands all too well, Its called vandalism...It works like this, a game in the real world of laundry mats and arcades, the kids
rip the steering wheels off, take the guns, quarters, carve "I love Jennifer" in the side of them, and on occasion pee in the cash box. A bargan to be sure.
It was a working game up until this point, But that's most likely not his only game, you wont know till you search him out and ask him.
I'm so glad Craigslist has worked for you, Really. But Let it be noted I have never been on this list, Yet still manage to find games regularly
with my old, outdated methods, not just trashed ones either, but some very interesting finds... Is got a lot to do with attitude, walk in
all arrogant and cocky, Yes probably not going to go so well... Now lets talk "valuable monitors". Are these the burned up ones that
have outlived their life expectancy? ...If so Im rich, Wheres this craigslist?