But in fact every single one of us has that exact opportunity, right? why hasn't anyone else started a business doing the same thing? You say you wouldn't turn it down but to me every day "you" (the royal you, I'm using it to include everybody who isn't Jim at TCR, myself imcluded) don't fill out the paperwork to register your new business and jump in with both feet to bring closed casino poker chips to the market you are in fact turning that opportunity down.
I don't think Jim is the second coming- I think he's a businessman that is in the business of finding things I might want and offering them for sale to me. And these things he offers for sale are not only at usually a pretty reasonable price (considering everything from what they are sold for on the secondary market to difficulty to get) but something I can't get on my own from somewhere else.
The effort and time that Jim puts in, not to mention the taxes and fees that he pays and has paid in the past, should set what he does apart from people that devote a few hours and 5k to make a profit the "same" way he does.
To me that's why Jim is good for the "community" and flippers are the result of a "market place".