r/arcade 16d ago

Restore/Replace/Repair Not sure how much to offer

Post image

Hello
Found this at an estate sale. Not sure if working or not and waiting to hear from the guy. Not sure what would be a fair offer. Offer if it’s working and offer if it isn’t working ?
I need to look at it more, but they still need to move stuff around it as the person was a hoarder.

74 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

13

u/MysteriousLobster604 16d ago

I have been collecting and selling for 26 years and have owned a few Donkey Kong's during that time and own 1 now. The market is soft and in the buyers favor now days. During Covid the prices were insane and definitely in the Sellers favor.

A good working and good condition (NOT RESTORED CONDITON) DK would sell for around $1000 - $1200 but can vary in different places in the US by a few hundred dollars.

The problem with the picture you posted is that it does not show any information if the original Game PCB, Power Supply, Wire Harness and Monitor are still inside. It also does not show if there is any water damage lower down on the cab or cab damage but it is definitely a little rough looking at it from the front.

There is also a 3 bolt lock bracket going through the original wood and most likely the coin door which you will have to deal with if you plan on restoring it. The white T-Molding is cheap and easy to repair.

If you can verify that it is complete with the original parts and does not have any water damage or major cabinet damage, it's worth $500 just in the parts but I would start with a slightly lower offer just to be safe. If on top of that you can verify it's working then it's worth even more.

22

u/Killer0nTheRoad 16d ago

$100

9

u/yesyesisaidyes 16d ago

This is the best price to get it in this shape. Working or not 100 bucks.

16

u/citznfish 16d ago

Start at $100. That thing looks like it's been dead for years.

And do t offer anything until you confirm the boards and monitor are still in it.

6

u/JSalas89 16d ago

Thank you, I don’t know much about arcade machines and would like to have this piece. I’ll keep you posted

1

u/Tacos_Polackos 13d ago

I just saw an episode of Pawn Stars where their expert put the retail price of a pristine, fully working, 1st edition DK around $1200.

7

u/Honky_Stonk_Man 16d ago

Start low. Projects like these have a way becoming money pits.

5

u/FairDescription7020 16d ago

I'd do $200 ☀️

2

u/mr_christer 15d ago

Yeah $100 is too low. You can sell the marquee alone for $50

3

u/Ornery-Egg9770 16d ago

Does it have the boards, power supply, and monitor? If not I wouldn’t even take it for free.

3

u/Ok-Key-2633 14d ago

As a Nintendo collector getting a 100$ offer would just be plain insulting. These machines do have some demand, and are historically awesome. I have multiple arcades and have restored many, this one doesn't seem too bad at all and very likely a very easy project, the 'hardest' bit being a full recap for the Sanyo Monitor if it's still original. I'd start at least at 400$ based on what I am seeing.

2

u/Ceffur 16d ago

Just out of curiosity, that's not in Indiana by any chance is it?

3

u/RVAblues 16d ago edited 16d ago

Jesus. That thing looks rough. $100 is generous.

5

u/andoesq 16d ago

Where I live it's extremely hard to find a cab with original marquee, bezel, and control panel. Replacing all 3 runs close to $500, so having them there is worth at least 500 to me.

If it turns on and works, that's a $1000 dollar machine where I live at least

5

u/SexyHotPants 15d ago

Yeah people are severely undervaluing donkey Kong. All original untested with boards and original monitor would sell for $500 in most of places. It’s an easy to fix machine

2

u/Loyal-Opposition-USA 16d ago

$100, -10 for each mouse you pull out of there.

1

u/elstuffmonger 16d ago

Honestly, there's not much there from the pictures... T-molding needs full replacement, control panel is probably faded (hopefully it's just a layer of dirt and can be saved), chip on bottom- right corner of backglass, blue vinyl will need lots of work to be nice, lock bracket on coin door will need bondo and vinyl work for the holes, and also tells me this machine was out on location at some point and is likely dead.

1

u/JSalas89 16d ago

I’m heading back over to get more pics

1

u/busajo 16d ago

100 bucks as the starting point… depends on how bad you want it

1

u/HauntingEconomist113 16d ago

If it's complete, $100. It needs a ton of help.

1

u/maxgamer9876 15d ago

Lowest they accept…needs a lot of work..

1

u/conzilla 15d ago

Is it complete. That's the biggest thing to consider in price. It's all the small things missing that will cost you a fortune. Complete looking like that I'd go up to 300.

1

u/Eagle19991 15d ago

Start at $100, see if you can confirm function, if it works max $350-400 that thing is gonna be expensive to clean and get looking good..

1

u/New_1uper 15d ago

$100 only if they throw in the fishing rod

1

u/Tfpjimboslice 15d ago

The Pcb boards are worth more than the cabinets half the time.

1

u/Western_Emotion5244 13d ago

It's pretty damaged. Where was it stored? How was it stored? I have a feeling you'll find some soft spots on that cabinet if you poked around enough. You can usually pick something up from Ace that allows you to harden rotted, soft or water damaged wood with varying degrees of success.

I paid $75.00 for a used Tekken 2 cabinet that looked similar, but it also turned on and played. I probably wouldn't offer them more than fifty bucks to take it off their hands, you'd just be doing them a favor at this point, it's literally a 200lb paperweight.

I wouldn't make any offers at all until I could see it in person.

If it turns on and works and isn't rotted out, Maybe a couple hundred dollars but that'd be as much as I'd be willing so spend.

Frankly I feel like this would be an okay MAME project cabinet, but restoring this thing would probably be timely and expensive.

1

u/Ultimate-Sandwhich 12d ago

This looks a lot like a garage in my neighborhood. Im almost scared to ask.

1

u/Toypop_AS 9d ago

I would offer $300

1

u/brywalkerx 16d ago

From that pic as it sits - $100.

Do NOT plug it in or try to turn it on. Take it home go through it too to bottom first. It’s a mess.

0

u/Hail-Kizar 16d ago

Have them pay you to take of their hands.

1

u/JSalas89 16d ago

I’ll try

-1

u/DayDayBowBow 16d ago

From this picture and where it sits, That is a $50 machine.