Main > Main Forum
Building cabinets to sell.
(1/10) > >>
Mr. Bubblehead:
OK, so far I have built 2 cabinets, an upright and a cocktail.  I have had several friends over and so far every one of them has told me the same thing - "dude, this is awesome, you need to sell these!"

My question is this...should I do this?  I have looked online (ebay) and there are either really expensive emulator cabs, plans for cabs, and parts.  Obvioulsy most of the members of this board would not be my target audience, since this site is all about DIY.  But you all have the inside knowledge of what goes into a cabinet, in time, materials, and technical expertise.  Have any of you had similar reactions from your peers?  I should mention that I am in my thirties as are my group of friends, so perhaps since we grew up in the "golden age" of the arcade this is clouding my judgement?

Currently I do not see any entry-level (read: under a grand) turnkey systems being offered.  This would most likely be the void I would attempt to fill.  Although I am relatively new to the hobby, I have plenty of experience with building stuff, and I have both the time and tools to pursue this.  Please understand that by offering a low-cost product, good-quality I do not want to make this a full-time business nor do I want to exploit the hobby.  I would like everyone's honest opinion on this matter.

I should also mention, before someone else brings it up, the legality issue.  I will *NOT* be providing illegal ROMs, software, nor will I be using any trademarked names or logos.
eggedd2k:
if your cabs are of good enough quality mate i'd deffinitely sell some - you've got nothing to lose.
Skadar:
A big part of the reason why I am now building my own cabinet is because I couldn't find anything affordable that could do everything that I wanted.  A lot of what I wanted is flexibility, and flexibility is expensive.

At first I was thinking that it would be pretty difficult to create a nice upright with all the innards for under $1000, but I suppose if you tossed flexibility out the window and focused on making a cabinet worthy of playing... say... 100 classic games, it could easily be done.

You should go for it.  The only things I would be worried about are shipping and support.  :)
RayB:
Search this board. THere's been a few debates about this.  Some arguments range between "it's not worth it once you add up all the labor", to "it's not worth it due to the headaches of dealing with customer service".

That's the big one there. The problem with selling to the public is that they will expect warranties. Will your wiring be inspected and certified? If a part catches fire and burns the house down, will you have liability insurance to cover it? What happens if something breaks 2 months after sale and the buyer is so clueless they wouldn't even know how to fix a broken wire? They will call you and expect it fixed for free.

What about issues of software licenses. Will you be able to get permission to distribute MAME and other software with the machine? If not, what happens? Most people only know how to surf the internet and check email. They won't be able to install emulators and roms.

etc, etc...



DreamArcades:
Obviously I have a vested interest in turning any new low cost arcade builders away from the idea.

But I want to point out two things. First, there are a couple companies selling low cost arcades on eBay, Dream Arcades being one of them.

Second, it
Navigation
Message Index
Next page

Go to full version