The Soul of the Hobby: Why It’s Sad to See Big Platforms Forget What Trading Cards Are Really About

The trading card hobby has always been about more than just money. It’s about memories, discovery, and connection — the first pack a kid ever opens, the thrill of finishing a set, the smell of cardboard mixed with curiosity and hope. Yet in recent years, major companies like Fanatics, Veriswap, and Whatnot have shifted the spotlight almost entirely toward high-value transactions — the “big ticket” slabs, record-breaking auctions, and influencer-driven streams. Somewhere along the way, the heart of the hobby got pushed into the background.

When Collecting Turned into Investing

There’s nothing wrong with appreciating a rare card’s market value. But the obsession with flipping, grading, and profit margins has made collecting feel more like a stock exchange than a pastime. Many of the biggest platforms are chasing headlines and high rollers, promoting the next $100,000 sale while quietly forgetting that the hobby was built by kids with binders, not hedge funds with portfolios.

Fanatics has consolidated brands and distribution, Whatnot prioritizes influencer auctions, and Veriswap encourages card-for-card “asset trading.” Meanwhile, the joy of set building, local trading, and low-cost discovery has almost vanished from their marketing entirely. When every post screams “ROI,” the message to newcomers is clear: If you’re not buying big, you don’t belong.

What Gets Lost

That kind of environment leaves little space for the small collector — the person carefully piecing together a 1993 Topps baseball set one card at a time, or the kid who just wants to open a pack of Pokémon with their allowance. These are the collectors who sustain the hobby’s culture long after the headlines fade. They’re the ones who trade at local shows, send cards through the mail, and still get excited about a base rookie because it fills a missing slot on a checklist.

Without that foundation, the industry risks becoming a bubble of exclusivity, where passion gives way to speculation and creativity gives way to commerce.

The Next Generation Deserves Better

If kids can’t afford to buy into the hobby, or if they feel that their small collections don’t matter, the entire ecosystem suffers. Today’s young set-builder is tomorrow’s lifelong collector — or tomorrow’s entrepreneur. When companies overlook the joy of discovery, they choke off the very pipeline that keeps the hobby alive.

Where Collectors Can Push Back

Collectors can make a difference by supporting grassroots platforms and small businesses that still value the entire collecting journey — not just the sales headline. Communities that celebrate condition care, set completion, and shared excitement keep the hobby grounded. Whether you’re swapping commons, protecting your cards, or consolidating shipments from across the U.S. through services like GorillaShip, every collector deserves a space to enjoy the hobby at their own pace and price point.

Because the truth is simple: trading cards were never meant to be about status. They were meant to be traded, shared, and cherished — one binder page at a time.