Is Whatnot Gambling? The Hobby’s Biggest Debate Right

Summary

Collector Nation

Episode: "Is Whatnot Gambling? The Hobby’s Biggest Debate Right Now"

Date: March 20, 2026
Hosts: Ryan Alford & Bella Schaefer
Guest: Leonard Berry, Digital Marketing Producer at Onnit

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the hottest—and most contentious—topic in the collectibles hobby: whether live online breaking platforms like Whatnot should be considered unregulated gambling. Ryan Alford and executive producer Bella Schaefer break down the recent legal drama facing Whatnot, discuss parallels between gambling and card breaks, and debate how much regulation (if any) is needed. They also touch on new trading card releases, trading card market news, and sprinkle in some March Madness and World Baseball Classic talk—with plenty of hobby humor and deep dives into community hot takes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. March Madness in the Hobby: College Sports & Collecting

• Ryan kicks off the episode celebrating March Madness, particularly local South Carolina teams and the effect of the tournament on the collectibles market.
• Guest Segment (02:22–08:04):
  • Leonard Berry (Onnit) discusses the NCAA wrestling championships and their exclusive Penn State wrestling card set, highlighting six top-seeded signers, "If you've never collected wrestling cards before...this is definitely the weekend...to start watching wrestling" (02:45).
  • Both discuss Onnit’s NCAA March Madness partnerships: 21 teams (12 men’s, 9 women’s) in the tournament, including all four women’s No. 1 seeds—a strategic win for collegiate collectibles.
  • Predictions: Leonard goes with Michigan (men) and UCLA (women) as his personal picks, while Ryan remains bullish on UConn and Michigan but with a soft spot for South Carolina (Don Staley).
  • "Sarah Strong and Azzy Fudd, probably two of the best players in the country. And the supporting cast they have..." (06:39)

2. Onnit Cards & Where to Find Them (07:15)

• Leonard shares where Onnit’s products are available: onitathlete.com, live streams on TikTok and Whatnot, and at Collector Station (in-person).

3. Meet Your Hosts: Hobby Store Banter & Secret Passages (08:23–11:18)

• Bella is officially an on-camera co-host. The pair’s fun rapport is boosted by inside jokes about decals, store renovations, and Bella’s family laundry secret passage ("Secret passages are cool...Maybe it’s a product of me growing up with the Goonies." —Ryan, 10:40).

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4. Main Debate: Is Whatnot Gambling?

(Begins at 11:19)

a. Unpacking the Legal Drama (12:02)

• Ryan: “Multiple arbitration complaints...15 complaints against Whatnot—unregulated online casino rather than a normal marketplace.”
• Uncertainty around legal language and whether Whatnot is being targeted simply for being the biggest player.

b. The Case for/against Regulation (14:28)

• Bella: "If you make that argument, like, you know, eBay Live, like, they're all doing the same thing. So I don't know if you can necessarily single out Whatnot."
• Ryan: Suggests it’s natural to focus on the largest platform first; questions the motives of the complainants (money, publicity, or genuine concern).

c. Is Breaking Actually Gambling? (16:12–19:44)

• Ryan: “In blackjack, you either win or you lose...in Whatnot, this casino where you're trying to get the best card, you always get some cards that might not be worth as much. So there is a distinction here that you're trying to pay.”
• Bella: “If you take that logic, opening a pack of cards is literally the same thing...then regular packs of cards should also be labeled as gambling.”
• Ryan: Emphasizes that with card breaks, you never walk away empty-handed, unlike traditional gambling. Compares it to paying a premium at a luxury store versus the chance-driven outcome of gambling.

d. Addiction & Platform Responsibility (19:44–21:26)

• Ryan: "Do I want my kids spending all their money and getting lured into this dark place that is breaking? Come on."
• Debates personal responsibility vs platform responsibility:
  • Bella: “I don't think Whatnot should necessarily pay the price for other people's addictions.”
  • Ryan: Recognizes the need for “a few more guardrails, but without going overboard...I believe in guardrails and not absolutes.”

e. Potential For Hobby-Wide Impact (20:18–21:26)

• Bella: Wonders how this case might prompt eBay Live and others to get ahead of regulations.
• Light-hearted riff on what future disclaimers might sound like:
  • Ryan: “You might mortgage your house over these breaks because it’s so addicting.”

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5. Sports, Hobby, and Card Market Chat

a. World Baseball Classic Recap (21:26–24:24)

• Recap and emotional takes from the USA vs. Venezuela game.
• Ryan: "Who won is baseball...it reminds you of how much sport can part the red seas of division."
• Brief analysis of how big moments affect player card prices (notably Bryce Harper).

b. March Madness Fever (24:48–28:31)

• Local focus: Clemson and Furman’s teams in the tournament.
• Bella shares anecdotes from being at Furman when they pulled off their last March Madness win.
• Amusing discussion of "FU" as Furman's cheer (“F U one time, F U two times...F U all the time”—Bella, 27:35).

c. Event and Ticket Talk (30:03–31:51)

• City of Greenville hosts both Duke and UNC; hosts joke about finding a way to balance work commitments with major sporting events.

