Frankly, I’m surprised by the distribution of the poll answers - very interesting.
The dictionary definition of “gatekeeping” is “the activity of controlling access to something”.
I’d hazard a guess that everyone who’s voted yes/no has a notion of the kind of “access” and “something” at hand, and gatekept from whom.
As far as bot-networks, back-dooring to ripnshippers, and retail arbitrage is concerned, yes. I’d like to see them all brought up on racketeering charges and gatekept from polite society.
I’ve seen many people cry “gatekeeping” over cost related to this/other hobby. That’s like claiming that having money is gatekept because you have to work for it, or because you don’t have the time to engage in the hobby. Those are inherent parts of the thing. It sounds absurd because it is. 
Every time I’ve been generous with middlemen, niche japanese stores, grading strategies, signings, artist access, private sales info, etc etc it’s almost always been used in an abusive, manipulative shit show of a way over time - especially with value-creep and a lot of people wanting to leave their day jobs to just flip cards for a living. So, I’m all for gate keeping yayyyyy!
It’s like my opinion on celebrities, we don’t need to know everything about someone or something just let it be. To each their own if someone wants their information private let it be.
On the other hand I do think information should be free and accessible for everyone. Even if I do get a bit annoyed with the low supply compared to demand, everyone deserves the ability to have knowledge.
No, gatekeeping is not effective long-term and only creates further rifts. Education and moderation are solutions, but these only work on platforms that allow it.
It goes without saying that people who commit crimes should be held accountable, and that’s a separate discussion from gatekeeping.
Anybody with a genuine love of a hobby and an interest in learning, participating, and enjoying further should always be welcomed with open arms! I think it’s obvious when somebody is truly enthusiastic about something, it’s infectious. There’s nothing better than being able to discuss a topic with somebody that has a similar level of passion for it as you do.
That said, I’ve seen too many hobbies get obliterated and become shells of their former selves to not be in support of some forms of gatekeeping, even if it’s mostly futile. Far too often you see swathes of new entrants into a hobby space start demanding that said space change to their whims, even though they clearly aren’t interested in interacting with the hobby for what it was/has been to begin with.
The tiktok-ification/hustlefication/corporatization of everything is a plague as far as I’m concerned. Even the most niche of hobbies can’t escape it anymore. Ultimately, I’m fully in support of pushing back against bad-faith actors, financial leeches, and those that would seek to fundamentally alter a hobby they’re unfamiliar with to fit their personal sensibilities.
Well said, thank you for this. 