My 2 Cents

Some portion of the price of a chip is the cost of doing business. The people setting the value of chips are the Post Office and the Gasoline sellers.

A new issue $1 chip. For sake of easy math: $3 for the chip and $3 shipping, $6 total.

Ignoring for a minute things that bring costs down (buying multiple chips on the trip to the casino)... I live in Las Vegas, and I buy new issue Las Vegas chips here or on eBay rather than go get 'em myself. It's just easier. The time and gas money and maybe parking fees that it costs are "worth" paying $6 for a chip "worth" only $1.

Did the seller make a ton of money off of the $5 "extra" he got for the chip? I don't think so. Postage costs, Supplies like whatever kind of mailer packaging etc. eBay fees, PayPal fees. Maybe add in gas money to get to the Post Office and the trip to the casino in the first place. Dude's making a killing on the extra $1 or so over cost he gets to keep from selling the chip to me!
If I buy in a hand to hand transfer for $3 due to no shipping, he's still only "making" about $1 or so on the sale. Surf and Turf for him and the wife tonight!

So now I have a chip worth $1 with a $6 cost. If I sell it on eBay for $6 under the same math I bought it for... I'm out the shipping fees, costs, so that I "net" a couple of dollars back on my $6 investment.

With the exception of High Dollar value chips, (define that High Dollar threshold for yourself) *most* of the chips you've bought are not going to be worth much until such a time as inflation gets out of hand again. Let's see: Now I get my money back for the chip, but I can't afford a box of Oatmeal for breakfast....Hmmm, Choices, Choices

And the Dealers that are making a "living" off of selling us chips... Not many are raising a family with 4 children and a stay at home wife off of the bounty they obtain by feeding us our toys

Steve