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6. Hobby News: New Releases & Market Updates

a. Latest Card Releases (31:53–33:18)

• 2025 Panini Football Prism Black, Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey, Bowman’s Best Baseball, and Topps Heritage Baseball drop this week.
• Ryan jokes about selling a kidney to afford new products. Shop talk about what sells in the South: “Hockey doesn’t move great in South Carolina.” (33:02)

b. Trading Cards, Ripping, and Social Media Moments (33:18–35:12)

• Emphasis on the chase: Color blast, Manga inserts, and the “hot hands” of recent breaks.
• VeeFriends Super Stickers impress as accessible, transparent collectibles for new and young collectors.
• Fun banter about filming every break to catch the big pulls.

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7. Big Sale News: Aaron Judge’s Superfractor (35:30–38:22)

• $5.2 million sale of Aaron Judge’s Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Auto Superfractor 1/1—up from $324,000 just four years ago.
• Bella: “Even if you invested in the best damn stock in the market, you’re not gonna see a jump from $324,000 to $5.2 million in four years.”
• Fanatics Collect facilitated the sale, not Goldin Auctions—a shift in the auction landscape.
• Discussion on high-end market speculation and the wild upside of ultra-rare modern cards.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |---|---|---| | 02:45 | "If you've never collected wrestling cards before...this is definitely the weekend for people to start watching wrestling." | Leonard Berry | | 06:39 | "Sarah Strong and Azzy Fudd, probably two of the best players in the country right now." | Leonard Berry | | 12:02 | “Multiple arbitration complaints...15 complaints against Whatnot—unregulated online casino rather than a normal marketplace.” | Ryan Alford | | 14:28 | "If you make that argument...eBay Live, they're all doing the same thing. So I don't know if you can necessarily single out Whatnot." | Bella Schaefer | | 16:12 | "In blackjack, you either win or you lose...in Whatnot, this casino where you're trying to get the best card, you always get some cards that might not be worth as much." | Ryan Alford | | 19:44 | "Do I want my kids spending all their money and getting lured into this dark place that is breaking? Come on." | Ryan Alford | | 27:35 | "So our chant is also 'F U one time, F U two times, F U three times, F U all the time.' And that's like what we say now." | Bella Schaefer | | 35:54 | "He just had a Bowman's Chrome Draft Pick Auto Super Fractor one of one sold for $5.2 million." | Bella Schaefer | | 36:08 | "Even if you invested in the best damn stock in the market, you’re not gonna see a jump from $324,000 to $5.2 million in four years." | Bella Schaefer |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:22 – 08:04: Onnit guest Leonard Berry—March Madness cards & predictions, wrestling collectibles
• 11:19 – 21:26: The Whatnot gambling debate—legal complaints, definitions, regulation, personal responsibility
• 21:26 – 24:24: World Baseball Classic recap & card market impact
• 24:48 – 28:31: March Madness banter, Furman anecdotes, “FU” shirts and cheer
• 31:53 – 33:18: New product releases in the hobby—highlights and regional sales quirks
• 35:30 – 38:22: Aaron Judge Superfractor sale—market records, speculation, investment risk

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Tone & Style

The hosts keep it energetic, candid, and humorous, balancing sharp takes on heated topics with lighthearted banter and plenty of inside jokes. They oscillate between hobby shop camaraderie, thoughtful hobby analysis, and pop culture references—delivering approachable commentary for collectors both new and seasoned.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode unpacks the multifaceted debate over the gambling label in modern card culture, using Whatnot’s legal woes as a springboard for broader questions about regulation, addiction, and collectible risk/reward dynamics. Hobby community news, top market sales, product reviews, and collegiate sports hype round out a packed episode—true to Collector Nation's mission of blending real market news with the fun and drama that make collecting so addictive.

Transcript

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for the ones who get it done.

[Bella Schaefer]

There's been some drama in the hobby this past week.

[Ryan Alford]

Unregulated online casino rather than a normal marketplace.

[Bella Schaefer]

Ebay lie. Like, they're all doing the same thing. So I don't know if you can necessarily single out whatnot.

[Ryan Alford]

Well, I mean, they're the biggest player, so you start with the biggest player and then it trickles down.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, I don't know if you watch the World Baseball Classic last night and the epic game that it was, it felt like.

[Ryan Alford]

Like it was going to be like this storybook ending for the U.S. i felt bad.

[Bella Schaefer]

But on the other hand, like, I do love a good underdog story.

[Ryan Alford]

March Mattis is here, though. Finally, Clemson women's basketball has a pulse. We got a newer coach, last few years rocking and rolling. Proud of these guys. Both number eight seeds. Welcome to the Collector Nation podcast. Here on the Collector Nation Network. Whether you're chasing grails or calling bluffs, we take you inside the hobby. Here are your hosts, Ryan Alford and Brian L. All right, guys, what's happening? March Madness is here. A lot of exciting things happen in college sports all around. And what's really cool is we're not just talking about the teams. We're talking about athletes you can actually collect right now. That's why we have ONNIT here. Leonard Berry, digital marketing producer at onnit. What's up, brother?

[Leonard Berry]

Hey, Ryan. Good to see you again. I had so much fun last week. I said I gotta come back.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, brother, I'm ready to talk some college. It's always college town around here. We're like 20 minutes from Clemson, so. And we got USC and all the Other schools around us got some big athletes, big time programs across gymnastics, tennis, baseball, football, wrestling. I know we got some wrestling news today. Talk about it.

