Alyx Effron | July 13, 2026

Presented By All Touch Case

Last week, Topps ignited one of the biggest debates the hobby has seen this year by announcing that its highly anticipated 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update Series Basketball retail release would ship without its traditional shrink wrap. The change - currently limited to retail format - removes the plastic seal before products are sent to customers in an effort to discourage scalping and improve access for collectors.

The announcement quickly became one of the most polarizing topics in the hobby. Some applauded the move, arguing that if unopened boxes become less attractive on the secondary market, more product may actually end up in the hands of collectors instead of resellers. Others raised legitimate concerns about product integrity, tampering, consumer confidence, and whether removing the seal simply creates a new set of problems without addressing the real issue.

Like many conversations in today’s hobby, there isn’t a clear right or wrong answer. From Collectors MD‘s perspective, the most interesting part of this discussion isn’t the plastic. It’s what the conversation reveals about the modern hobby.

For years, sealed boxes have represented more than just unopened packs. They’ve become assets. Investments. Inventory. A currency within the hobby. When a manufacturer changes something as simple as the packaging, the first questions many people ask aren’t about the cards inside. They’re about resale value. How will this affect comps? Will flippers still buy them? Will collectors trust them? Will the secondary market change?

None of those questions are inherently wrong. The hobby has always included elements of buying, selling, trading, and investing. Reselling isn’t new, and neither is speculation. The secondary market is woven throughout nearly every corner of the hobby – from online marketplaces and auction houses to card shows and live breaking. Each depends, to some extent, on a healthy ecosystem of buying, selling, and trading.

But moments like this give us an opportunity to pause and reflect on just how central resale value has become to the collecting experience. If removing a thin layer of plastic dramatically changes how we value a product, what does that say about what we’ve begun valuing most?

Sometimes the biggest conversations aren’t about the product itself – they’re about what the conversation says about our priorities as collectors.

It’s worth asking ourselves whether we’re primarily excited about opening the box – or about what the unopened box represents. That question isn’t meant to criticize anyone. It’s simply an invitation to pause, reflect, and perhaps think outside the box – no pun intended.

The reality is that manufacturers are constantly experimenting with ways to balance collector access, product security, environmental concerns, and the realities of a thriving resale market. Whether this particular approach succeeds or fails remains to be seen. But regardless of what happens with shrink wrap, one thing probably won’t change. As long as demand exceeds supply, there will always be a secondary market. There will always be resellers. There will always be collectors. There will always be disagreements about how the hobby should evolve. That’s simply part of modern collecting – and it’s hardly unique to trading cards. We see the same dynamics play out across many modern commerce industries. Whether it’s trading cards, sneakers, watches, collectibles, or concert tickets, scarcity inevitably creates a resale market.

The opportunity for each of us is deciding where our own priorities lie. Are we buying because we genuinely enjoy collecting? Or are we becoming increasingly focused on preserving value, chasing scarcity, and maximizing resale potential?

Ultimately, the conversation is less about who’s right or wrong and more about what matters most to each of us as collectors. What matters most is understanding what mindset is driving our decisions. Because intentional collecting isn’t determined by whether a box has plastic around it – it’s determined by the mindset of the collector opening it.

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The debate isn’t really about shrink wrap. It’s about the evolving identity of the hobby. As collecting continues to change, moments like these invite us to reflect on what we value most – and whether our decisions are being driven by enjoyment, intention, or the pursuit of the next opportunity.

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In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Paul Baldwin Jr.—aka @Paullydoughnuts⁩—founder of #GetToStackin, trusted hobby voice, and one of the more outspoken, community-rooted personalities in the space today.

Paully brings a grounded, collector-first perspective to a moment in the hobby that feels as exciting as it does uncertain. With 20K+ followers across his socials and years of experience transacting and building trust within the community, he’s become a voice many collectors have turned to as the hobby has started feeling louder, faster, and harder to make sense of.

Alyx and Paully unpack the current state of the hobby from multiple angles—including Fanatics’ branded credit card, this year's Topps Industry Conference, the continued financialization of fandom, and what it all means for where the hobby is headed.

They discuss the return of iconic products like Topps Chrome Football and Bowman Basketball, the Topps licensing takeover, and why modern wax prices have reached a point where we're starting to question who today’s products are really built for.

The conversation centers on trust, transparency, and accountability, honing in on the recent Whatnot controversy, lawsuits, repack concerns, and the growing tension between community and commerce in the live-selling and breaking ecosystem.

They explore what’s changing in the hobby, what's worth protecting, and whether the space is evolving in a way that feels healthier, more sustainable, and more aligned with the people who helped build it.

At its core, this episode focuses on a bigger question: are we building a better hobby—or just a faster, more expensive, more emotionally volatile one?

