Publishers aren't gonna drop thousands of dollars printing, warehousing, and shipping physical copies without proof that people will actually buy them. And they definitely aren't checking pirate sites to gauge hype but they track numbers on official platforms. So good luck buying physicals for a series that bombed digitally, because that book literally won’t exist. Cry about digital platforms all you want, but paying for those chapters is the only reason physical copies ever see the light of day...
Plus most digital platforms allow you to earn their currency FOR FREE. I have around 15 manhwas fully unlocked on T-pas and I paid zero dollars; all I did was free ink events and fortune cookie. So yeah, you don't actually have to spend too much money (or any at all) to support legally.
Exactly. It’s a scam.
This is why I don't trust any online reading platforms my money. Wdym ppl bought the chapters but they don't get to download it. So there's no way of retrieving the stories once any of those sites shut down. Atp, you're just paying to rent.
For ppl who want to support authors, I recommend just buying the physical versions if its feasible in where you live. At least you actually get to own the book.