I think the US is a very different climate when it comes to the arcade/coin-op hobby. You see it on shows like American Pickers when they goto talk to guys who were in the business for years. Or even on Pawn Stars guys coming in to pawn old cocktail machines. Just seems the scene is larger.
This seems to be true, and it's unfortunate. I'm subscribed to a number of online YouTube guys - John's Arcade, Arcade Impossible, etc. - and they seem to have a large following down in the U.S. They go to local arcades, visit friends who have home arcades, visit conventions and trades. You just don't see that up here in Canada.
I'm in Ajax just east of Toronto. Toronto being known of the "Mega City." And even in the Mega City we had one place that did coin-op auctions. Prices USED to be great, then they went up. When you are the only show in town why not right ? Now they only run the auctions online and prices are WAY UP.
I've lurked a few online auctions, and it seems like they're all just money-sinks. Everything seems overpriced, and overvalued. It's like the comic-book scene that I got out of a few years ago - too many people have the same item, think it's "the only one left in existence" and try and charge way too much. It's ridiculous.
So to have someone like Rick who sells a great product at a great price may seem like something that is "meh" or readily available, but here it is not the case. These cabinets are great and the guy behind them is a stand up dude!
I appreciate the kind words, sir. Thanks so much!
I am trying to solidify my offering right now, and think I need to take a short break from manufacturing - EXTREMELY SHORT (like, two weeks) - and focus on infrastructure. That means three things need attention: the website, the products and the pricing. What I want to bring back is a better service, overall.
The move from my existing CNC shop hit me hard. My latest orders (3 cocktails and 5 bartops) took between 30 and 60 days to fulfill, due to issues with production, and that's not acceptable to me. I want to continue to give a professional product at a great price. That's going to happen, and that's going to happen shortly. (Stay tuned!)
Thanks again, Mike. I can't wait to see your build progress!