My First Auction!

[zzaz3]

Just when I gave up looking around on the net for a cabinet to buy I come across a ad in my local paper.  A local arcade is going out of business and they're auctioning off everything! (Kinda bitter-sweet )  I'm so hyped about this.  I'm almost positive I'll be able to get a sweet deal on an awesome cab. (Bases on some websites I've seen)

I'm going for inspection on Friday and was hoping you guys could give me some pointers.  What are things I need to look for?  Any specific cabinets you think I should avoid?  What's a good price for a cabinet?  More specifically, whats a good price for a Neo-Geo cabinet? (If they have one. Fingers crossed!) 

Thanks for all your help!  Soon I'll have a MAME of my very own thanks to you guys!   

[cmoses]

What controls do you want on your panel.  I would make this the biggest issue to look at.  Control panel size is something that cannot be easily modified usually.  Make sure the cabinet you get will give you enough room to add more buttons, trackball, spinner or whatever you want.

You will pay less for an empty cabinet then a game in semi or working condition.  Are you just looking at bare cabinets?

So where is this auction, sounds cool, although bitter sweet if it means an arcade is closing.

[Turnarcades]

Look for the ones with dimensions to suit your home (measure your door frames and take a tape measure to the auction), check they work first, check for interior damp and details of their storage and check the controls for wear.

I'm doubtful these days you can find much better bargains than ebay. I rarely shop for anything myself anymore that can't be had cheaper than on ebay. It's definitely the no. 1 source of arcade buying in the UK.

[zzaz3]

I'm not sure what kind of cabinets their selling.  No idea what to expect!  It's in Atlanta.


Good call on measuring my door!  I never would of thought of that.  What's the average price on cabinet's you've bought? 

[Turnarcades]

Good call on measuring my door!  I never would of thought of that.  What's the average price on cabinet's you've bought? 

I don't - we build them. 
Obviously I trawl ebay frequently as I list on there myself periodically and some customers have ordered controls to fit into their cabinets they are MAME converting. Here's what I see frequently:

- Generic 2-player JAMMA cabinet - £50-£100 (empty or with controls only), £100-£200 (unfinished projects with a monitor, controls and maybe an unfinished PC), £200-£400 (Fully converted for MAME with new artwork, custom control panel etc. and a working PC)
- Proper custom MAME cabinets - £300-£600 (larger custom shells with more controls, up to 'project' standards you see on BYOAC)
- Genuine arcade machines - £50-£100 (empty shells in average condition), £100-£300 (complete cabinets (non-classic, average condition), £300-£1500 ((classics in better condition), £500-£1500 ('simulation' type cabs like racers/skiing/DDR/etc.)

[CrazyKongFan]

Who is doing the auction? If it's Super Auctions, you might find some gutted cabs that would be perfect starting points for a MAME cab. They always seem to have a bunch of gutted or non-working cabs they sell at the end that go pretty cheap. That way you aren't ruining a good working cab That's what I did when I got mine. It was a gutted Robotron cab (that had been converted to Final Fight, plus several others in between). All it had left in it was 2 crappy joysticks (which I replaced), and the start and player buttons, plus the Final Fight PCB and marquee, and the old Williams power supply and Robotron glass bezel. 

[zzaz3]

Actually, turns out a friend of mine does work working as a hobby.  He said he might be able to help me build one of my own.    I sure hope it works out, having a homebuilt arcade would be kick ass.


It's just an arcade that went bankrupt, so they're selling everything they have.  I doubt I'll end up with any empty cabinet, but maybe a broken one.