The DKOldies Rant
Going off my usual with this one to give a take on DKOldies. Recently I've gotten back into retro gaming and it's almost impossible to be in the retro scene without hearing about these guys. While it is fun to watch a channel mess around with all of the colorful retro hardware, their business practices are concerning to say the least.
While some upcharge is necessary to keep a business like this afloat, their deceptive tactics and lack of traditional infrastructure makes it difficult to trust these guys. I think if the cost of keeping all of these games on hand is really what's driving up the costs, then much like local and chain retro game stores, they should consider selling newer product or other products to supplement the cost.
For example, a lot of retro game stores sell other secondhand goods such as movies, vinyl, hell even leaf-blowers. They could also sell model kits or merchandise. I mean they probably have enough money at the moment to sell officially licensed merch featuring iconic game characters. Point is, they are at a point where they could definitely pivot and find a way to offset the cost of keeping massive stocks of retro games. Considering their success and small following though, I don't think there is really anything that will persuade them to change their ways in the near future.
That being said, exploitative practices have historically not lasted that long in the gaming business. Just look at Gamestop. They never really did anything that bad and they're hanging on by a thread.