Published November 20, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

This week, Fanatics and Topps dropped the highly anticipated officially licensed 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball for preorders—and the numbers tell a story that should concern every collector. Hobby boxes priced at $369.99. Hobby Jumbo boxes at $699.99. These formats sold out in under two minutes. Within hours, jumbo boxes were already flipping for over $1,200 on the aftermarket. Value (Blaster) Boxes are priced at $49.99—once $25-$30. Mega boxes at $84.99—formerly $50-$60. And while some celebrate the “sellout”, many collectors are left staring at a hobby that no longer feels built for them.

What’s happening here isn’t organic evolution—it’s price-gouging dressed up as prestige. We’re being told these prices are justified because the rookie class is strong. Because Topps Chrome is “iconic”. Because there are LeBron, Curry, and Wembanyama autographs. Because Fanatics layered in new gimmicky chases like game-worn gold NBA Logomen for last year’s award winners. All of it sounds exciting on paper. But when scarcity, spectacle, and speed become the primary drivers, collecting quietly turns into gambling mechanics—designed for escalation, not enjoyment.

The chase cards promise glory—superfractor 1/1’s, gold Logomen, superstar autos, iconic short prints, once-in-a-lifetime hits—yet their brilliance masks a system engineered to keep collectors reaching, not reflecting.

This is what erodes trust. When sealed wax becomes a luxury commodity instead of a shared entry point into the hobby, the community fractures. And when breakers and shops begin defending these prices instead of questioning them, the line between hobby and casino blurs further. Because let’s be honest—Fanatics isn’t just a distributor anymore. It’s operating like a full-fledged casino. And in every casino, the house always wins.

Collectors feel it. The frustration. The powerlessness. The sense that what once felt accessible and meaningful now feels exploitative and rigged. This isn’t about resisting change—it’s about demanding oversight, regulation, and accountability. Real consumer protection. Real transparency. Real guardrails. Without them, we risk normalizing a system where the only people who can participate are those willing—or forced—to overspend in pursuit of manufactured hype.

This hobby is in serious trouble if we don’t push for real change. If we don’t challenge the narrative that chaos equals innovation. If we don’t remind ourselves that collecting was never meant to be a pressure cooker designed to extract as much money as possible from the people who love it most.

We deserve better. And the next generation of collectors deserves a hobby that isn’t engineered to keep them chasing losses under the illusion of excitement.

#CollectorsMD
When the price of entry feels like a wager, it’s time to question who the game was really built for.

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