Published May 23, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

That first hit was a rush.
Maybe it was a superfractor 1/1.
Maybe it was your favorite player.
Or maybe it was just the fact that you flipped it fast and made a quick buck on the spot.

That moment did something without you even realizing. It hooked you. It gave you a taste—not just of value, but of possibility.

So you kept going. More breaks. More personals. More razzes. More chances at lightning in a bottle.

But here’s the thing: that original high?
It rarely—if ever—hits the same way twice.

And whether we realize it or not, many of us end up chasing that feeling. Not the card. Not the player. The rush. The hope. The “maybe this is the one.”

We’re all just chasing the dragon.
And the manufacturers? The platforms? The breakers? The content creators?
They know it.

They craft the hype.
Stack the odds.
Drop just enough hits to keep you on the hook.

The whole ecosystem is built to keep you spinning:

• Hit the right team in a break

• Wait weeks for it to ship

• Grade it

• Hope it gems

• Try to flip it

• Watch comps drop

• Tell yourself the next one will be better

Rinse. Repeat.

But after a while… you’re not even sure what you’re chasing anymore. Is it profit? Joy? Bragging rights? Or just a feeling you can’t quite name but desperately want back?

The deeper question is this:
What’s the cost of chasing something that may never return?
How many late nights? How much money? How many strained relationships? How much shame?

At Collectors MD, we’re not here to tell you to quit the hobby.
We’re here to help you take a breath and ask:
Am I collecting with intention—or compulsion?

Because the dragon never leads you home. It keeps you running.
And eventually, it burns everything in its path.

Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.

#CollectorsMD
There’s nothing wrong with loving the hobby—unless it stops loving you back.

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