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| Is selling fully built arcade machines profitable? |
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| Dragonman73:
Just curious, I had a guy I used to work with approach me and said he knew I dabbled in arcades a little and if I had any for sale he would buy one for his man-cave he just built. I could def build one but I didn't know if it was something I could make a profit off of. I already have a pacman 25th marquee, and control panel art. Since I am a tech by trade and we scrap a lot of lcd monitors when we upgrade I have access to a few 4:3 19" LCD's. I planned on building a newer cabaret style pacman 25th anniversary replica using 3/4" birch, and maybe painting it or throwing some black formica on it. And put a 60-1 card in it with a vertical 19" lcd. It's basically similar to the size and shape of a reg pacman, only shorter in height and a little narrower. Problem is after doing a quick add of the numbers, not including any artwork, paint or formica I am already at $336 in materials and parts to build this. I figure when it's said and done I would be at around $500 in my costs not including any labor. I guess if I could get $800 for it then that would be worth my while to build.......not sure what the market looks like now and if it's even worth it. |
| Ian:
Eh... I would say no. Granted I never tried to sell one of mine. The market by me is flooded with mame machines and they all want a couple grand for them. |
| Dragonman73:
That's what I am kind of thinking, I see a lot of sellers on craigslist taking gutted cabinets and throwing a pandora box in it and wanting upwards of $1000 for them. Not really paying attention to details and such. I picked up a pacman cabaret and an empty street fighter cabinet on memorial day weekend. I'm building the pacman for myself and on the fence about the street fighter cabinet. I just grabbed it because I had room in my truck and he only wanted $50. It still had the control panel, coin door, power supply, monitor glass and bezel trim intact. The pacman cabaret was water damaged at the bottom so I decided to build a new cabinet for the parts on it using 3/4" birch. I cut enough materials to build two actually and the other is going to become a galaga mini. These are going to be my personal cabinets. |
| smass:
I'd say its certainly not easy money. The main thing that would dissuade me is the potential support problems when things go wrong. Support problems is one reason that many builders use 60 in 1 cards and the like. A full sized cab running a computer or even a raspberry pi is a potential nightmare when customers inevitably screw up the software. Selling cabinet kits and parts seems to be the best way to make this hobby into a business. Selling fully built and functional machines is not something I would ever entertain as a business. I could see building for good friends, but not for a profit. |
| ger:
I think when you charge your work for lets say 5 dollar an hour, you will not loose and not make money with your calculation. My Builds are all more then 60 hours, No I am not slow just want do get the best results;-) Thats why I think Its a hobby, and i love it. Greets Ger |
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