This doesn't mean earning is impossible though, just very difficult.
Nailed it. The part you discussed about those who are not willing to use bidbots... Well, I'd bet that number changes over time. The longer someone is on here and perceives that they are being "slighted" or "cheated" or not getting enough exposure .. the more likely they are to change their minds about bidbots.
It comes down to a battle of internal will: Do I maintain my moral standing, or do I succumb to capitalism and take part in the bidbot machine?
It sounds pretty extreme in those terms, but generally speaking, that's the battle pro/anti- bidbots..
Yeah. The biggest problem for me is the lack of manual effort for the bidbots. They are voting anything and taking corrective action (occasionally and publicly) when called out. It is profitable but poor process.
It's definitely a reactive process as opposed to a proactive process. One of the "set it and forget it" techniques.
And that's simply because, as you said, it's profitable!