Almost everyone wants to "skip" having to raid!

[Cherie]

Unfortunately the solutions to either side are extremes.
If it was not necessary, content would be really really easy I guess and people would not want the challenge.
If it was not possible than EVERY MEMBER would have to be ON TOP OF THEIR GAME WITH NO MESS UPS in order to progress the fight.

Oh, I don't disagree there. But this is a MMO we are talking about, not "Dark Souls" or whatnot. Is it really so impossible? People still sell Titan Hard on my server at times (not nearly as often but still).

Say someone bought a run of some raid, and for this example, say they didn't get any drops (which is likely if they just bought a single run). Sure, they might have got an achievement or something, but what did they really get out of it? Maybe they got further in the story, but there is most likely a even harder encounter standing in front of them to do next.

I really don't ever think buying a run is necessary. Maybe a time saver sure. Maybe a way to get to some content you might actually want to do for yourself.

Is everyone being on top of their game so impossible?

People play sports outside sometimes still right? You get a team together, and don't make mistakes, you can win a game. Sometimes you lose it too. People still play sports though even though you can lose. You wouldn't pay someone to dress up like you and play for you to get your team to the finals so you could then play though right? Even if you did, just for the thrill playing in the finals, if you played yourself and had sat out the whole season with a stand in taking your place, how well is that game going to go?