Pinball machines in Belgium
There are quite a lot of people interested in pinball machines in Belgium. A lot of people who have pinball machines at home, are interested in buying or selling a pinball machine, and much more people still play it regulary in pubs.. Even though pinball machines aren't located in every pub anymore, the latest games still get distributed here so if you look around (especially in large cities) you can play the newest games. You won't find them on every street corner anymore, but if you search around you'll find some, pinball machines are not totally extinct.
Buying a pinball machine
New pinball machines are expensive. Expect to pay around 4500 euro (vat included, depending on distributor). for the latest Stern.
Fortunately used machines are cheaper. If you look around you can find
them at a lot of places.
You can phone people in the Yellow Pages
who are busy with amusement games, some of them may still have some pins for sale.
However not too many people still operate pinball machines or are interested in
selling to a private person, although they may refer you to a collegue who does..
You will have more success visiting one of the shows in Belgium,
as a lot of dealers and collectors go there to sell some machines.
I also know some operators and collectors that buy and sell pinball machines,
feel free to contact me if you look for a specific machine.
Don't forget to check out ads in newspapers and
Koopjeskrant , and auction sites like eBay.
As almost every belgian collector checks these sites daily,
don't expect to find any treasures, especially if the ad is already
online for a few days.. but you never know.
Even at shops with used furniture you sometimes find pins and video arcade machines for sale.
But be careful as sometimes people dump pins with problems this way, as the
buyer does not know who the seller was thus cannot complain..
If you have questions about a pin you found for sale, need an opinion about it
(if the game itself is good, if it works well, price is ok, you won't have any
problems with it, need help to clean it, ..), you may always email me.
Sometimes the most easy way to find a pinball machine is to put a 'WANTED pinball machine' ad and
let the machines find you..
Buying pinball parts
I also sell some parts, see our pinball parts for sale page and have many more, let me know if you search something specific. You can also contact some of the people who sell pins in Belgium as they have parts for sale too.
If you need specific game parts (plastics, special targets, ..)
then you probably have to search outside Belgium..
Most people in belgium order from dealers in the Netherlands,
like Serious Pinball.
If you still haven't found what you're looking for, you'll have to order from the USA.. there are some excellent dealers over there, and if they don't have it, your last resort may be eBay..
If you have to order from the USA, keep in mind there are import taxes to pay !
My last order from an American dealer was $130.. add $30 shipping and handling costs by the dealer.
Then add $10 local delivery, and import duty.. which made the total
cost of the package well over $200 !
If you need electronic parts, check Conrad.be
Diodes, fuses, transistors, .. dmm's, soldering irons, just about everything you need to
repair a pinball machine.
You can also buy a lot of tools at DealExtreme.
Pinball shows
Check the Pinball Show Agenda to see what shows in Europe are coming..
We also review pinball shows we visited.
Pinball repairs
Need help repairing your pinball machine ?
At www.pinrepair.com you'll find detailed repair guides. If you can't solve it yourself and you want someone to repair it at your house, contact us as we also know pinball repair persons for the most areas in Belgium. If you have a broken pinball machine in Belgium and need help, email us: don't forget to mention the model of pinball machine, what exactly is broken and where you live.
You can also register at one of the belgian forums where pinballers meet and ask there for help, like Gameroom and EricPinball.Be.