In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, we sit down with Doc Schwartz—educator, government veteran, and creator of ediSportscards.

Doc has become one of the hobby’s most honest voices, speaking openly about addiction, overspending, and accountability. From the conversation we had with him on his channel last month titled “What Happens When Your Collecting Turns Into an Addiction?” to his presence in our weekly peer-support meetings, Doc has helped spark conversations the hobby has long avoided.

Doc provides perspective on:
-Why honesty is non-negotiable when talking about addiction in collecting.
-How the same dopamine loops appear across hobbies—cards, TCG, sneakers, NFTs, even retail therapy.
-What realistic regulation and consumer guardrails could look like.
-The human side: secrecy, shame, and how peer support breaks the cycle.
-Two recovery lanes: abstinence vs. intentional collecting—and why both matter.
-How culture can shift from chasing comps to rediscovering nostalgia, connection, and meaning.
-The role of allies, corporations, and shared advocacy in scaling support.

Whether you’re a longtime collector or someone questioning your own relationship with the hobby, this episode explores what it takes to face compulsion honestly—and how to find healthier paths forward.

Subscribe, comment, and join the movement. And remember to collect with intention, not compulsion.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

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Website: collectorsmd.com
Socials: hopp.bio/collectorsmd
Weekly Meeting Sign-Up: bit.ly/45koiMX
Contact: info@collectorsmd.com
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Follow Doc Schwartz & ediSportscards:
YouTube: @edisportscards6275
Instagram: @edisportscards

#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #CollectWithIntention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAj-VidhKI&t=7017s

Published October 01, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

Today’s announcement from Whatnot marks a shift many of us in the hobby have been waiting for: regulation around repacks and surprise products. For too long, this corner of the hobby has existed in a gray area—opaque, unaccountable, and often exploitative. Collectors rolled the dice without knowing whether they were buying into value or into a system stacked against them.

Under the new rules, repack manufacturers will need approval, independent auditing, and published checklists. Transparency isn’t optional anymore—it’s required. That means sellers can no longer hide behind mystery packaging or insider knowledge. For a space that has too often felt like the Wild West, this is a meaningful step toward order.

But let’s be honest: one policy doesn’t fix a culture overnight. The introduction of auditors and checklists is progress, but it doesn’t erase the harm caused by years of unregulated products. It doesn’t automatically restore the trust that’s been lost. Reform in this hobby will always be ongoing—because compulsion, secrecy, and profit-first mindsets don’t disappear with a press release.

Whatnot introduces regulation for repacks & surprise products—requiring approval, independent auditors, and public checklists. A long-needed step toward transparency and accountability in the hobby.

Still, we should pause here and acknowledge the progress. Platforms with power have a responsibility to use it well, and Whatnot’s move shows that collective voices in the community do matter. It’s proof that change—slow as it may feel—is possible when enough pressure builds.

For those of us in recovery from compulsive collecting, the lesson is clear: change comes from transparency and accountability. Just like the platforms are being forced to audit their processes, we’re invited to audit our own. To ask: Are we being honest with ourselves about what we’re chasing? Are we keeping our own checklists of boundaries, or are we still buying blind?

We still have our work cut out for us. Advocacy doesn’t end here, and accountability remains the cornerstone of real change. But today—this is a win worth recognizing.

#CollectorsMD
True reform is built step by step—one policy, one choice, one moment of honesty at a time.

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Published July 10, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

This past month, collectors spent $305 million on trading cards. That’s not a projection. That’s documented sales—from marketplaces, apps, and platforms that actually track these transactions.

But here’s the thing: That number doesn’t include private deals. It doesn’t include the cash exchanges at card shows, local shops, or backroom trades that happen every single day. It doesn’t account for the volume of money moving through the hobby under the radar.

Which means the real number? It’s almost certainly much higher.

And still—no guardrails. No disclosures. No oversight. No transparency. No consumer protection. No regulation.

Imagine if the stock market or any other financial system operated at this scale—with this much money changing hands—and remained virtually untouched by regulation or accountability. Headlines would explode. Lawmakers would scramble. Investors would demand answers.

But in the hobby? It’s business as usual.

We regulate banking. We regulate investing. We regulate gambling. We regulate anything that puts people’s money or mental health at risk. So why is the hobby—now a multi-billion dollar industry—still operating without guardrails? It’s time to stop pretending this is just a game. Protection shouldn’t be optional.

We keep chasing the next record-breaking month without asking the hard questions. We celebrate the boom without confronting the risk. We treat this space like a game, when in reality it’s functioning more and more like a financial market—with none of the structure or safeguards in place to support it.

That’s not sustainable. That’s not safe. And that’s not okay.

This isn’t a call to kill the fun—it’s a call to protect the people inside it. We need transparency. Guardrails. Clarity. Regulation. Not just for the hobby’s sake, but for the sake of every collector getting swept up in something far bigger than they realize.

#CollectorsMD
Growth without guardrails is just chaos in a costume.

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