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FINAL PICKS

✍ The Collector’s Crossroads
by Brews & Breaks

Wall Street has the SEC.
The hobby? We’ve got influencers with ring lights and suspiciously deep Zion Cases.

When someone on CNBC buys a boatload of Tesla stock, then goes on air saying “this thing is headed to the moon”... that’s called insider trading. Illegal. Jail time. Orange jumpsuit.

When an “influencer” buys 50 copies of a rookie silver, then drops a video about how it’s the most undervalued card in the market?
That’s just called content.

The Mechanics of Hobby Insider Trading

1. Load the stash. Buy out eBay, ComC, and your buddy’s dollar box before anyone’s watching.

2. Cue the hype machine. Fire up YouTube, Whatnot, TikTok. Act shocked that the card is still “so cheap.”

3. Watch the sheep run. Views turn into bids, bids turn into comps, comps turn into “proof.”

4. Exit stage left. Sell into the surge, pocket profits. The “community” holds the bag.
   

Add Shill Bidding to the Mix

Here’s where it gets even dirtier:

• Shill bidders artificially pump auction prices so that comps look higher than reality.

• A $500 card magically “sells” for $1,200… until the shill “buyer” never pays and the card quietly reappears in the next cycle.

• Meanwhile, the new fake comp gets plastered across Market Movers, Card Ladder, and YouTube thumbnails as “proof” the card is spiking.
  

The result? False confidence. Inflated markets. And collectors left wondering why their “$1,200 card” suddenly gets crickets at $700.

The Big Sales Nobody Questions

Look closer at the largest hobby sales, six-figure grails, record-setting auctions.

• The same auction houses hyping these sales? Often have equity ties, kickbacks, or sweetheart deals with influencers, investors, even grading companies.

• The big “$2M sale” makes headlines, but the net after rebates, cross-promotion, or “guarantees” looks a whole lot different.

• These splashy records aren’t just sales — they’re marketing tools. Tools designed to keep the hype train steaming.
  

It’s less supply and demand and more supply, demand, and backstage handshakes.

Why It Stings

• Collectors aren’t stupid. They see the timing. They know when a “buy alert” video drops right after the seller’s stack went from 50 to 3.

• Transparency is zero. Nobody has to disclose holdings, kickbacks, or shill games. Imagine if stock analysts could openly pump companies they secretly owned millions in. That’s where we are.

• Trust is circling the drain. Every shady sale and fake comp erodes faith in the market.
  
  

The SEC of the Hobby?

Do we need one? Some argue yes, a watchdog that forces disclosures like:

“I currently hold 25 of these cards and stand to profit if the value rises.”

Or:

“This record-breaking sale included seller rebates and promotional incentives.”

Would it kill the grift? Maybe not. But it would sure separate real collecting from rigged auctions.

Final Sip

Do we shrug and accept “insider trading lite” as part of the game?
Or do we start calling out the shills, the staged sales, and the influencer hype cycles that are eating this hobby alive?

Because right now, the only people grading transparency are the ones selling it.

👉 Brew Crew — do you think we need disclosures in the hobby like Wall Street has? Or is this still the Wild West where it’s “buyer beware”?

Until next time, keep sippin’ and rippin’. ☕🔥

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