It's not an attempt to shame others. It's trying to save them money in the long run by looking at a much larger overall big picture, vs focusing only on a single low-return purchase at one fixed point in time.
If all chips retained value equally, there would be absolutely nothing wrong with starting with low-cost chips and working your way up. But unfortunately, that's simply not true, and hundreds of dollars will get essentially wasted by pursuing that direction.
@BGinGA, let me start by saying that I truly respect you, and that I consider you an icon and a legend on this forum. And while I can't argue with your assertion that clay chips hold their resale value better than
CC's or other options, I must respectfully disagree that "hundreds of dollars will get essentially wasted".
In the first place, lower value chip sets still retain SOME resale value, so assuming the initial cost is a few hundred dollars (say a 1000 chip set for $400, probably the outer edge of most nooby initial purchases), and assuming depreciation of 33%, that would only be a bit more than $125 loss, not really "hundreds of dollars".
In the second place, the chips can be purchased new, arrive within a few days, and the new owner can be playing with them, enjoying poker with his buddies, basking in the pride of ownership of something that he likes and enjoys, while still being able to save up for the longer term option of getting Paulsons or
CPC's
if he so chooses. In other words, the lower priced chips have utility, and that utility is presumably worth a certain amount to the purchaser, in some cases equal to or greater than (and in some cases less than) the depreciation experienced if/when the chips get resold.
I get your contention that if the goal is to collect chips, and especially if the goal is to collect really nice Paulsons or other true clays, then collecting CCs and other lower value option is less efficient, and is in that case "wasting" money. But for some members here, the goal is to have a set of chips that they like, that they feel proud to have acquired, that they can show to and play with their friends, and still be able to pay the rent and feed the kids. And they shouldn't feel pressured or shamed about their choices, IMO. I'm not saying you're the one doing the pressuring or shaming, but it does happen here, either overtly or subtly.
I know I'm a rookie on this site, but I think I can safely say that there are enough members here that aren't able to jump directly to the top tier of chipping, and that want a "soft entry" (yeah, another Out Of Context thread candidate) into the hobby, that they should be encouraged and allowed to follow their own path. But I get where you are coming from, in that they should also be informed that it may not necessarily be the most efficient path, depending on their own personal long term goals.
