Sheep I don't think it's possible for me to fully express how much I detest the idea of this practice.
The idea of putting my cards into slabs of plastic, and have someone else tell me what the condition of them based on their own opinion, does absolutely nothing for me. The thought of sending them away and potentially getting lost in the mail, is unthinkable. I am saddened that a hobby I once loved, has been ruined by scalpers and people looking to flip products for profit.
I get it, I know that trading cards, comics, and all manner of collectables have been extremely popular for decades. I acknowledge that the Pokémon TCG from day one has focused somewhat on the value of cards. It simply isn't for me!
A couple of years ago I was visiting a server on Discord, and someone suggested that my cards are worthless unless they are put into slabs. I told him politely that I had absolutely no intention of doing this, and I would simply try to finish sets I started in my childhood. This individual couldn't accept that I wouldn't do this, and went as far as suggesting they would wait until I was dead and buy my cards from my estate, and do so then.
While I didn't let the comments of one unhinged individual impact me, it did make me decide what to do with my cards if anything were to happen to me: A live-streamed burning of my cards for the world to see, providing I didn't want to pass them onto someone of course!
