Stepping away from the hobby, for my own mental health.

I got back into the hobby in early 2020 during the start of the pandemic, like many here, as I spent lockdown re-discovering my childhood passions like Nintendo games, Harry Potter, and of course, Pokémon cards. And, insane 2020-early 2021 insanity aside, it's been fun. Product was readily available by mid 2021, which was great.

Until November 2024. Now, it's been over a year and a half, and product is still impossible to find for reasonable prices.

At this point, it's more stressful than fun, and it feels like it's sucking away at my soul rather than feeling like an escape or a fun pastime. Honestly, I enjoy the financial side of the hobby; I've always loved how the hobby can pay for itself. But lately, it just...hasn't felt like a hobby at all. It just feels like a shady Ponzi scheme at this point, with content creators like NostalgiaNomics and his cartoon villain ass voice basically telling calling people "broke Timmies" in order to ragebait them into FOMOing in at absurd inflated prices, and of course the absolute fucking living cancer cell that is Bernie Madoff...err...I mean, Logan Paul.

I feel like I've gotten myself too wrapped up in the financial side of the hobby to the point where it's not fun anymore. But who can really blame me when every IN-PRINT box is being sold by "investors" at ridiculous inflated prices? And if you don't pay the prices they're asking you get bullied & harassed ("lol broke jealous Timmy stay mad lil bro"). Hell it's not even just about the price, it's about the principle; I choose not to reward these scumbags who contribute absolutely nothing to society with my hard-earned money.

And I know I have a ton of posts about Logan/NostalgiaNomics/money. But again, can you really blame me? That's all the "hobby" is at this point. The prices and the YouTube/Instagram content speak for themselves. All anyone cares about is money; the Pokémon pictured on the cards matter about as much as the dead people pictured American fiat money.

I got to the point where I was doing awful things to get cards, TRULY AWFUL THINGS, that have taken a deep, deep toll on my conscience. The guilt is literally breaking me. I'd rather not talk about what, though - it makes me sick just how low I was willing to stoop for some cardboard rectangles.

The final straw for me: seeing NostalgiaNomics unironically GLAZE Logan Paul and then now seeing even PERFECT ORDER, the set that was supposed to FINALLY bring prices down to reasonable levels, be presold at TWO HUNDRED FUCKING DOLLARS.

Someone's gonna comment "see you in two days" or something, I already know. But I won't be back, and you should leave too if it feels like more stress than it's worth. Fuck this "hobby". No point of engaging in something that does nothing but piss me off. Sorry for such an angry and negative tone but I'm seriously disgusted by what the "hobby" has become.