My entire collection is slabbed so I need to buy the coin that is like all the others in a slab that matches the other 23 coins I have to complete my set.
Don’t drink Kool-Aid and learn how to grade yourself instead of relying on others. Don’t let great opportunities pass you by. There are far fewer coins that I regret buying than ones that I don’t. Missed opportunity is usually worse than taking action.
A great price should never be the only reason you buy a coin. I personally don't make that mistake, but I do continue to struggle with this concept: Buying a "Great coin at a Fair price" will give you so much more long term enjoyment than buying a "Fair coin at a Great price".
This pertains to Ancient and World coins much more than US modern, but to add to the list of things NEVER to do in this hobby: Fall into a habit of asking others to give you attributions for your coins, rather than allowing yourself to experience the fun and education of doing so yourself.
I like slabs. Not joking. Best for me is when the coin is awesome and the slab is cool or special or rare in some way.
Perfectly OK for a coin to be in a piece of plastic. Just make sure the coin itself is what your basing your purchasing decision on, not what's printed on the plastic. That's all people mean by that. Some people don't like slabs period and that's fine too. Most coins I buy are raw but when a coin is valuable enough and/or rare enough that it's commonly faked, I'll usually buy it certified just to make sure I'm not getting a fake one. All the slabbed coins I now own, I had them put in the slabs myself (the coins I bought slabbed I "liberated" to put in my type set album lol), and it wasn't to make them easier to sell, it was to make them easier to preserve and store (and sometimes to satisfy my curiosity of what a professional thought of their grade).