> Rather than driving around the country to comic book conventions, he was able to do more in one month in online auctions than the past decades he had been collecting.
I personally try not to collect things, but for those who do, I wonder if this ruined the hobby because of instant gratification.
I do collect books. No, it didn't ruin the hobby and most collectors would agree. eBay allow me to search for books without having to travel to different countries, or whatever. I can buy books what it wouldn't be possible without eBay.
For people who doesn't collect, may look like that, because they may think that going into eBay could ruin the fun, because everything is easy to get now. It isn't. You need to learn tricks and also, how to win over other collectors who may see the same item that you did.
As a former collector, I can only disagree. The hunt was interesting, but looking at a computer and spending money just doesn’t do it for me. At the same time it made the fun parts of the hobby feel pointless which just killed all the joy.
I personally try not to collect things, but for those who do, I wonder if this ruined the hobby because of instant gratification.