Frequently Asked Questions about Pinball Magazine and their answers:
Q: Can you do a repair feature in Pinball Magazine?
A: This question, or suggestion, keeps coming in a lot. It would certainly be nice to have such a feature, but Pinball Magazine is aware that this is sort of ‘thin ice to move on’. The editor knows several ‘technicians’ who truly think they are experts, but he would not even let them play a game on his machines. Not to mention ‘fix’ them. Some technicians seem to think their method is the only way to fix something and everybody else’s method is wrong. That snake-pit Pinball Magazine prefers to stay out of. If you need to fix a problem with your pinball machine, chances are the solution is covered online on various websites such as pinballhelp.com and/or forums.
Still we won’t exclude a repair feature in the future, but it currently no priority. Also, in order to do such a feature, PM would need a good technician who could write about it in a way that is also pleasant to read. However, if you know any, please contact the editor via the contact-page.
Q: When will the next Issue of Pinball Magazine be available?
A: When all copy is revised and approved, all photos are taken and/or collected, all DTP work is done and the magazine really has the quality it should have. That being said, and looking at the current progress, Issue 6 will hopefully be available in April 2022, but looking at the amount of material to process it may very well be later.
Q: What will be the content of the next issue of Pinball Magazine?
A: Full details will be revealed in time.
Q: When is the Python issue coming out?
A: The Python issue was originally scheduled to be Pinball magazine No. 3. The current plan is it will be Pinball Magazine No. 6.
Q: Why are the postal costs so high?
A: Actually they’re not, but allow us to clarify that. Pinball Magazine is shipped from The Netherlands in Europe. Since the magazine is printed on high quality paper, it is quite heavy. Obviously the heavy weight also adds to the postal costs.
We did look into US distribution. While shipping Issue 2 inside the US would be possible, it turns out the postal costs inside the US alone are similar to sending the magazine from Europe. It would also involve shipping the magazines to the US first, which has a cost to it. Shipping 200 copies of Issue 1 at once learned us that on top of these rather expensive freight costs, US customs also charge a fee. Once the magazines are in the US a distributor needs to take care of all the fulfillment. Guess what: they don’t work for free either. After considering all options it seemed that sending the magazine from Europe was still the easiest and least expensive solution.However, we may still give US distributor a try. In case we do and it turns out postal costs are less than you’ve been charged for, the overpaid postal costs will be refunded. We did that before. We also considered printing in the US, but haven’t found a printer that could compete with our current quotes. We’re open for suggestions of printing companies with competitive rates.
Q: Will Pinball Magazine be sold via third party salespoints?
A: Yes, but don’t expect to find it in your local bookstore, or Amazon. We did sell bulk shipments to small third parties who are offering the magazine in their own shops or at pinball shows. Pinball Magazine products are available at:
- Pinball Universe (Germany)
- Freddy’s Pinball Paradise (Germany
- Pinball Classics / Rob Anthony (USA)
- Pacific Pinball Museum (USA)
- Mike Pacak (USA)
Some online pinball parts shops are offering the magazine to their customers. If you’re interested in the magazine, and need to order some parts anyway, you then can combine both and actually save on some shipping costs. Online pinball parts shops who are interested in selling the magazine are requested to contact the editor via the Contact-page.
Q: Can I contribute to Pinball Magazine?
A: Let’s hear what you have in mind. Contact us via the Contact-page.