[Leonard Berry]

Yeah, we do have some wrestling news this weekend for maybe people who are so focused on basketball. It's actually NCAA wrestling championships as well. We have some of the best teams on it. Wrestling cards. So if you've never collected wrestling cards before and you're interested in that, you can definitely check those out. But amazingly, in our Penn State set, we have six signers. All six of those guys are number one seeds in their respective weight class. So that's Levi Haynes, Luke Lidol, Mitchell Messabrink, Shane Van Ness, Rocco Welch, and PJ Duke. Every single one of those guys is a number one seed in their weight class. And in fact, out of the six of them, only one of them lost all year. So if you're a wrestling fan or if you're trying to get into wrestling, this is definitely the weekend, Ryan, for people to start watching wrestling.

[Ryan Alford]

Leonard, let's talk March Madness, man. It's crazy. I don't know if you guys got a rabbit's foot or what, but all 12 men's teams and nine women's teams are in the tournament.

[Leonard Berry]

Yeah, we got super, super lucky this year with the lace. Selection Sunday shook out 21 of our teams. In total, they're making the tournament. The 12 men's teams, we, we had one number one seed in Michigan, and then on the women's side, we actually have all four number one seeds, which is just kind of crazy that all of those teams work with us and we produce cards for the four best women's collegiate teams that are going to start the tournament here.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, it's insane and it just shows that you guys are picking the relevant programs, the programs that have the followings, but also ones that have programs that make them super collectible because they're playing in these end of year tournaments, men's and the women's. The. I'll tell you this, the women's product alone, wnba now with on it with college cards. The women's game has really stepped it up. I think the athletes are becoming more marketable. You've got on it, you know, promoting these players ahead of their pro career careers, whether they go pro or not. We're creating a soundboard in a, in a platform for them. And hey, they're all in the tournament. So before we finish, Leonard, who do you see winning these things in the men's and women's? Do you have any predictions?

[Leonard Berry]

I filled out a Lot of brackets. But in my number one, heart of heart brackets, I'm going Michigan. I like their style. On the men's side, 31 and 3. They got a pretty easy path there in the Midwest, so I like Michigan to go all the way. They've had the bumps, I think needed to kind of know what to do in these close games. And then on the women's side, I think I'm going to take UCLA. I know UConn is undefeated. It seems like blasphemy to pick against them, but the way UCLA ran through the Big Ten Conference schedule this year, the way that they just beat down teams inside the top 10, I think that they are the only team that has a chance to challenge UConn. And if they meet up in the final, I'm looking forward because I think it's going to be fireworks.

[Ryan Alford]

Yay. I like it. A bold going. Bold Leonard. I like it. You could be easy to say, I'll take Yukon and Michigan. Michigan's pretty heavy favorite. I liked Duke personally at first, but then they got a guard that's hurt, so I think they're going to struggle a little bit. Missing that guard. I don't know how. If he's out the entire tournament or the first half, we'll see. I like Florida or Michigan in the men's, and then I. I'm rooting for the. You know, I'm going to get some. Some pushback, beat a Clemson grab. But I am. I don't root against my own state. I am pulling for the Carol, South Carolina and Don Staley, who I love again, Clemson people, don't be hating me. Don Staley's a badass, and you know it. So anyway, always not really rooting for them, But I think UConn is going to be cutting down the nets again. If you ask me, they just look like they got another one of those teams. What's funny is UConn's women's program was down when they were, you know, finishing second and third, you know, in the tournament. Like, yeah, I think that machine's rolling again. Yeah.

[Leonard Berry]

Sarah Strong and Azzy Fudd, probably two of the best players in the country right now. And the supporting cast that they have

[Ryan Alford]

around Sarah's gonna be cool to follow because she will be one of those turning pro for sure. So collect. Now. That's why you need to get on it, literally, because when she wins the title, which is very likely, I have that on good authority, just watching them play this year. You get the cards now, folks. Let's. Let's do it. Leonard, where can everybody find on it cards other than Collector Station?

[Leonard Berry]

Yeah, you can find them [e-mail] that's our main website. So if you want to just peruse through everything that we offer on the website on itathlete.com if you're into, like, live ripping ships, we're also on TikTok and whatnot pretty much daily, Monday through Friday. That can be found at onit. Athlete, all one word. So if you don't want to open the cards yourself or you don't want to wait for them to get delivered and you want that instant opening, you can find us there as well. Otherwise, you can find us online or you can find us at Collector Station. If you're local to South Carolina.

[Ryan Alford]

I love it, man. The sea of sameness is going on and a lot of things on. It's doing things different, supporting these athletes, supporting the school, giving you something collectible. Whether they go pro or not, you got the best of both worlds. And Leonard, really appreciate this partnership and appreciate you for coming on day.

[Leonard Berry]

Of course. Ryan, glad to see you as always, and thanks so much for your time.

[Ryan Alford]

See you guys. What's up, guys? Welcome to Collector Nation here on March 20, 2026. You may notice something a little different on your screen. If you're watching. It's not me and Brian. It's not Ryan and Brian. It's Ryan and Bell. It is R B still.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Ryan and Bella. Bella Schaefer is our executive producer who, you know, we bring in. We, you know, she's willing to. But, like, I'll call her out sometimes, but she finally has a camera over there. What's up?

[Bella Schaefer]

No longer in my hidey hole.

[Ryan Alford]

I know. So Bella is the official diva of the hobby. I've given you a title already, too.

[Bella Schaefer]

Diva of the hobby. Add some sparkle.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, I will admit there needs to be more flair in the hobby, so I like it, whatever it is. I mean, you had your green on yesterday. It was.

