Pinball restoration and resale

Hobby collectors, people building a games room at home and the odd small business wanting one machine.

Profit on each machine sold after parts and your time, plus paid repairs, parts sales and delivery fees.

• Basic electrical and mechanical repair
• Patience with fiddly troubleshooting
• Spotting good-value machines
• Online selling and photography

• Check your municipality's rules for running a business from home, including noise, storage and customer visits
• Heavy machines (often well over 100 kg), so plan safe lifting, a dolly and a suitable vehicle to avoid injury
• Check commercial general liability insurance, especially if you deliver and install
• Machines can have hidden faults and parts can be scarce, so budget for repair time
• Cold garages in winter can hurt electronics and slow work, so check heating and damp
• Check how sales tax (GST/HST/PST) applies to you, and keep records of purchase prices

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how many machines you buy, your tools and your parts budget. Machines can have hidden faults, so budget for repair time as well.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $500 to $4,000, depending on how many machines you sell and the prices they fetch. These are revenue figures, so purchase costs and parts come out of them.

Check your municipality's rules for running a business from home, including noise, storage and customer visits. Also check commercial general liability insurance if you deliver and install, safe lifting for heavy machines, and how GST/HST/PST applies to your sales.