I disagree that’s the only thing. I may have been in the minority, but I’ve never cared too much about condition in the eleven years I’ve been collecting to begin with, and have gladly bought heavy played cards for hundreds of USD even 5+ years ago.
But in the current market, certain cards are even unaffordable if they’re torn in halve and put back together with tape. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve simply given up on those type of cards and accepted I won’t ever complete these specific collection goals, which is fine.
My main problem however, is that the average price of everything is so dang high, while wages are roughly the same. My most expensive card 2.5 years after I started collecting was 300 bucks, and for the average card I’d pay <5 USD including shipping.
Now however, I even lost count on the amount of individual cards I’ve paid 1k+ for, and the average random non-holo or RH card is closer to 25 bucks excluding shipping. And sure, 25 still isn’t a lot, but when you multiple it by hundreds of cards, it adds up REALLY QUICKLY.
And as mentioned above: the average price of everything is high, not just Pokémon cards. Groceries, gas, insurances, housing, heck even simple things like shampoo and toothpaste, everything has doubled or even tripled in price in just a few years time, and all together, it REALLY QUICKLY adds up..
I feel like most of us here are actually pretty lucky, in that we can afford a hobby like this to begin with. There are so many people around the world that are living from paycheck to paycheck and really struggling.
Greetz,
Quuador