Often times people hesitate to sell their pinball machine online because they're worried that shipping the machine will be difficult. We make it easy for anybody to ship a pinball machine. Below we've posted some tips on how to prepare your pinball machine for shipping and what are the most common ways pinball machines are shipped.

Note: Our rates are available for people who ship on a pallet or use a crate as it makes pickup and transportation easier and safer. If you need help on sourcing a pallet, please let us know. As of right now we can't take a machine that is being shipped with the legs on. We provide the instructions for legs on shipping purely as an information resource, but we are not equipped to handle legs on shipping at this time. We can only accept machines on a pallet or crated.

Preparing the Pinball Machine for Shipping

Legs Off on a Pallet

One of the most common ways to ship a pinball machine is to remove the legs and to place the machine folded up on a pallet. When prepared properly, this is a stable and safe way to ship a pinball machine. Here's the process for preparing a pinball machine to be shipped on a pallet (pictures to come soon).

1. Remove the pinballs from the game and place them in a bag inside the coin box. Also remove the coin box from the cabinet. Lock the coin door and put the keys inside the coin box. If the coin box is missing, use a resealable bag.
2. Wrap the head of the machine with mobile wrap with a packing material between the wrap and the machine's backglass/translite. This will keep the glass from rattling during shipping. Pack it snugly. If this is an older machine where the head does not fold down, remove the head from the machine after wrapping it.
3. Place cardboard over the playfield glass, making sure it extends beyond the siderails on each side.
4. Fold the head down over the cardboard and secure the head to the cabinet with mobile wrap. Use plenty of wrap to protect the body of the cabinet. Extra cardboard can be used to protect the body as well.
5. Remove the rear legs of the cabinet while standing it up on its back upon the pallet. Center it on the pallet. Remove the front legs.
6. Wrap each of the four pinball legs individually with mobile wrap or several layers of newspaper. Mobile wrap them together once they've been individually protected. Wrap the legs to the cabinet using more mobile wrap. Feel free to add some extra passes of mobile wrap around the cabinet at this point. You can also wrap the entire machine in another layer of cardboard for added protection.
7. Wrap the coin box with the pinballs and keys to the cabinet. It's a good idea to pack the coin box with material so that the pinballs and keys don't slide around during shipping within the coin box.
8. Secure the pinball machine to the pallet. Ratcheting straps work very well and are more secure than rope. Metal banding is effective, but do not over tighten it if you use it. Ratchet straps are probably best.
9. Ensure that the weight is well-balanced on the pallet. If you centered it well, everything should be perfect. Double check your ratchet straps that they're properly adjusted and that they won't slide or loosen during transit.

Note: If you are shipping a machine where you had to remove the head form the cabinet, the best place to put in on the pallet is right behind the cabinet body. Just make sure that there is cardboard and wrap between the two so that they don't rub during shipping. You may also want to ratchet strap them together.

Shipping in a Crate

The most secure way to ship a pinball machine is in a crate, but in most cases it requires that the seller either makes their own crate for shipping or that they pay extra for a crating service. If you choose to make a crate for the pinball machine you are shipping, it's best to make one that has a pallet underneath so that it can be moved by forklift. Also, make sure that the machine is standing up on its back with the legs off to minimize the footprint. There's no basic process for building a crate around a pinball machine, just make sure that there's cardboard between the head and body of the machine so that they don't rub. Also take care to make sure that the backglass/translite is secure with packing material and mobile wrap within the head.

Legs On

Another common way to ship a game is to leave the legs on the machine while taking care to protect the body and head of the machine from damage. Here are the steps for shipping a machine with the legs on (pictures coming soon).

1. Remove the pinballs from the game and place them in a bag inside the coin box. Also remove the coin box from the cabinet. Lock the coin door and put the keys inside the coin box. If the coin box is missing, use a resealable bag.
2. Wrap the head of the machine with mobile wrap with a packing material between the wrap and the machine's backglass/translite. This will keep the glass from rattling during shipping. Pack it snugly. If this is an older machine where the head does not fold down, remove the head from the machine after wrapping it.
3. Place cardboard over the playfield glass, making sure it extends beyond the siderails on each side and covers the sides of the cabinet. Use additional sheets of cardboard to cover the body of the machine, if needed.
4. Fold the head down over the cardboard and secure the head to the cabinet with mobile wrap. Use plenty of wrap to protect the body of the cabinet. Extra cardboard can be used to protect the body as well. If you removed the head of the machine, lay it on top of the cabinet and wrap it to the cabinet. Ratchet straps are a great way to ensure that the head and the body are held together well.
5. Attach the coin box to the machine using mobile wrap.
6. Make sure that the cabinet and head of the machine are properly protected with cardboard and mobile wrap.
7. Make notes to attach to the machine telling the shipper not to stack other objects on top of the machine.

Shippers will generally take the machine just like this and load it up with the legs on into the truck. It's a good idea to use enough cardboard to cover the body and head entirely. Since shipping with the legs on uses a larger footprint in the truck, our quotes are only available for those that ship on a pallet or in a crate. We understand that shipping legs on is easier for some, but it's harder to manage for shipping companies due to the larger footprint and the inability to use a forklift or pallet jack for moving the machines.

What is the best method for shipping a pinball machine?

Shipping in a crate is the safest way to ship a pinball machine, but it's very time consuming and somewhat pricey to prepare a machine to be shipped in this manner. The buyer may be willing to pay for the machine to be crated, however. Due to the work involved, most buyers don't demand that the game be shipped in a crate, however.

When it comes to choosing between shipping with the legs off or with the legs on, it comes down to preference. Many sellers will ask the buyer what they prefer; and we suggest you do the same. Both have their advantages and concerns, however. When shipping with the legs off on a pallet, you can reduce the footprint of the shipment, better wrap the machine for added protection, obscure the fact that it's a pinball machine, and make it easy to move with a forklift. Shipments on a pallet are also less likely to be damaged. When shipping with the legs on, you can prepare the machine quickly, make it easy to move without a forklift, and make it easier for the buyer to unwrap and set up. The big downside of legs on shipping is that it is more expensive and there's a higher risk of damage to the machine during shipping. In the end, if you aren't going to crate the machine, find out from the buyer how they'd prefer you to prepare it for shipping and that will be the best way to go.

To get a quote on pinball machine shipping, please call us at 801.200.3596 or fill out our quote request form.