[Bella Schaefer]

We should have recorded this yesterday. I think that would have.

[Ryan Alford]

That would have been actually on brand for the hobby. You know, it would have been your green. The green parallel version of. Of Bella. Okay, One of one.

[Bella Schaefer]

If. If you get me to the national, I'll go, like, I'll pink out. I'll wear a pink wig.

[Ryan Alford]

It might be affordable. I could fly you there while me and the boys take the rv.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, you guys can slum it in the rv.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, it's not Slowman, baby. Zach's got that thing looking about halfway there. I'm excited it'll be done by this. Maybe by the day before we leave.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah. Yeah, probably.

[Ryan Alford]

Well, I keep putting him on other things, so.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, we gotta. Gotta tease what he's doing right now.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, let's just say, look, we're here at Collector Station. That's where we do this show in the wonderful Easley, S.C. and our hobby store that's open to the masses. Everybody gets to watch us here as we record. And, you know, I have a back office that you have to admit, if some people would have done their office first, it's been the last project.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep, very last.

[Ryan Alford]

Very last.

[Bella Schaefer]

Bottom of the checklist.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. We got the studio, we got the store rocking, looking good. And then now my office, which has. It's sort of just a door that goes into it. And let's just say you don't. Doors are boring.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah. Especially when they're just white.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. White doors.

[Bella Schaefer]

You got everything else graffitied.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. So let's just say we'll tease it with this. Secret passages are cool.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, maybe it's a product of me growing up with the Goonies movie and, like, other things where there were, like. It was the coolest thing ever to have secret passages.

[Bella Schaefer]

Hey, my house has one back. Back in Connecticut, we have, like, a little wine cellar to our laundry.

[Ryan Alford]

You were the cool kid then. I remember going over to kids houses that would have, like, a couple of kids. I was like, I can't believe. I'm so jealous you have a secret passage in your house.

[Bella Schaefer]

I mean, it led to our laundry room. So it wasn't.

[Ryan Alford]

It wasn't like, your safe room or anything? No, honey. You. Your friend comes over and y' all push it, and it's like, look at our secret passage. Your mom's folding the clothes.

[Bella Schaefer]

Literally. Literally. Yeah. Wasn't super exciting.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly.

[Bella Schaefer]

But, you know, it is exciting. There's been some drama in the hobby this past week. I. You know, I think we got to start off swinging with whatnot. And what's happening there.

[Ryan Alford]

It took me a while. I get my head around exactly. Okay. Following. Is this a criminal charge? Is this a civil charge? No. We've got arbitration, complex complaints. You know, our legal system. I'm a college graduate, barely, but college graduate, own multiple businesses. I think by both measures, like, I feel like I'm affluent.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

And it. I don't understand our legal system completely.

[Bella Schaefer]

You know, I mean, you can sue anybody over anything at this point, but

[Ryan Alford]

multiple arbitration complaints, it's like, okay, and someone's going to Inevitably DM me and call me an idiot. Not and I'll accept that. But it's like. And maybe I haven't had to go through enough of this, which is hopefully a good sign, but filed 15 complaints against whatnot unregulated online casino rather than a normal marketplace.

[Bella Schaefer]

Which I think if you make that argument like you know any other streaming, know ebay live, like they're all doing the same thing. So I don't know if you can necessarily single out whatnot.

[Ryan Alford]

Well, I mean they're the biggest player. So you start with the biggest player.

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[Ryan Alford]

Supply trickles down.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah,

[Ryan Alford]

I mean the first time I see these and I'll get to my opinion on this. So like everybody's giving their opinion. You know, now that my feed is 80% hobby, all I do is get the opinions of, of everyone else. I'm going to save that for a second and more. I always go to things like this and logger and like, okay, what does the person on the other side have to gain? What are they going for? And it's like, okay, is this money? Is this just getting their name out there? They're building their brand because if they, if this were to be successful and what is success exactly? Getting them to be labeled and I guess getting all the legalese and everything that goes with it and the sort of guardrails that we have to put on our society because we're all children and we, you know, we don't like to, we get ourselves in holes that we want the government and laws to, to keep us out of and don't give me the children. Well, yeah, I know, I'm just saying let's call a spade a spade. You want an opinion, you're going to get it. And so we need to protect Ourselves from ourselves with more laws and regulations. And yes, I know that Vegas and gambling and all that has that too. And in a way, it is gambling. But I will say you do typically end up with some sort of asset on the other side, which is cards.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Versus the all or nothing. You know, if you spend a hundred dollars, you only get a 20 card. Yes. You were hoping you got a $5,000 card, but you at least got a $20 card, so you really just overpaid for something. What if you go to a mall that has everything marked up double what really anyone else is because they've got a fancy brand name and they put money in store? Are we going to start suing them, too? Because they mark their stuff up. But they're gonna. But here's the argument. The argument is. Well, they don't have the repeat. You know, the ways they draw people in and the marketing and all that. And I don't know.

[Bella Schaefer]

I'd also argue that doesn't necessarily make. What? Not the casino? It makes the individual breakers a casino or.

