“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
Just like Rudy’s videos, I take everything he says with a grain of salt, enjoy it for the entertainment value and know that it is coming from the perspective of a person with a financial/business interest in the viewpoint they are sharing.
Many LGS are unable to buy from a distributor and purchase their product second hand. I just shipped out numerous vstar boxes to small shops. I used to supply one in my area with Japanese boxes, who was actually one of, if not the largest LGS in the region. Even English distribution is stingy about taking in new businesses. I know companies spending 7 figures annually who struggled to get in with a distributor.
Anyway this isn’t to say stores do no wrong, more just the behind the scenes reality.
Totally agree. The LGS I buy from is great because I get free shipping as well as a 5% loyalty discount (about 7% with credit card cash back) on any new Pokemon products that come in. In addition, I can get vintage and modern singles 10% off as well. I should mention it also applies to MTG, Sports, FaB, Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as supplies (binders, sleeves, accessories, etc). So it’s definitely worth giving an LGS a look over eBay or other big stores from time to time.
If people want to give to charity they can, but a lot of people buy cards because they like them and LGS’ aren’t charities (they are run to make a profit for themselves) with the tangent of being able to do what they love & build a community of loyal patrons. I’m not sure why you are in here vehemently defending LGS’ when the thread is about Sun & Moon alt arts anyways lol which I agree with the other commenter that they’re pretty underpriced compared to a lot of similar alts and it looks like a steady climb rather than a “buyout” like he claims for FOMO.
The LGS I used to live by puts stickers on their products, so they don’t look up prices during the business day.
I was able to buy some really good stuff at really good prices because of this. Like Ultra Prism booster box at $120. Their new releases were always a bit pricey though.
Although LGS’s usually have higher prices, I usually get singles there. For me, I have a lot more confidence in the purchase of a card when I can see the condition in person up close. Basically pre-grade it before I buy haha. A couple benefits to my LGS is that they sell Japanese product when it is so scarce in my area. In addition, selling them my bulk in person and getting store credit really helps me cycle through my collection and get more out of it!
@Coop13 , I totally agree with the sealed product up charges that are normally seen at LGS’s which suck 
My lgs also gets some cool vintage product from in their display cases pretty often from going to Conventions and making deals with folks. They’ve had a few 1st Ed WOTC boxes come through in last couple years which was wild to see in person!
Yea, my LGS does have stickers on things as well, but every time I try to buy stuff, they take like an extra 10 minutes to check eBay lol. It’s kind of annoying, but like said, it’s not really a huge deal breaker for me.