You're Absolutely Right
It's a great tool. However, after subscribing for a year I found it no longer necessary to renew. Here's why. I would jot down the RANGE of prices paid for cards on my wants lists as I shopped for them at shows and on the internet. It would prevent me from paying some of the outrageous prices you will see for cards you want.
Sometimes I purchased a card for less than the VCP range but (full disclosure!) sometimes I knowingly paid MORE. Why? Because (depending on the set you are working on) you will find that certain cards are VERY TOUGH to find IF you want them in a certain PSA grade (in my case, PSA 7). So when I recently found some 1952 PSA 7s in the most recent REA auction I was willing to bid hard for them. Yes, I passed the VCP range but that was ok because of the scarcity factor. And I won the auctions for those cards.
Also, I'm winding down my active collecting days so for me VCP served its purpose. If you are in your 40s or 50s (I'm 64) I could see where you could justify renewing VCP year after year to keep up with ACTUAL prices paid.
My two cents, for what it is worth!
Mark Arzoumanian
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