Classic Soda Machines Book

[BrianS]

Ok, so can you tell me where this "Estimated Values" section is located on the site? I looked on the home page and do not see it.  Is it a list? or is it tacked on with each machine's description?

The Estimated Values section is a heading on the Discussion Areas Main Page.  Its the 4th heading from the top.  Its not a machine by machine list, its just an ongoing list of posts discussing various machine models and questions asked by others regarding something they have come across.  For my .02, it seems like the search feature can bring up a current topic on price for almost anything but the rarest of items.  It also allows you to see the corresponding photos so you can attach a condition factor  to the machine you are looking at.

[Creighton]

Great thread.
Good point on the rare and valuable machines. They just don't show up here.
Creighton

[pinballdude]

Oops. I was looking for estimated Values on the SMC home page not the discussion pages. I automatically go to the unread topics section of the forum.

[MaineT]

     A poll is a good idea John.

      SMC members as a group have a much better grip on current prices than Rick Dale seems to express.

      In the 1999 book, the 81D is listed at $1950.00 unrestored and $4450.00 restored.

      It may take a few months but we could use the survey function in this discussion area to get current prices from members who have witnessed actual sales, not just asking prices of these machines.

       Example of 2013 prices of the 81D...........$1950.00 / $6450.00 ?  ?  ?  

The major problem that I see is that people would have to only chime in if they have actually SOLD a machine and then be honest about it. That is not going to work here. Everyone here wants to buy wholesale and then flip for a profit so they all think everything selling is overpriced and will only chime in with their buy prices and not their sold prices.

The whole "what would you pay" survey won't work because it would have to be about actual sales for fair market value which won't happen.

If SMC members ever came into reality with the pricing then it would have some value but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[Eric]

The major problem that I see is that people would have to only chime in if they have actually SOLD a machine and then be honest about it. That is not going to work here. Everyone here wants to buy wholesale and then flip for a profit so they all think everything selling is overpriced and will only chime in with their buy prices and not their sold prices.

The whole "what would you pay" survey won't work because it would have to be about actual sales for fair market value which won't happen.

If SMC members ever came into reality with the pricing then it would have some value but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Wow.. tell us how you really feel about the group...  Is this yourself included....

[MaineT]

Wow.. tell us how you really feel about the group...  Is this yourself included....

I've been upfront with what I get if I buy or sell a machine. I started a topic on prices a couple of months ago that had a couple of members being honest.... and a lot of silence from those not wanting to tell!! I've been saying for a long time that I wasn't in this 20 years ago when you could buy machines everywhere at the prices everyone wants them for now. Now a days, these prices are the one off and there are deals out there but that doesn't mean a fair market value or replacement price for a vendo 81 or cav 72 is $750 to $1000 although they can be found for that and flipped or kept for a smoking deal.

SMC is a place of collectors that are patient people that are a lot smarter with their money then the average joe that wants a machine or 2. That doesn't mean that is the market. The market includes the auctions where they go for a mint and flop on their face, not just the ones where they flop on their face! That is our buy price point.

Also, if a machine lasts a couple of days on Craigslist, that's not even close to fair market value.... Those are the chase machines and ate the steals that have to be taken out of the "sale" prices just like the auction fliers that are also out of reality because it was used in a movie, owned by a celebrity, charity event, etc... 

And yes, I'm a lot more cynical about this place now that someone here tried to F me in a big way!!!! Made me a lowball offer on a machine that wasn't for sale, forgetting I tried to buy the same one from his but he backed out at a price almost quadruple his offer to buy mine!! If quadruple wasn't enough for him to part with his, why offer me 1/4 of that to try to buy mine and tell me they aren't worth anything....

There are a lot of really good people here, but there are a few waiting to screw you too.

[bcharlton]

I think I enjoyed the site a little better years ago when it wasn't so "money oriented".

Once again I find myself saying that I don't begrudge anyone from making a buck, but I don't remember the site focusing so much of it's energy on threads on how much things could be 'flipped" for.  I do not blame the members.

I blame the two TV shows that have made it a lot less fun to collect old stuff from the forties and fifties.  I'm glad my first 10 years collecting I did not have to explain why a rusted non working Vendo 39 wasn't worth $3000 because with a "new" paint job, you could get $6 grand for it.

Maybe we should have a "I just want to flip it" forum section that could be a based on member's "great deals and frustrations" with those who relay heavily on the income this hobby produces.

Just my .02

[MoonDawg]

       Knowing pricing is not only for flipping, collectors don't want to overpay for something they like .........or hesitate too long on something that is priced low.

The whole "what would you pay" survey won't work because it would have to be about actual sales for fair market value which won't happen.

       Input wouldn't have to come from our own sales, Craigslist ads and  completed ebay sales and can be input by anybody.
     I did sell a nice unrestored 81D on E-bay last week for $3000.00, that I am not to timid to disclose, and it will be shipping to Austrailia. 2 other members here have made some nice purchases on 81's this week and those will be on the market soon. I see no reason why selling prices would not be disclosed AFTER the machine has sold, after all, they were listed on e-bay for the world to see. But none of these 3 machines fall into either the low or high end of the pricing spectrum that we have established now, they are either above average original or an early restoration.
       Since a few members have already offered their help, my thinking is that a lot of this information could be added to a database somehow, at least for our most popular models, and come up with some pretty valuable information.
             I know I would be watching trends like are prices higher when Rick is on TV? Which countries are buying? How does the economy affect Soda machine prices? etc.

[MaineT]

       Knowing pricing is not only for flipping, collectors don't want to overpay for something they like .........or hesitate too long on something that is priced low.

Well, I'm getting lit up with PM's from people telling me that they agree with what I said. Thanks for the support.

If you had to say what cars were worth and could only watch Barrett Jackson you would think every car out there is worth at least $50,000-150,000, but you can't ignore these sales when saying what they are worth.

Real collectors are the ones paying top dollar for items if it's coke machines when they find the right ones, cars, gas & oil stuff, stamps, coins, etc.

Retail sales are the top of the market that will be hard to capture but I say lets give it a try if you know people that are going to be willing to share.

I think it would have value to have this info out there to correct the perceptions of value so I will be in if sell a machine or see ones to include. It will only be possible to keep this for the more common machines as the one offs will not have a sample size to get a statistically relevant price.

Auction result.... This is one of the ones that I'm talking about when talking about the other end of the spectrum. This is a flier just as much as the $1500 Vendo 81D that 'could' be a "sale price" but could also be to flipped for a profit.
Vendo 44--- $17,000 - December 2012- Must have been filled with silver coins!!!
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/14992806_antique-model-44-coke-machine

[MaineT]

As far as prices, I think there should be 3 price points if you are tracking.

Restored.
Clean/presentable original
Needs restoration

I've said it before, I would pay more for most clean originals before I paid anything close to the "professionally restored" prices. Although the money was spent, to me your devaluing the machine by restoring it if it was a good clean original. If its a clean original the restorer still has to put $3-4000 into it whether or not it needs it.

Its not a knock on restorers, they do great work and 65-75% of the machines will fall into the needs restoration category and will have completely different values from the premium original machines.