CABINET BUYER GUIDE

Before you send money for your first arcade cabinet

A cheap cabinet gets expensive fast when the CRT is dying, the wiring is hacked, the stairs are ugly, or the seller cannot prove what they are selling.

Quick deal-risk triage

Green

Current video, clear photos, known pickup path, working status, dimensions, and seller identity all make sense.

Yellow

Some proof exists, but monitor, wiring, damage, or pickup facts are missing. Ask before negotiating.

Red

Deposit pressure, no current proof, vague shipping, unknown access, or “trust me” condition language. Slow down.

First-cabinet inspection scorecard

□ Power status: does it boot reliably, reboot, hum, or trip power?
□ CRT behavior: image, color, collapse, burn-in, geometry, flicker, or LCD conversion.
□ Controls: joystick/buttons/trackball/spinner response and hacked replacements.
□ Board/game boot: original board, multiboard, bootleg, error screen, or unknown.
□ Sound: working, distorted, missing, intermittent, or too loud/quiet.
□ Cabinet body: water swelling, delamination, missing back door, broken feet, loose panels.
□ Coin door and keys: present, missing, drilled, locked, or mismatched.
□ Wiring: original harness, JAMMA conversion, hacked splices, taped repairs, unknown work.
□ Artwork: marquee, bezel, control panel overlay, side art, repaint, or vinyl cover-up.

Copy/paste seller photo request

Before I make an offer, can you send current photos/video of: the full front, both sides, back door, inside the back door, monitor running, control panel close-up, coin door, serial/manufacturer tag if present, power cord, any damage, and the path from cabinet to truck? Also please confirm stairs, door width, and whether it has keys/back door.

Walk away or slow down if...

  • • Seller wants a deposit before proving the cabinet exists and powers on.
  • • No photos of the monitor running, control panel, back door, inside cabinet, or pickup path.
  • • “Worked last time I checked” with no current video.
  • • Freight or shipping money requested before identity and logistics are verified.
  • • Cabinet is in a basement, tight stairwell, storage unit, or distant pickup with no measurements.

Turn this into a cabinet brief

Use the Cabinet Command Center to turn machine type, price, condition, photos, and pickup risk into something you can send before money changes hands.

BUILD BUYER BRIEF