I'm guessing that what I'm about to say is going to be fairly unpopular with this audience, which is (as of now) so heavily comprised of Platinum members. And before I say what I wanna say, I hasten to note that I totally get and respect the importance of the Platinum members in the overall TN distribution food chain, I've definitely benefited from buying cheaper from some of you due to your bulk purchasing, and I realize being a Platinum ties up a lot of capital and you need to be rewarded for that.
But here's what I want to say: If Topps keeps creating so many ultra premium cards that are only available to Platinum members, who then have an insane level of pricing power over the further distribution of those cards, it really dissuades pure collectors like me from wanting to try to keep up with annual set-building projects. I can live with it, I guess, if the Plats are only getting auto versions of cards that otherwise have a base, as maybe I can get myself not to care about the ultra exclusive auto version, but at least when there are cards that are "unique" in terms of the card photo/content that are not available through direct channels to average collectors like me, then that pretty much guts my desire to try to keep building annual Cubs sets, b/c then I have to go buy multiple "special" cards for hundreds or thousands each on the secondary market to feel like I have anything approaching a complete team set for that year.
I'm sure Topps doesn't care, but if enough people have that response and don't keep chasing the daily cards, it isn't going to help them or the Plats in the short or long run. IMO, they need to do better at striking a balance in terms of how many of these exclusive special premium cards they make.
Okay, Plat Pack, go ahead and shred me.