Topics covered include:

• Paully’s roots in the hobby and why his voice resonates

• The launch of #GetToStackin and building trust in the community

• Fanatics’ new branded credit card and what it signals

• The financialization of fandom and hobby participation

• Topps’ growing influence and the new licensing era

• The return of Topps Chrome Football and Bowman Basketball

• The skyrocketing cost of wax and accessibility concerns

• Whether modern product is still built for real collectors

• The recent Whatnot controversy, lawsuits, and trust issues

• Repack culture, transparency, and accountability in the hobby

• What still feels worth protecting in today’s hobby

• Whether the hobby is becoming healthier or just more intense

If you’ve been feeling both excited and uneasy about where the hobby is headed, this conversation will hit home. Growth isn’t always the same thing as progress.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around awareness, accountability, and building a healthier relationship with collecting.

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Learn More About Paul & #GetToStackin:

Website: gettostackin.com

YT: @Paullydoughnuts

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X: @paullydoughnuts

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This Episode of The Collector's Compass is sponsored by ‪All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% of your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

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Collectors MD is proud to officially launch A National Call To Action: Funding Responsible Collecting & Harm Reduction, a new initiative focused on increasing awareness, education, prevention, and support surrounding gambling-adjacent harm within modern collectible and digital consumer environments.

This initiative represents an important step forward as Collectors MD continues building bridges between the collectibles industry, public health organizations, recovery communities, councils, coalitions, creators, and community leaders.

Over the last several years, the collectibles ecosystem—along with many modern digital consumer industries—has increasingly adopted engagement mechanics centered around live selling, randomized products, auctions, constant stimulation, scarcity, and high-pressure purchasing environments. While these spaces continue to grow rapidly, more individuals, families, and organizations are also beginning to encounter emerging behavioral and financial harms without clear prevention or support infrastructure in place.

This initiative is not about attacking the hobby or pushing broad regulation. It is about recognition, education, prevention, harm reduction, and creating healthier long-term ecosystems through honest conversation and collaboration.

The petition calls for:

• Increased awareness surrounding gambling-adjacent behavioral harm

• Expanded public education and prevention efforts

• Greater collaboration between industry and behavioral health organizations

• Exploration of sustainable support and funding pathways

• Development of healthier responsible collecting standards moving forward

At Collectors MD, we’ve seen firsthand how rapidly these conversations are growing. Through peer support meetings, community outreach, partnerships, educational initiatives, and ongoing conversations with collectors and families, it has become increasingly clear that the current ecosystem lacks the infrastructure needed to properly address these emerging challenges.

This initiative is designed to help change that.

The goal is not to create fear around collecting. The goal is to create healthier environments where people can enjoy the hobby more sustainably, more intentionally, and with better support systems in place when problems arise.

We believe awareness and accountability can coexist with passion and enjoyment for the hobby.

Organizations, creators, professionals, collectors, and community leaders are now invited to formally support the initiative by signing the petition and helping encourage broader conversations surrounding responsible collecting and harm reduction.

This is about being proactive before the gap widens further.

Healthy ecosystems don’t happen by accident. They happen through honest conversations, collaboration, education, and a willingness to acknowledge where support systems need to evolve alongside the industries themselves.

Support. Accountability. Change.

Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.
#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

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Published February 07, 2026 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

There’s no denying how much influence athletes, celebrities, and creators now carry beyond the field, screen, or stage. We see personal brands growing fast. Investments in sports teams, platforms, alternative assets, and entire hobby ecosystems. We’re even seeing major athletes launch their own branded hobby shops and break groups. Much of this is framed as passion projects or smart business moves, and often paired with meaningful charitable work through foundations and causes that matter.

But there’s a gap we rarely talk about.

We see celebrities endorsing casino and sportsbook ads every day. We see athletes collaborating with breakers, platforms, and high-velocity hobby formats. We see public figures entering collecting spaces that are increasingly expensive, speculative, and psychologically intense. What we don’t often see is that same visibility used to talk about mental health, addiction, harm reduction, or the realities many everyday collectors quietly struggle with.

The average collector today is largely priced out of the hobby. Box prices have exploded. Access has shifted from curiosity and connection to pressure and urgency. For younger collectors, or those without financial literacy or awareness of risk, the harm isn’t abstract. It’s already happening. And you don’t need a clinical background to see it. You just need to look at who’s being pulled in and who’s being left behind.

It’s hard to be heard when you’re speaking to a crowd that’s facing the other way. Awareness travels farther when those with reach and influence help amplify the conversation.

This isn’t a call-out. It’s a call-in.

Imagine if the same platforms used to promote products also helped normalize conversations about balance. About boundaries. About knowing when something fun starts to feel heavy. Support now exists for people navigating these spaces, but awareness doesn’t. There are thousands, maybe millions of people who don’t know help is even an option.

Using influence to point people toward responsible collecting, responsible participation, and real support doesn’t take away from the hobby. It protects it. It makes it safer. It keeps more people in the room long-term.

We don’t need perfection. We don’t need moralizing. We need visibility, care, and a willingness to say: there’s another side to this, and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

#CollectorsMD
Influence carries responsibility, and using it to serve the greater good matters deeply.

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Did you know you can now set deposit and time limits in the Whatnot app? This feature was added to help create a safer and healthier collecting environment.

It’s encouraging to see major hobby platforms stepping up and implementing meaningful changes, especially as Collectors MD and its mission-aligned partners continue advocating for reform. The real question is, is it enough?