Published November 04, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

In his recent viral post on LinkedIn, Upper Deck President Jason Masherah addressed a topic few inside the industry have been willing to discuss openly: “Everything speculative is up right now—[stocks, crypto, trading cards]—and it’s pricing some collectors out”. As he went on to say, “it works—until it doesn’t”.

Jason Masherah’s viral post captured what many collectors have been feeling but few have said out loud—speculation has priced out the very people who built this hobby. The data doesn’t lie: when 10% of the population drives 50% of spending, it’s not passion fueling the market anymore—it’s privilege.

For years, the hobby has told itself a comforting story: that rising prices mean growth, and growth means health. That the flashier the sale, the stronger the market. That the next record-breaking comp somehow validates the integrity of the ecosystem. But as Masherah pointed out, what’s been growing isn’t the foundation—it’s the bubble.

When boxes cost $1,000 or more, you’re not buying nostalgia anymore—you’re buying into a system of speculation. You’re wagering that the card inside will justify the price you paid. You’re betting on scarcity, hype, and timing. And like any bet, it only works as long as someone’s willing to pay more than you did.

When collecting becomes a wager instead of a wonder, the meaning starts to fade. Masherah’s honesty cut through the noise—reminding us that this level of speculation isn’t growth, it’s fragility disguised as success.

Masherah’s honesty struck a nerve because it exposed what many collectors already feel but rarely admit: that joy has quietly been replaced by justification. That the thrill of the chase has been rebranded as an “investment strategy”. That we now talk about “liquidity” instead of legacy, “ROI” instead of remembrance.

It’s not just about money—it’s about what we’ve normalized. We live in what Masherah called a “new gambling economy”. The same dopamine loops that power sports betting, stock apps, and crypto platforms now power the hobby. If it’s not gambling, it’s breaking. If it’s not breaking, it’s chasing a bounty. If it’s not a bounty, it’s a repack promising “guaranteed value”. And when those numbers start slipping, we call it a “market correction” instead of what it really is—a correction of priorities.

Jason Masherah recently joined Darren Rovell on CLLCTV to discuss the current state of the hobby—rising prices, market manipulation, and the widening gap between collectors and speculation. A much-needed conversation about where the industry is headed—and what it means for the people who actually love it.

The tragedy isn’t that collectors are spending money—it’s that many are losing themselves in the process. Somewhere along the way, the chase replaced the connection. What began as curiosity and community has become a cycle of motion mistaken for meaning, activity for achievement, and speculation for belonging.

As Masherah put it, “What we’ve seen since the beginning of time in this industry is that the market moves—it can move up, it can move down—but when it moves down, sometimes people get burned, and they don’t come back.”

It’s a sobering truth: when the market turns, it’s not the speculators who disappear—it’s the collectors who loved it most.

But here’s where things can change. Masherah’s perspective wasn’t cynical—it was a call for honesty. A reminder that fragile markets don’t collapse because of bad luck; they collapse because of denial. They fall when we forget what brought us here—the stories, the history, the sense of wonder in opening something unknown.

The hobby doesn’t need another boom. It needs balance. It needs leaders and collectors alike to start asking harder questions: Are we building something sustainable, or just inflating another balloon? Are we celebrating connection, or chasing comps? Are we teaching the next generation how to collect—or how to gamble with better packaging?

This is what speculation looks like—an object suspended between luck and loss. In a market where hype determines value, the same card can feel like a win or a warning. The more we gamble on meaning, the less meaning it holds.

The real reset won’t come from regulation or another platform—it’ll come from awareness. From choosing meaning over manipulation. From remembering that collecting was never about what something was worth—it was about what it meant.

Masherah’s words matter because they broke the silence inside the system itself. And if one of the industry’s most powerful voices can say, “This isn’t sustainable”, maybe it’s time we all start listening.

Maybe it’s time we start collecting differently—not for profit, but for purpose.

#CollectorsMD
The future of the hobby depends on what we value more—the cards we hold, or the meaning we give them.

—
Follow us on Instagram: @collectorsmd
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Support Group
Join The Conversation On Mantel
Read More Daily Reflections

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.

Also make sure to check out our full discussion on edisportscards6275's channel—where we cover how collecting can slide into addiction, the casino-style mechanics behind breaks and FOMO, practical guardrails, and healthier ways to engage.

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

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:
Website: collectorsmd.com
Socials: hopp.bio/collectorsmd
Weekly Meeting Sign-Up: bit.ly/45koiMX
Contact: info@collectorsmd.com
YouTube: @collectorsmd
Instagram: @collectorsmd

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.

—
Follow us on Instagram: @collectorsmd
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Support Group
Join The Conversation On Mantel
Read More Daily Reflections

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.

—
Follow us on Instagram: @collectorsmd
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Support Group
Join The Conversation On Mantel
Read More Daily Reflections