The Hobby Boards

AbraCalabro wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:08 am lol - another blow to the hope that Fanatics would do right by the hobby. Monopolies are garbage anyway. I'm not surprised. It would be great if the feds, or someone else, stepped in here, but I still wish the same would happen to the license monopoly.

#growingthehobby #invest #whodoyoucollect #icollectmoney

This is the ultimate problem. Fanatics motive is business and profit. Since there's no competition, it makes sense for them to simply try to maximize it. And I'm sure they know what they're doing and that appealing to gambling and winning culture is likely to attract more people than appealing to collecting culture

SacKingsCards wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 8:48 am This is the ultimate problem. Fanatics motive is business and profit. Since there's no competition, it makes sense for them to simply try to maximize it. And I'm sure they know what they're doing and that appealing to gambling and winning culture is likely to attract more people than appealing to collecting culture

Well said dude. Basically printing money for themselves and the NBA doesn't give a crap because they're getting their cut. I suppose it was always this way, but it wasn't so blatant and money driven, but rather, things were reasonable enough that a hobby could grow and exist. Now it's a high priced dopamine hit and then another, and another, and another.

AbraCalabro wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:08 am#icollectmoney

AbraCalabro wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 4:58 pm
Well said dude. Basically printing money for themselves and the NBA doesn't give a crap because they're getting their cut. I suppose it was always this way, but it wasn't so blatant and money driven, but rather, things were reasonable enough that a hobby could grow and exist. Now it's a high priced dopamine hit and then another, and another, and another.

Yeah, I mean I'm certainly not all negative about things. I do think the hobby still does exist and hopefully is growing. I certainly enjoy collecting still and will after Fanatics does their thing, whatever that thing is. But by 2018, and especially 2019, there was a clear shift towards a focus on money.

Pretty good article on breaking (gambling) on Whatnot.

Have You Visited the 24/7 Card Casino?

https://www.sportscardsuncensored.com/h ... KuaEAsAPl8

I ran across this really good video from JamesCardsFC that goes over repacks and it's ties to gambling and slot machine/casino type structure. He goes over repacks on Whatnot, but i'm sure this is all happening on Fanatics Live as well.

I enjoyed the video!

Have we talked Arena Club Slab Packs? I had only seen YouTube videos pop up for them but officially heard an ad read on a non sports podcast today on my way to work. I go back and forth on repacks in general, when clear and trustworthy (e.g. check lists, odds, all the good stuff that Panini doesn't even do anymore), I find them tolerable even though I won't partake - not too dissimilar from wax itself. My issues with them aren't much different from wax (which I do very occasionally buy still).

Arena Club seems to be trying to do something right with clarity, but the rolling checklist instead of static releases makes it even more like a slot machine than anything before it and a clear progression into more controlled gambling.

Interesting video from Dan the Card Man on repacks, potential government regulation, and how that might blow the bottom out of card values since a lot of these cards repackers are buying stuff over comps atm.