[Ryan Alford]

Well, they're giving them. Yeah, yeah. This is back to the. Who shot someone, the gun or the person. So the platform or the. Or the people that are using it. So it's an endless debate. And I. I get it. I'm just. I understand in theory what this is about. And it's. And then it's like, well, if the casinos are going to be regulated, then why isn't this. But I mean, I will say

[Bella Schaefer]

in

[Ryan Alford]

blackjack, you either win or you lose. You don't pay $20 gambling on blackjack and get to keep 5, you lose all 20. So in whatnot, this casino where you're trying to get the best card, you always get some cards that might not be worth as much. So there is a distinction here that you're trying to pay. And I think the bigger things, what they're trying to say is less about maybe that and more about the fact that people get addicted to this and there's no limits and that there's not this regulation and the government and our business on every action that you take, the way it is on gambling, which

[Bella Schaefer]

I probably think it could use, you know, some regulation. But I mean, if you take that logic, opening a pack of cards is literally the same thing. Even if it's like, you know, done in different forms of randomized breaks or spinning wheels, like, at the end of the day, they're still just opening packs of cards. And so if it's gambling just because it's on live breaks I feel like it could. Then regular packs of cards should also be labeled as gambling.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, but you're buying a pack of cards to get what's in the pack, and you might get something great. You might win a prize, but you're paying for what's in the pack. You're paying for whatever's in it. You're getting what's in that pack. There's a transaction from money to cards in that pack, and you have to assume that it's not the grand prize. This, that Bozo the clown isn't going to roll the grand prize bike out to you every time you open the pack. You don't get that 50 bill from Cookie, the weirdo who helps Bozo. And you know, if you're listening, you know what that is. You're an OG like me. The grand prize game, you ain't guaranteed to win every time, but you play the game. And so. But you didn't win nothing. Vegas and most gambling, it's all or nothing.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, no, I agree.

[Ryan Alford]

This is a transaction for. You get what's in the pack, you get what's in the break, you get what's in the spin. It's something.

[Bella Schaefer]

And you're taking risk.

[Ryan Alford]

You're taking the risk, but you don't get nothing. There's a difference. And that's my opinion. Do I think they could do better than what they do now to maybe curb what this guy. I got, you know, 15 arbitration complaints. I have to get chat GPT out to understand every, you know, word in this thing. But, but, you know, it just. We could have a few more, few more guard rails, but without like going overboard.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, that's fine.

[Ryan Alford]

And I don't think whatnot should. They're going to spend a lot of money defending this. It's going to be bad publicity. And I don't necessarily agree with it. Do I want my kids spending all their money and getting lured into this dark seated place that is breaking. Come on.

[Bella Schaefer]

But I mean, that's also like, that's the risk you run. And if, you know, I'm sure they have the proper disclaimers and all of that when you sign up and join whatnot as a.

[Ryan Alford]

You spend the money and you get some cards. And those cards might be great and they might not be, but you're paying for the cards that you get.

[Bella Schaefer]

I don't think whatnot should necessarily pay the price for other people's addictions. You know, like, they're not telling you you need to spend this money right now.

[Ryan Alford]

No, but we're built on a society that with great success comes great responsibility. And it's not wrong. I'm not saying that's completely wrong, but it's also flawed in its own way. Again, I believe in some guardrails. Yeah, but I believe in guardrails and not absolutes. And every case is different. This is not the same.

[Bella Schaefer]

I'm interested to see how this kind of pans out. I. I think it'll be interesting and it could also be an opportunity for other platforms like ebay live to kind of get ahead of the curve before they get put in a similar, similar situation.

[Ryan Alford]

I can't wait to watch 10 seconds of Disclaimer at the beginning of every whatnot stream. Yeah, yeah, you know, or ebay live stream for sure. This is. Could be addicting. You may or may not win. You may or may not get what you want, but you don't need to keep doing it over and over again. It will lead to bad consequences. Okay, here we go. Now we're in for the break.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, they should just have that.

[Ryan Alford]

You might mortgage your house over these breaks because it's so addicting. This spinning wheel and these shiny objects, they're so attractive. Oh, I get that. It's serious. I do don't. Oh, I need no hate mail. Oh, this is serious topic. I mean people are, you know, mortgage in their house or whatever. Okay, well then they need to grow up and you know, there maybe needs to be a few more guardrails and maybe they're. They need to get cut off, you know, when they start using the seventh credit card. Let's just nix it right there.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, for sure. I, yeah, I totally agree. In lighter news though. Well, I guess not for the United States but actually I don't think this is lighter news at all for us. But I don't know if you watched the World Baseball Classic last night and the epic game that it was. You know, I really don't watch too much baseball, but this I did tune in for. It was a pretty, pretty interesting.

[Ryan Alford]

I thought Bryce Harper was awesome and I thought that I was like, yes, like, there it is, here comes the USA And I give it to Venezuela. You know, they scored in the 9th and I, it felt like, I don't know, like it was going to be like this storybook ending for the US

[Bella Schaefer]

I felt so bad watching the last guy like stand up at bat. Like I, I felt because you could just see the defeat in his face. You could see the defeat in the rest of the US Team's face. Face. And I just like, I felt bad for them. But on the other hand, like, I do love a good underdog story.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Bella Schaefer]

So you're.

[Ryan Alford]

You. Are you really that anti American?

