LexGoyle

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Scalping is/was caused by supply and demand issues that started during the pandemic, like all TCGs. It's not just Pokemon, it's sports cards and Magic too.

The narrative that it's all Logan Paul's fault comes from people who couldn't see the larger picture during the pandemic and pinned it on a notable face in an attempt to come up with an explanation for what was happening. I was honestly annoyed of that narrative because it's just so basic and lacks nuance. The people who presented that narrative also failed to mention the pandemic issues that the TCG companies themselves acknowledged.

I'm sure Paul is causing some of the negative hype with his whole "bling bling Chingling," but it's not a crime to show off your love for Pokemon. Just check out all the financial collectors on Instagram before the pandemic started -- people like Paul have always been part of this hobby. Yes, Paul's hyping will bring in some people who are here for the wrong reasons, but in the long run there's going to be a lot more fans who find a new love for Pokemon and stick around to make our community better.
Thing is this started well before the pandemic. Particular with Hidden Fates. The pandemic merely compounded an existing problem so yeah Logan Paul and Leonhart share much of the blame for this given their videos almost always focus on the dollar value of cards and not much else.
 

leetic

Aspiring Trainer
Member
ITT: people eternally mad they don't have $6 million to burn on anything and think that making fun of someone who does makes them cool
Nah, I'm just mad that this scalping has caused prices to skyrocket and as someone with little disposable income this makes this hobby a lot more difficult for me to afford. With a price like $6 million, that's gonna communicate to other people that cards can be a lot more valuable and will cause supplies to thin and prices to go up further. It has already gotten to the point that many of the local stores are price gouging Pokémon card packs by selling them for almost twice MSRP. I'm just tired of living in an era where all the Pokémon TCG product will disappear from a store instantly if it's not locked with the cigarettes. It's not necessarily an issue of supply anymore, as stores that make strong efforts to limit people from buying too much Pokémon product will have a decent supply, it's that there are now people who are willing to clear out an entire store's inventory if given the chance, and those that don't have thousands or even hundreds of dollars to throw away are left in the dust.

Plus, I feel like people shouldn't have six million dollars to throw away when there are still over half a million people without a home in the US alone, but that is more a problem with neoliberal capitalism that Logan Paul in particular.
 

PMJ

happy thoughts
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Nah, I'm just mad that this scalping has caused prices to skyrocket and as someone with little disposable income this makes this hobby a lot more difficult for me to afford. With a price like $6 million, that's gonna communicate to other people that cards can be a lot more valuable and will cause supplies to thin and prices to go up further. It has already gotten to the point that many of the local stores are price gouging Pokémon card packs by selling them for almost twice MSRP. I'm just tired of living in an era where all the Pokémon TCG product will disappear from a store instantly if it's not locked with the cigarettes. It's not necessarily an issue of supply anymore, as stores that make strong efforts to limit people from buying too much Pokémon product will have a decent supply, it's that there are now people who are willing to clear out an entire store's inventory if given the chance, and those that don't have thousands or even hundreds of dollars to throw away are left in the dust.
Logan Paul didn't cause any of this either.
 

leetic

Aspiring Trainer
Member
Logan Paul didn't cause any of this either.
You're a fool if you don't think that Logan Paul beating the record for most expensive card purchase by a few million dollars won't have significant effects on the market. Hell, many crypto scammers take advantage of similar trends by selling each other things like NFTs for ridiculous prices in order to make NFTs look valuable. There have been many reasons why the state of the TCG is so dire right now, but Logan Paul giving mainstream attention to scalping is a major factor, and it has all resulted in the TCG being considerably less accessible now than it was three years ago.
 

PMJ

happy thoughts
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You're a fool if you don't think that Logan Paul beating the record for most expensive card purchase by a few million dollars won't have significant effects on the market. Hell, many crypto scammers take advantage of similar trends by selling each other things like NFTs for ridiculous prices in order to make NFTs look valuable. There have been many reasons why the state of the TCG is so dire right now, but Logan Paul giving mainstream attention to scalping is a major factor, and it has all resulted in the TCG being considerably less accessible now than it was three years ago.
So he shouldn't be allowed to make large purchases? Setting a record like that was always going to get attention. Only thing I would have suggested is maybe don't choose to wear it as an accessory, but that's just me.
 
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