Quote:
Originally Posted by cardsagain74
The difference is that when it comes to paying way up for an item, a deliberately created market shortage is not going to be considered the same by many (as one that happens from genuine supply/demand effects in a marketplace.)
Let's say a gas station buys out all the other gas stations in a remote area (and forces people with no other option to pay $10 a gallon when they'd normally pay $3.) Do you really think that station will be viewed the same by customers as if a $10/gallon price there was the result of a nationwide shortage that was out of their control?
Even if none of these situations panned out financially for the hoarder, that doesn't change the fact that it can cause people to pay way up for something that they wouldn't have had to otherwise.
And of course no one is entitled to buy a card for "x price they want". But wanting to avoid a price gouging situation that only exists because of malicious intent from one entity (and pay a reasonable market price for something)? That has nothing to do with any sort of unreasonable and selfish "name your price" entitlement
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It's no more deliberate of a shortage than any other card being collected; everybody wants Willie Mays driving up his price. That is the result of deliberate buying by people. It's okay if a group drives up the price of X card, but not if it's one collector?
Nobody is hoarding odd cards and selling them back at triple the price. I am not aware of any example of this happening in hobby history where a hoarder hoarded a card and kept his hoard for sale one at a time at a higher price. Happy to stand corrected if an example can be found.
These hoarders don't seem to be doing it to price gouge - they do it because they want the card and value it more than others do. We've not yet been able to name a single card where it appears to be financially motivated. I fail to see how this is malicious intent; it's the same thing we all do for cards we want. We buy the cards we want. If there's more demand for X card than there is supply (or perception of supply, actual supply seems to have surprisingly little to do with it much of the time), it's price goes up on the market. I collect a card because I like it and it strikes my fancy, I don't see the maliciousness in this.
If I want a bunch of the same card, why should I not collect it? Why should I ensure it is available to you at the price you think it should be worth?