When I had a want list, I would hide it if I were going on vacation, or something that would keep me away from my cards for a while. Also, it's possible he created a large wantlist, then discovered there were things he didn't want on it, so he hid it rather than deleting it. That's why I was always so adamant about not wanting things like schedules on our site. If you add ALL missing Yadier Molina cards, or whoever, to your want list, you get everything. Just a couple reasons a person would create a wantlist and hide it. Others come to mind. Maybe fell on hard times and can't afford postage...
I'm going to reevaluate how I collect after the new year. It's just getting way too expensive for the new stuff. Sometimes I just want to buy a pack, not a whole box or even blaster.