I think it’s the opposite isn’t it?
People doing the grunt work know how much you have to do as opposed to the ones at the top. I find that the case.
I think it’s really funny how you said “perhaps it’s because I’m not involved with any Pokemon business or high end cards/grading BUT I don’t see why that advice is worth paying for.”
If you’re not involved with it, how is your opinion relevant? Seems like you’re just speaking for everyone else, which is incredibly arrogant.
And what if a person does have a Pokemon business and simply wants advice on how to conduct their business from someone who has been there and done that? Or what if a person simply wants advice on the best methods to collect and wants tips from the top collectors in the hobby?
Your logic makes zero sense.
It’s also pretty presumptuous to assume that everyone who wants advice wants to “get rich quick.” A ton of us here on E4 are subscribed to Scott’s Patreon (many of us for a whopping $10 a month). I can pretty much assure that none of us on E4 want to “get rich quick.” Would that apply to some people? Sure, but you are making a ridiculous blanket statement.
So people seeking advice from someone who knows more/has more than them are “pathetic?” I actually would say that seeking advice from people who have already done what you want to do is pretty wise and that refusing advice is one of the hallmarks of foolishness.
Lol so you’re suggesting the “ones at the top” didn’t have to work to get there?
The only thing you said that made any reasonable sense was that the most successful (which you put in quotes for some weird reason) people are those who were collectors first.
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Personally there is a TON of free knowledge out there in the internet, but there is a TON of noise as well. Think about all the open mouth youtubers in 2020 swearing any charizard was going to x300 their money? You would have been way better off spending $25, $50, or even $75 for personal advice from an expert to NOT do that.
Personally I see no wrong doing paying for someone’s time discussing how they went about the hobby, what lessons they learned, and how to avoid where they messed up.
I don’t understand why it’s viewed negatively that people are paying for advice? What you are paying at the end of the day is their experience, lessons learned, and their time. I mean why do a lot of us pay for @smpratte 's knowledge base and opinions? We value them and we would like to compensate him for it? Unless I am misunderstanding the conflict here?
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To sum up this thread: “Didn’t watch the video, however…”
I also did not watch the video
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Isn’t patreon basically a form of advice?
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I’m not sure why you are taking it so personally and then reacting so rudely based on misreading. I’ll give it one response because we’re on this forum, but being a dick should not generally be worth responding to.
Kanto Shark joined Instagram in January of 2020. His YouTube account was created in July of 2020. Perhaps he was active earlier in some other manner, but those dates already line up with all the Johnny Come Latelys attempting to ride the hype train and make a quick buck.
Do you really think that if you were starting a Pokemon business or grading, that’s who you would go to if you truly were in it for the long term?
Pretending that the hobby hasn’t been infiltrated by the get rich quick crew is like sticking your head in the sand. They are a dime a dozen on all social media channels and continue to sprout up.
Generally speaking, those who are successful in other industries as the original comment I was referring to mentioned (law, medicine, plumbing etc.) won’t be running these ridiculous schemes because if they were successful, they would know there’s no way to guarantee someone else’s success - and those are businesses that actually require skill, study etc. And similarly those who are looking to go in after them wouldn’t be subscribing to half-baked Instagram accounts as their Bible for success.
What pearls of wisdom can Kanto Shark impart? You should have bought back when they were cheap? Buy sealed product from retail and hold? Get in before the next pandemic? Evolving Skies to the moon?
You’re twisting my comments out of context to suit your own argument and as already mentioned seem to be ignoring the circumstances surrounding the hobby and other hobbies today.
Next time maybe take a breather before attacking someone based on your own misinterpretations.
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In general it seems like you are filling in many unknowns for other people.
Your personal opinion that you don’t want to pay for advice is fine.
But if you are going to fill in blanks for things or people you have no experience with, it is going to sond bad even if you don’t mean it like that.
Advice can be extremely valuable, everywhere, but no for everyone.
The irony 
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The initial post you responded to is regarding “advise” which is implying you go to the doctor for medical advise etc.
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Correct me if im wrong but it seems youre implying consulting is a scheme? facepalm
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You throwing shade to Kanto Shark based on ASSumptions and social media creation dates?
Thanks. Perhaps the best advice in the thread was this earlier:
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Read it again.
You go to the doctor because you’re ill. You go to the plumber if your drains are stuck.
What does one go to Kanto Shark for? Because you want to know how to make money from Pokemon cards? How is that a problem?
Anyway, I’m done with this thread. People aren’t even watching the video.
The best get rich quick scheme is to sell others a get rich quick scheme. I would never give any money for such advise, because I dont care, I am stubborn and it is likely just a waste of money anyways.
What everybody else does with their money is none of my concern (to a certain level of course), let somebody charge money for advice, let somebody pay for advice, I dont care.
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Look at Kantos advert its pretty straight forward
I watched the video and my conclusion was that a new content creator is attempting to grow by bashing others with little to no research.
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I really prefer not to engage in too much debate online (because whose minds are actually changed after reading other people’s opinions), but here are some of my thoughts.
