About Us/FAQ
About 22 years ago when I bought my first house, I almost immediately added an arcade game to my family room. It was a NeoGeo 4 slot "Big Red" style game. I'd loved arcade games and coin-op since I was a child and I finally had the space and means to collect them. Many more followed, and due to sheer necessity, I had to figure out how to fix them when they broke down (and they always do....eventually). As I shopped around for parts and supplies, I noticed that vendors out there were selling less-expensive versions of items, had a giant stock and weren't keeping track of (or stocking) simple little things like fuses and capacitors, or didn't seem too worried about communication and/or shipping speed. So, I figured I'd cover those bases on my own. As of this writing, 20 years ago I began stocking some common fuses from Littelfuse and Eaton and selling them on eBay. Little by little, I stocked more fuses, then capacitors, then Molex connectors, and then started bundling these things into kits. In a matter of five years, I had almost more business than I could handle over several different sales outlets. And off I went.......and still am going!
We here are Yorktown Amusement Supply (aka Yorktown Arcade Supply) believe in a philosophy of simplicity. Smaller, specific stock of items with a focus on communication and shipping speed. And it works! We've shipped thousands upon thousands of orders since 2006, have a great track record on eBay, support a few dozen loyal "order by email" business customers from around the country, and still have local hobbyists, machinists, mechanics, and tradesmen stop by our "shop" to pick up parts and chat a bit. We'd love to add you to our numerous satisfied customers. And now, for some frequently asked questions we've had over the years:
Q. Can you just stick my parts in a envelope with a stamp? Why are you charging me $6.00 for shipping?!
A. Shipping anything PROPERLY these days is expensive. We primarily use USPS Ground Advantage with tracking. Orders are generally packed in a bubble mailer with the contents packed in a bubble bag. Between the envelope, the packing material, and the item, this generally weighs in at about 4 oz. and can cost in upwards of $5.50 to even ship down the street. Add in materials, and you can see why it costs what it does to get your item to you SAFELY and UNDAMAGED. We try to make up for this by only charging a flat shipping rate regardless of what you buy.
Q. Some of these other vendors/companies have kits you don't have. Can you make me a kit for "xyz"?
A. Sure if we have the caps in stock. Over the years, I've narrowed it down to what sells the most and people seem to need the most and typically I stock those things. That's not to say I don't have other capacitors and fuses in stock; I operate a few dozen games on location which need parts and fuses I don't generally sell, but if someone needs them, I can make them available.
Q. I've never seen you mentioned on KLOV, Pinside, Reddit, trade shows, conventions, etc.
A. That's because we don't jump on those places and advertise. I've been a member of all of the usual arcade and pinball haunts for years, and sell some parts on Pinside, but never had the need or want to tout our business on those places. Over the years, people have seemed to come to us for one reason or another and that's kept us pretty darn busy.
Q. Your capacitors and fuses are expensive. These other vendors charge less and the stuff they sell is just as good.
A. We only stock name-brand parts purchased from major US distributors. Eaton, Molex, Nichion, SC, etc. No "gray market" parts bought on eBay or Amazon or Alibaba. Anything we carry we also use in our own games on location as well as our own personal collection in our home. Chances are good that using cheap, off-brand parts won't result in any issues. But if issues do wind up occurring, they are usually catamorphic and/or dangerous. Not worth the savings in our opinion. The band Arcade Fire didn't get their name by combining two random words......