[Bella Schaefer]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. But I just like, you know, like you could see how much Venezuela wanted

[Ryan Alford]

it and so no, I thought, you know, who won is baseball. And like it's, it reminds you of how much sport can kind of, I don't know, part this red seas of division and different things. And obviously Venezuela won. But like it really is the great pastime and the great, I don't know, teacher of lots of lessons and different things that don't always have to be about war and politics and everything else.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ryan Alford]

And so I think it was a win for baseball. I think baseball had a really good pop last year with the teams in the World Series and la and like now I think this is just another thing that's going to resurrect. Not that they need. I mean, baseball's popular, makes a ton of money, still the most popular trading card. But as someone that's gravitated more towards other sports, having collected baseball growing up, it is rekindling a little bit of interest for me. I think they need to keep pushing the rules to speed up the games and do things that they can. No, I agree for ADD people like me, but. But I do think it was cool.

[Bella Schaefer]

No, I think baseball is fun to watch.

[Ryan Alford]

I watch when you're there with a beer and a hot dog. Yeah, I see another beer.

[Bella Schaefer]

I kind of am in a tight spot because I both pull for the Mets and the Yankees.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh my God.

[Bella Schaefer]

I know I'm probably going to get flamed for that one, but how's that possible? Well, I know you're Aaron Judge.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Bella Schaefer]

So maybe it's I just pull for Aaron Judge. But then I just think the Mets are fun to watch.

[Ryan Alford]

I judge too. I mean, who wouldn't pull that guy?

[Bella Schaefer]

But I'm interested to see how Bryce Harper's cards prices increase or decrease based on that home run. Because since they did, if it had

[Ryan Alford]

been a game winning, they go up.

[Bella Schaefer]

Oh, for sure.

[Ryan Alford]

But it's kind of like it'll kind of in. Unfortunately it'll be remembered but forgotten because it was such a huge moment. Yeah, but sort of. It lasted all five minutes. Like every other huge moment, a blip in time. Yeah. Kind of like hockey. Like, okay, the hockey goal. Like, you know, and then now it's kind of yesterday's news.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep.

[Ryan Alford]

March Mattis is here though.

[Bella Schaefer]

I know.

[Ryan Alford]

I Can't believe we went this long. You know, it only taken a whatnot controversy and me talking about it forever to keep us from March Madness. The Clemson Tigers, all that matters. They're number eight seed, playing in Tampa against Iowa.

[Bella Schaefer]

Both women and men's Clemson teams are eight seed this year.

[Ryan Alford]

Finally, Clemson women's basketball has a pulse. We got a great new newer coach, last few years.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Rocking and rolling, proud of these guys. Both number eight seeds. And you know, I love Furman. I know this. The Bella is a Furman grad. It's a great, really great school. Really like top notch, everyone. I mean, I don't know how Bella ended up the way she did. I mean, usually people coming out of there. I'm kidding. She's here for a reason. And it has a little to do with Furman and a lot to do with her ability. But I will say they're usually kind of the little engine that could. Then they get to play UConn the first round.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, I know.

[Ryan Alford]

It's like, well, anybody but Yukon.

[Bella Schaefer]

So I was a Furman student when we went to March Madness last time playing Virginia. And it was probably the most school spirit I have ever had in my entire life. Like I felt purple running through my veins. It was. And I was giving a tour of campus and as the game winning basketball hit, you know.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Bella Schaefer]

That moment we walked into the admissions office and everyone just starts screaming. The whole campus erupted. So I'm a little sad that one we're playing UConn because it's like, okay, well you know, that's tough. And then two, it's at like 10pm on Friday.

[Ryan Alford]

Like you just stay up that late to watch. Probably a smashing.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

It would be the biggest upset in tournament history if it happened. I mean, there have been other 15, two wins. South Carolina unfortunately was on the other end of one of those, losing to a number two, like 10 years, 15 years ago. But I don't think that's going to happen. Let me ask you this question. I got a question about Furman.

[Bella Schaefer]

Okay.

[Ryan Alford]

It's a. At one time it had religious ties a little bit. Is that still the case?

[Bella Schaefer]

No, they haven't had religious ties since the eighties.

[Ryan Alford]

Okay. Okay. I'm probably still relatively conservative.

[Bella Schaefer]

I mean, I think like in the sense that we're in South Carolina and

[Ryan Alford]

we're a small South Carolina school that's well known for education and all that. The Fu shirts, I love them. It always. It threw me a loop the first time I saw it. I'm like, Furman I love it. But Furman did this.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep. Yeah.

[Leonard Berry]

Yes.

[Bella Schaefer]

You know, I don't know.

[Ryan Alford]

Did someone just do that? And then they didn't really know what they did. And then you step back and like, you make. You've printed 10,000 of them and suddenly everybody's like, you guys know that's.

[Bella Schaefer]

So our chant is also F you one time, F you two times, F you three times. F you all the time. And that's like what we say like now.

[Ryan Alford]

That was intentional.

[Bella Schaefer]

It had to.

[Ryan Alford]

Okay.

[Bella Schaefer]

But I mean, it's hilarious. We made it last March Madness. I think it was Jimmy Fallon, like, during. Was it Jimmy Fallon? I think during one of the talk shows at night, Saturday Night Live, maybe. I don't know. They were like, making fun of the fact that we're Fu and all that stuff. And I just think it. I think it's funny.

[Ryan Alford]

I think it's hilarious. And I saw it, I guess, like a few couple years ago, whenever firman's been Little engine that could for a while, they made the tournament here and there. And I forget what it was. I saw it. Good. That is awesome. I can't believe Furman did that, but it's awesome.