I watched the video (albeit while doing other chores) and I don’t think the creator has any real substance on which to criticize Kanto Shark except the tone of his language (which, admittedly, does sound a bit guru-y) and assumptions he’s making about Shark’s intentions and what kind of advice he can provide. But the thing is, we don’t know what knowledge/advice Shark is imparting in these consultations. You (and the creator) just assume he will spout nothing of value:
What pearls of wisdom can Kanto Shark impart? You should have bought back when they were cheap? Buy sealed product from retail and hold? Get in before the next pandemic? Evolving Skies to the moon?
But there is useful information that can be shared: how much of his revenue is split between Ebay, direct sales, TCG Player, Youtube, etc. and is there one medium he would not pursue if starting completely over; if he sources harder-to-find Japanese cards or has a direct contact in Japan for Japanese products, what was his process of finding and approaching someone in Japan to middleman; what were some unforeseen problems that he ran into while trying to build his business and how does he think he could’ve lessened the blow of these problems. These are all valid and useful questions to have answers to that aren’t always necessarily covered by investment/financial Poketubers (especially when it comes to direct questions about revenue and percentages). Having claimed yourself to not have thought about the business side of things, it seems obvious that, of course, you wouldn’t know what useful questions could be asked.
Also, making broad assumptions on people entering the hobby around a certain timeframe is just not a useful bias to hold on to. Someone else in another thread recently shared the opinion that many of the people that jumped on the money/hype train during the recent boom might actually genuinely like Pokemon. Framing all these newcomers as get-rich-quick scam artists or opportunists can be a very exclusive way of thinking. I’m sure some did enter with dollar signs in their eyes and no room in their cold, cold hearts for cute little Pikachu, but to me, it makes complete sense why someone that loves Pokemon and loves collecting Pokemon would find the idea of making money doing what they love very enticing. Isn’t this what a lot of people dream of doing? Turning their hobby into their career? Even if they don’t want a full blown Pokecareer, I imagine making a bit of money on the side to fund future collection buys also sounds pretty cool.
Maybe I’m biased because I jumped into the physical TCG right around COVID time and entered purely for mercenary reasons, with no real intent of keeping a personal collection (just wanted to try out buying and selling cards). But I had a lot of fun in this pursuit and actually learned more about the cards and collecting (especially after stumbling onto this forum!) than I ever would have if I hadn’t entered at all.
Anyways, we all have our own opinions about what’s going on. I just wanted to share a bit after reading some of your responses.
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Rule No. 1
Never take advice from someone who can’t spell the word. 
Rule No. 2
You can only buy opinions.
Honestly tho, even when you hire a professional, they’ll remind you it’s their opinion, based on the expertise they have. They ironically, after @stagecoach 's comment, advise you, on what you should do in their opinion. And you can always get a second opinion. Reviewed, tested, and experienced pros in many fields, know that no two cases are the same, and that nuance should be acknowledged.
As for paying VS not, I think it depends on the level of service, expertise, and business relationship you expect. Free advise has no guarantees and no contract. So take it worth a grain of salt, and in some cases, a grain of salt is not OK, like airlines getting free / discount work done by their cousin VS you getting a discount from your cousin.
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I think certain individuals in the hobby could actually offer some unique advice that could get a brand-new collector up to speed on things, so there could be a time and place where paying for advice could be worth it to some people. There’s no doubt that some people simply have a ton of experience in this hobby compared to others, and therefore could offer insight that could take a while for someone to learn on their own.
In addition, there are some more narrow and specific topics that could be discussed as well. Obviously, a lot of things in the hobby have been figured out over time, but that doesn’t mean that you will learn everything about this hobby overnight. I’ve been pretty obsessed with collecting Pokemon and there’s still a ton I haven’t explored at this point that I see more advanced collectors involved with.
So overall, I think there could be a time and place for paid advice. It would just have to be from the right person, and also focused on topics that may be harder to learn or grasp initially.
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Well well well, this thread came a little ways since my initial comment! I respect your opinion, and I did watch the video. I still happen to disagree. Since you’re done with this thread I won’t comment in crazy depth, but in case anyone was following along:
I do agree that being a doctor or lawyer is not the same as a Pokemon YouTuber, however that wasn’t actually my point and it’s a misreading of the larger issue he is raising. My point was the nature of the principle by which they operate, which was explained very well a few posts below mine. Ultimately, we pay for advice from people with more experience and understanding literally all the time. This is nothing new, and I don’t see why it’s contentious - free market capitalism baby! He makes this out as if someone OWES you their time/energy/expertise (and oh yeah, their money) to give you advice, which is a ludicrous proposition. You aren’t owed anything. Just like you aren’t owed an electrician telling you which wires you should hook up, and arborist telling you which branches to cut or where to plant a tree, or an interior designer telling you what would help your home’s resale value. It’s easy to cherry pick the doctor example, but the principle still applies. And, not to mention, this also happens all the time with doctors: “my back hurts, what do you think I should do?” Ever found a medical facility where they answer that question for free every day of the week? I certainly haven’t, but if you find one let me know!
Getting mad over someone wanting to do a side hustle and make money giving advice within Pokemon is an indicator of all sorts of issues with the guy in the video, not the people he is shade-shifting to.
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How dare they!
Comparing pokemon instagrammers to medical professionals is hilarious
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Eh
Should have clarified, in the US 
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