Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (
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Hi Boyd
I order a lot of pin parts, and there is some sticker shock - most of the
little stuff is not expensive alone, but then you order a bunch of little
items and get a huge bill. Been there, done that. My last PBR order had at
least $50 worth of fuses on it
I bought 2 project WPC pins and every last
fuse had been stripped out of the game.
I spread my orders out a lot, though. I've had excellent luck with all the
suppliers I've used. That's almost a necessity anymore, as if you're looking
for something unusual at all, you're gonna have to try a lot of places. I
ordered parts for these projects from Marco, BAA, PBR and a couple other
sources.
PBR is great. Huge variety, always very competitively priced. The 10% off
orders of $100 or more is very helpful. I try to always make sure I get over
$100 on every order. Steve seems to have an excellent stock of game specific
parts. Folks often say Steve is grouchy, I don't share that opinion, but I
do my dangdest to have part #'s and place my orders through e-mail. I'd
rather send an e-mail than call an order in anyways. Easier.
BAA is great, too. BAA and Marco are tied for the best online store. Prices
are fairly good, and the stuff gets here *quick*. I like the fact that BAA
will ship First Class, I've often ordered a small part and didn't need it in
a hurry, so I selected First Class. Cost was around 2 bucks, and the items
seemed to get here almost as quick as if I'd selected priority! BAA seems to
have the best prices on star posts and bridge rectifiers.
Marco has a great online store, as I mentioned above. The biggest complaint
I have is their fixed shipping charge - often makes them very expensive on
small items - but I'm not really gonna complain about that - it's just like
anywhere else, try to order enough stuff together to divide the shipping
charge amongst numerous items. Their flat rate is very clearly stated on
their site.
Pinball Life is very fast to ship, too. Very basic website, but mine is even
more basic
I can't see how I can beat their price on rings, Suzo and Wico
are higher, been awhile since I checked Happ. My stockpile is running low,
and I need some rings, so I'll be ordering a bunch from Pinball Life soon!
Probably some bulbs, too. Terry is a nice guy, and always confirms your
order with a nice e-mail, which is a pleasant added touch. The way Terry
charges shipping (based on $$ amount spent, not weight) can be a pain, but I
guess it could be beneficial if you're ordering a bunch of coin doors and
legs.. so again, it's a matter of planning out ones order.
Dave at FAO is a super nice guy and often has some hard to find parts as
well. Dave's gotten some hard to find parts out of Stern for me in the past,
and I don't send as much business his way as I could.
It's been awhile since I ordered from Centsible Amusements, but Centsible
always has low prices, ships relatively quick and provides excellent
customer service. I think I placed my first ever order of pin parts with
Centsible, the guy at Centsible was patient enough to teach me how to get
the lockdown bar off my first pin and lift the playfield
DMS used to be a good source for game specific stuff, but the business
doesn't seem to be a priority for the owner anymore. I know he's had some
tough times in life in the last year and I hope things are going well for
him.
Great Plains Electronics is a great resource for transistors, high voltage
rebuild kits for WPC games, and other pinball related electronic goodies.
Could I whip out my Jameco or Digikey catalog and save a few cents? Perhaps,
but it's so easy dealing with Ed, I don't typically bother. Ed has been very
helpful with advice on tools and parts.
And of course, there are some great folks out there who make custom products
or offer speical services, such as the artisan of stainless steel, Cliffy.
Lotsa great folks to deal with in this hobby... all sharing the same twisted
sickness
Now if I could just find enough parts to save this 2nd I500, I'd be as happy
as a cold pig in warm mud
--
http://www.myhomegameroom.com
"Boyd Bottorff" <bbottorff@nomail.com> wrote in message
news:1h1vhvr.1eievdd1b0iuyyN%bbottorff@nomail.com...
>I just sent off my first ever check for pinball parts... had a bit of
> sticker shock when I found out what the total was. Not too much of a
> shock, but enough of one. I checked around, and I don't think I was
> ripped off-- I just wasn't expecting how much it comes to when you buy
> *that many* switches at a time. Plus all the other basic stuff a
> first-timer needs.
>
> But I was wondering-- those of you who work on pins: how do you feel
> about the different suppliers out there? Price? Variety of parts
> availible? Amount of TLC they give you?
>
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