[Bella Schaefer]

I mean, if it's right there, like, you. You gotta. Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

I think we should have had and still have time. Even though this airs on Friday. We were. We recorded a couple days before. We should have FU shirts to all wear purple Fu shirts on Friday.

[Bella Schaefer]

Oh, perfect. Yeah, I can make it happen.

[Ryan Alford]

All right. I don't know if that's good for customers. It's like customer walks in pretty firm and like, not you.

[Bella Schaefer]

I mean, hopefully they know I know. Hopefully they know.

[Ryan Alford]

Anyway, I had to ask that. I'd never asked you that. It was a great thing. It always flew in the face to me of what I thought of firm.

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[Ryan Alford]

But it was like, okay, maybe I do like Furman.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah. And we also have Duke and Unc playing in Greenville, which. Not against each other, but I. I

[Ryan Alford]

just think it's like we have our grand opening weekend at Collector Station, which is wonderful. We've got some friends coming in. We'll talk more about that next week. But I'm glad that I also. I would have gone inside and watched every one of these games in Greenville probably if we didn't have this grand opening going on.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, I was honestly thinking about that because I was trying to figure out. It was like, okay, how could we get tickets to the games so that we can still make it to dinner and still.

[Ryan Alford]

But yeah, yeah, exactly. We. We guess we could have. We could have taken Baker and Brian to the game.

[Bella Schaefer]

We could. We could take off work tomorrow.

[Ryan Alford]

Go to the games maybe. Yeah. I wonder how. It's probably not hard to get tickets, right?

[Bella Schaefer]

Last time I checked, they were like

[Ryan Alford]

90 bucks for the whole weekend.

[Bella Schaefer]

No, no, no weekend.

[Ryan Alford]

But don't you. Can you stay or do you have to leave after each game? I'm not talking about like what's legal, but if it's like a day pass.

[Bella Schaefer]

I have. I've never been.

[Ryan Alford]

Honestly, I don't know. I haven't been in long.

[Bella Schaefer]

The day or the whole tournament. Cuz we have games Thursday and Saturday. It's like $400 to go to every game. At least. I'm sure it's nosebleed tickets.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, exactly.

[Bella Schaefer]

You know, not really.

[Ryan Alford]

Nose bleeding.

[Bella Schaefer]

Bon secours.

[Ryan Alford]

At least they finally. We called it Bonds course and not the Bala Center. It took a long time to get that off. That. That sponsorship stayed. But you didn't know it. You. But it was the Bow center before it was. There's no bows anymore. But I was like, this is the greatest sponsorship ever. You get to keep the name even when the new sponsor comes in. Anyway, digress.

[Bella Schaefer]

Well, in other news.

[Ryan Alford]

New releases.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep, we got some New releases. The 2025 Panini football prism Black Drops today, as we're recording this, I just

[Ryan Alford]

sold a kidney and bought a few cases.

[Bella Schaefer]

Two cases.

[Ryan Alford]

I only have one kidney, so I didn't joke about that. But yes. I can't get rid of mine. I sold one of yours. You don't. We're not. Surgery in a couple Weeks.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah. Yeah, perfect.

[Ryan Alford]

Black market, not cases. I bought a few hobby boxes of that. It wasn't on our normal release, but I got suckered in, like most, and I think we could sell them, but it's a cool product, and it might be the last year with license because tops probably never give it back.

[Bella Schaefer]

If I was them, I wouldn't.

[Ryan Alford]

No, I don't think they're going to

[Bella Schaefer]

unless they get sued for it.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. But anyway, it looks like a cool product that's coming out.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah. Yeah. I think they have a lot of. A lot of parallels that are coming out.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. I want that manga and that color blast. And I'll take the Prismania for, you know, a nightcap.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah. We also have some other ones. Upper Deck, Series two Hockey, Bowman's Best Baseball, and Topps Heritage Baseball coming out, too. So, I mean, there's releases left, right, and center.

[Ryan Alford]

There's always something. There's always. And we've always got to hear at collector station. Got a few. That Heritage coming in the upper decks. Series 2 hockey. We do not have that because we bought some hockey. Hockey doesn't move great in South Carolina.

[Bella Schaefer]

Shocking.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, we'll see. Inevitably, this weekend, seven people asked me, yeah, why don't you have more hockey?

[Bella Schaefer]

I'll be like, well, we got in the. The Monopoly prisms, the soccer.

[Ryan Alford]

See, did you see those?

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep.

[Ryan Alford]

The World Cup.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Bella Schaefer]

See, I think those are. Those are really cool.

[Ryan Alford]

I like this. I might have to rip one of those because they want to see what's okay.

[Bella Schaefer]

Don't do it without me filming it.

[Ryan Alford]

I know. I've been hot lately. I pulled it downtown last night and

[Bella Schaefer]

you keep not filming it.

[Ryan Alford]

I know.

[Bella Schaefer]

So I run the social media downtown.

[Ryan Alford]

Out of one Mega Box, I got like a number. I got like, thousand dollars with cards. Out of one Donner's Megabyte.

[Bella Schaefer]

Don't tell me that. I'm gonna. I'm gonna make you be mic'd up 24 7.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Brian Thomas Jr. Numbered card. It's like a hundred. And then his downtown.

[Bella Schaefer]

Ridiculous.

