Online Ambassador

Operator & distributor promotes coin-op through website sales and charitable activities.

To call him insatiable is to downplay his passion for the world of amusement games. Describing him as enthusiastic is downplaying his seemingly boundless energy for work and play. A conversation with him will inevitably find itself leading to the statement: "What a great time I have, providing the incredible games that our industry produces to people who are really looking forward to enjoying them."

Not surprisingly, this past holiday season found operator-turned distributon-GM-turned- online-coin-op-entrepreneur Jack Guarnieri working 15 hour days filling orders for his consumer customers, who were looking to brighten their home with a new or vintage pinball machine or maybe a classic jukebox. Some of that time was also spent promoting and providing high-quality coin-op equipment in service to good causes, including local and national charities.

Jack’s website, pinballsales.com, which he founded approximately two years ago, enjoyed record business during the last quarter of 2001 as consumers turned their focus inward toward family-centered activities.  "Some people didn't take a vacation this year and instead bought a Wurlitzer jukebox for their home," Jack explained. "It's all part of the cocooning movement that has been further solidified by the Sept. 11 tragedy."

Even before the holiday season kicked into full swing, pinballsales.com was busy in early November promoting and selling 17 one-of-a-kind Stern Monopoly Platinum pinball machines on eBay. Each game represented a different property from the Monopoly board. One of the games, the Monopoly Platinum Boardwalk game was featured as part of eBay’s Greatest Gifts of All, and the proceeds of the sale of the game went to charity.

The Boardwalk game, which fetched a final bid of $5,625, came with an engraved plaque affixed with the Boardwalk title card confirming its uniqueness. Stern Pinball’s Gary Stern, Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld, game designer Pat Lawlor and artist John Youssi also signed the pinball backglass as well. Boundless Playgrounds, a non-profit group that designs and builds playgrounds for children of all ages and abilities, received $4,500 of the proceeds. According to Guarnieri, who collaborated on the charity auction along with Stern, Hasbro, Pat Lawlor Design and eBay, the 10-day event produced 1.4 million hits on the eBay home page and collectibles page.

"The tremendous exposure for Stern Pinball's Monopoly and the simple fact that new pinball machines are still being built and are available is priceless for this kind of event," said Jack. "We have gotten hundreds of e-mails and phone calls about pinball machines. It's huge!"

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Pinballsales.com also donated a Gottlieb Rescue 911 for auction on eBay. The proceeds of the sale ($950) went to victims of the tragedy. The Lakewood, N.J.,-based consumer-oriented website also recently donated a Black Onyx Wurlitzer CD Jukebox for auction to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in northern New Jersey, a group which has raised close to $2 million for breast cancer research.

Most impressively, Jack auctioned a lunch with Monopoly creators Gary Stern and Pat Lawlor at an Italian restaurant in industrial Melrose Park, Ill., just west of Chicago, followed by a tour of the flipper factory. The top bidder in that auction, Alexander Woo of China, plans to travel this month along with his wife and two friends to sit down and break bread with these pinball wizards. The price he paid for this engagement: $1,825, the proceeds of which were donated to the 9-11 fund through eBay's Auction for America. "Can you believe that," laughs Jack. "I'm wondering what Breakfast with those two guys would bring? But in all seriousness, we have really done what we wanted to with the auctions by raising more awareness and consciousness of our products."

In addition to all this online charitable work, Jack is also active in his local Knights of Columbus Council and says the spirit of giving is important to him both personally and professionally. "Any opportunity to give back to my community that comes along, I am not going to say no," he says.

Pinballsales.com deals in both new and used pinball machines, along with Wurlitzer jukeboxes and video games, almost entirely for consumer sale. Guarnieri, a former street and arcade operator who also served as a consultant then as GM for Mondial and State Sales branches in New Jersey, says the recent sales have been heavily weighted to new pinball. "When you have spectacular products to sell like Austin Powers and Monopoly, you can really market the new games," he explains. "We have also seen the price of used pins go up because they are becoming collectors items. I mean, let’s face it, all 22,000 of the Addams Family machines that were produced have probably found permanent homes by now."

In addition to the games that they marketed online, pinballsales.com also plans to begin promoting special signed editions of Wurlitzer CD jukeboxes. In the past, they sold a very limited run of Gold Austin Powers pins to home-based buyers. "We are really trying to take the message out there to the players and the end users. Hopefully that will ultimately drive sales for other distributors as we create more awareness and demand for the games," says Jack, adding that many of his consumer customers are coin-op fanatics who cannot get enough of this unique brand of entertainment. "The easiest sales are often the people who have already bought from us before."

Spend a little time talking to Jack about this industry and its products, and you will find out why that’s not surprising. To get a taste of Jack’s unique perspective, log on to pinballsales.com, where you will also find some sharply written commentaries penned by the online guru of pinball-and-many-other-things-coin-op himself. Happy surfing!

Copyright RePlay Magazine February 2002 pages 43 & 44