I am going to wager a guess, with a little bit of my own feelings mixed in here.
"We" probably see these guys as inflating the market simply to make a buck.
People tend to follow the leader, so if enough hype is created, they will all eventually follow. Prospectors start buying and fighting each other for the same new cards, inflating the prices. This prices out people who just want to complete a set, team set or maybe just want to collect a specific player. Maybe they can't afford or won't tolerate the risk and just want a shot at buying a new player for the no-name pricing and actually have a chance to own a Clayton Kershaw or Mookie Betts w/o having had to pay super hype prices BEFORE they became stars, because for every one of them, there are many more failed prospects who never fulfill their potential.
Yes, it pisses me off that every new Dodger prospect autograph card seems to start out ridiculously high, JUST IN CASE he makes it big. I collect Dodger autographs, so I guess if I want to play that game, I have to expect it. I don't collect them in hopes they will take off though, I am trying to maintain a running collection of anyone who makes an appearance with the team no matter their status in the end. I am just as willing to buy a Greg Miller or Koyie Hill as I am a Walker Buehler or Cody Bellinger, but I also don't want to pay future HOF pricing for EVERYONE. But it is still frustrating that everyone is chasing these new cards and paying stupid money just to have the chance to flip them for even more money. it's risky often times, but people still do it and I guess watching someone price you out of a card only to have it become worthless is somewhat satisfying, kind of like an "I told you so".
Even to this day, I can't believe players like Yasiel Puig's autographs still sell so strongly, after the utterly average 7 year, 1X AS player has been out of the game for 3 years already. It's all this prospecting BS and the ruins it leaves behind, because nobody wants to lose all of the $400 they paid for one, even though they'll never come close and it now should be a $5 card. So they sit unsold at bloated prices on principal, yet people still beat each other up when one comes available at a low auction price because they want/need one for whatever reason and can't find them otherwise as people are still hoarding those they took a bath on.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gonefishin
I do fail to understand how some people (not all) seem to be happy when an "Investor" "Flipper" loses thousands of dollars when they sell a modern card that they purchased hoping to resell later and make a little money. I personally see no enjoyment in that.
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