[Ryan Alford]

And then a really cool Pat Mahomes. Scatter Boo. Scatter boy. That's what I call him. I got pet names for everybody.

[Bella Schaefer]

You gotta. I'm gonna make your boys start just recording you anytime.

[Ryan Alford]

Well, I know Nash and I've been ripping that. Be friends. We got some good number ones.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, and he's got to have a camera out.

[Leonard Berry]

Hey, I took.

[Ryan Alford]

I sent you pictures. Not the same. Hey, those super stickers, if you're listening, we got them. We're going to have them on the website. That's where it's at. That's a nice collectible.

[Bella Schaefer]

I mean there's a hit in every single one of them. Like every single one. And it's like exciting. Like I like that. You know, I, I'm getting into the cards, but the, the be friends. They tell you exactly what the hits are, how likely you are to get them, and it makes it so easy, especially if you're new to the game or like just kind of like the excitement of opening it but don't want to learn all the players makes it so easy.

[Ryan Alford]

I think if you're into like the character stuff or Pokemon or anything like. And I don't think you have to necessarily be a kid, but I think there's something for everybody. And they look cool, they feel very collectible. That's a, the biggest compliment I can give them.

[Bella Schaefer]

Cute.

[Ryan Alford]

Like I, I the names and generally positive behind them, the meaning behind them that Gary put in there. So it's different, but it has enough of what makes it collectible. Like the other cars, the parallels, the numbers. But then enough that makes it different and feel fresh.

[Bella Schaefer]

So I'm excited to see what they kind of do with, I mean, obviously it's a new, a new fur brand, so, so I'm excited to see where they go with that. But last thing we have today, back to Aaron Judge. He just had a Bowman's chrome draft pick. Auto Super Fractor one of one sold for $5.2 million.

[Ryan Alford]

And these records just break every week.

[Bella Schaefer]

I mean, it sold in 2022 for $324,000.

[Ryan Alford]

Do we have that being flown in for me to wear as a necklace for the grand opening?

[Bella Schaefer]

Yeah, I'm getting a diamond encrusted right now for you, so don't.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, good. Okay.

[Bella Schaefer]

I appreciate that but like how that growth. I mean, you can't. Even if you invested in the best damn stock in the market, you're not gonna see a jump from $324,000 to $5.2 million in four years.

[Ryan Alford]

No.

[Bella Schaefer]

No.

[Ryan Alford]

It's placed among the top seven to 10 most expensive sports court cards of all time.

[Bella Schaefer]

And he's up there with the Honus Wagners. Like, I mean, it's crazy.

[Ryan Alford]

I don't know. I'm just glad I got a card store.

[Bella Schaefer]

I also think it's interesting because when I first was reading about this, I kind of just assumed like, oh, golden probably is the one to sell it. No, no. Fanatics collect.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, they're trying to get in on the action. 5.2 mil, big ones. I mean, it's. I can't wrap my head around some of these values. Like, I think it's cool card. I mean, I would have given at least a couple grand for it. I mean, yeah, not. No. 324, 000. That sounds about right to me. Yeah. 4 or 500, that'd been a nice jump. No. 10X.

[Bella Schaefer]

Well, the part that's scary to me is like, you know, where does it go? Still playing. So what if. I mean, he seems like he's relatively healthy and a good guy and all that great stuff. Like I said, I met him and he was so down to earth, so sweet. But, you know, you don't know what's going to happen in the next five, 10, 20 years.

[Ryan Alford]

Like, no, so.

[Bella Schaefer]

So you're going to make a 5.2 million. Like, where does the card go from there? Does it keep going up? Like, I don't know.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, I don't know. What's it make it more Begs the question of what's it make other things worth? And there's a lot of people holding cards, like in this territory going, well, what does that make this unworthy?

[Bella Schaefer]

I think one day you're just going to walk out from your PC and be like, well, guys, this card's now worth $2.2 million.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, maybe. You never know. Might have a couple of them. But it would take more than 2.2 for me to like, close down the shop. It has to be a few other zeros behind it. 2.2 doesn't go as far as it used to.

[Bella Schaefer]

You know, that's fair. Some people, that's pocket now.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. So we'll see. My tastes are bigger than that. I need. I need like that 18.5 mil. And then I wouldn't really change anything. Buy a bigger boat. It's 75ft now. I need like, yeah, I need, you know, like 200.

[Bella Schaefer]

I gotta cash in an invite to that houseboat.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, it's coming. The summer tours is happening. We'll be on the boat working, you know, one of the days of the week. We'll figure it out.

[Bella Schaefer]

Perfect.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, I think that's all we got.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yep, yep. That's.

[Ryan Alford]

Hey, you know, to find us the collectornation.com, you can download the app in the app store as well. It's got all the video content. It's the best source to get the direct video content and everything that we're doing for Collector Nation. Of course I'm right. Ryan offered on instagram is my biggest platform and we, we being Bella or myself, answer every dm.

[Bella Schaefer]

Yes, we do.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, one or the other. And Bella, great job today. Appreciate you.

[Bella Schaefer]

Thank you. Yeah, I'm excited to make my first camera appearance.

[Ryan Alford]

There she is. There she is behind the camera. All right, guys, we'll see you next week right here on Electronation. Thanks for tuning in to the show. Be sure to follow us on your Go to Podcast platform and catch the full video episode over on YouTube. Visit [e-mail] and follow Ryan on Instagram ryanallford now get out there and collect yours

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