WEBVTT

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oh yeah my kid's just ripping pokemon cards oh

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he's selling cards at a card show or online he's

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learning how to you know transact he's learning

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how to do business at a young age it's actually

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a good thing when in reality they're just being

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conditioned through influence through social

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media that this is completely acceptable and

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i wasn't the type of gambler that would you know

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be able to lose a couple hundred bucks and then

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walk away Anytime I started to lose, I would

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double down. Hey, everyone. Welcome to another

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episode of Evive Live. My name is Adam Lyons,

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the host of the Modern Meeting Podcast. I am

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here with Christina Cook from the Broke Girls

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Society. Christina, how are we doing? We're doing

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all right. We're doing all right. Yeah. I mean,

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you know, if there's one thing that I love to

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do, especially in the last four years of my recovery,

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I love when I learn shit. I know that sounds

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corny, but like I loved learning about. the world

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of hobby breaking, ripping. Like it was, my head

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is spinning, but it was, it was awesome to talk

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to. We talked to Alyx Effron, the founder of Collectors

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MD. Yeah. Yeah. I was absolutely fascinated by

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the conversation because even though I've been

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working in this space almost five years and I've

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thought I've heard every story, it's just interesting

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to see how gambling can translate into so many

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different things. And it seems like it's just

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so more acceptable, right? Like hobbies, hobby.

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What is the definition of a hobby? Right. And

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it's just like, so you never think about hobbies

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being. Even though I will say I used to joke

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that I should start a hobbies anonymous because

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I but my version of that was just starting a

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new hobby and then just moving on. But when I

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would start that hobby, I'd buy everything I

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needed for the hobby. I would get into it and

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then build. I was just like, no, I need everything

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to start it. And then I would never really get

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into it. And then so like that's kind of my experience

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with hobbies. But he really, really. opened that

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book and showed us that no this is this is a

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really really um serious topic yeah and and like

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all I could think of was like you know because

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I was coming into this conversation not knowing

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a lot at all but by the end of it for me it was

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just like it seems like it's been a perfect storm

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of like social media gambling greed you know

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money and you know like just like the immaturity

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i mean the there's there's kids that are you

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know there's no regular i mean this is the truly

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the wild wild west when it comes to this this

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whole this whole scene and it's just it's so

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you know i said it on the interview i said in

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the conversation with Alyx like it's just another

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it seems like another thing that we ruined right

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like i can remember growing up going to card

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shows with my dad And, you know, like and then

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I got the Beckett book and I would look up to

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see how much my Cal Ripken rookie card was. I

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mean, now it's just it's just a whole nother

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world. And it's just it just seems chaotic the

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way that it's the way that it's set up. Well,

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if you think back to your own gambling harms

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and when you were in that active addiction, like,

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do you remember how chaotic? Oh, my God. So many

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similarities. But even when he was kind of breaking

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it down on the way that. that these places reach

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out the emails that they send. It's very, it's

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very gambling ask, you know, free incentives,

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things like that, which very much mirrored the

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spaces of like free bets, free play prizes, things

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like that. If you spend so much money, you get

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this. And it was just really fascinating for

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him to kind of take us into that world and a

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world that. And I'm going to be really honest.

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I haven't really been too curious about until

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hearing his side of things. And now, yeah, now

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I'm in. It's like, now you can't not, not see

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it. Like you, you see now it's just like, even

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with my nieces and nephews, it's just like, now

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I'm going to be hyper -focused on kind of what,

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what they're doing. And, you know, we see things

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like the little boo -boos and, and. I'll just

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share this story and then we'll just get into

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the episode. But I was at the mall recently with

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my niece and she really wanted one of those little

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boo -boos. I hope I'm saying them right. That

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everybody was talking about. And they were like,

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I didn't really know much about them because

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I'm 47. But it really was like, we stopped at

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this thing and he was like, you can buy one for

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this amount or you can buy three for, basically

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you get one free. Of course, my niece was like,

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she just wanted one. And I was like, OK, I'll

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get you one. But you don't know what it is like.

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You don't know what one you're getting. There's

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more that are more valuable or more desirable.

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And it felt so much like gambling to me to buy

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the three because you could get three of the

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same things or whatever. And I said, I'll get

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you one just because I'm I'm here to spoil you

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today. Um, but it really kind of made me think

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about the gambling aspect for me, like to buy

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three, get two free. I mean, buy three, get one

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free. And then, but you still don't know what

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you're getting. So there's that element, right?

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Yeah. My nephew, my nephews, my nephew does the

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same thing. I remember, uh, we were at like a

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family thing and he had told another one of my

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nieces that he got a little boo -boo for Christmas

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and the first thing they said was, Oh, which

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one did you get? Did you get the special one

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or did you get this one? And you, it's just hitting

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me now that like, it's the same thing. God, same

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thing. Well, I hope this, this conversation speaks

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to you in the way that it did with us. It was

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very informative and we appreciate Alyx coming

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on. So let's get into this episode. Hey everyone,

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another episode of Evive Live. This week we have

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the founder of Collectors MD, Alyx Effron. Alyx,

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welcome to Evive Live. Adam, Christina, thanks

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so much for having me. Really excited to be here

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and have this conversation. We've been doing

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some amazing things with Evive and this has been

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something I've been looking forward to for some

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time. Yeah, so before we get into kind of your

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story and everything, you got to tell us, because...

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I had baseball cards when I was a kid and that's

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about it. But give us the cliff notes of what

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is Collectors MD and what is the problem that

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you're trying to solve in the space? Yeah. So

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I didn't start Collectors MD because I was anti

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-hobby, anti -gambling, anti -collecting, anything

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like that. I started it because I love collecting.

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I love the hobby. I've been doing it my whole

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life. I grew up, you know, with a grandfather

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who was an avid watch collector. Like he loved

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luxury watches and I would always marvel at them.

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And, you know, it was always just kind of rooted

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in my, I think my DNA. And so as I got a bit

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older, I got into things like memorabilia and

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sneakers, obviously watches too. Fast forward

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to the pandemic, everybody was on lockdown, the

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sports card hobby. absolutely exploded. And it

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became this phenomenon of sorts where people

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were able to sort of interact and connect with

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one another virtually. And it was actually, you

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know, in theory, a beautiful thing. There was

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connection, camaraderie, excitement around shared

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passion, things of that nature. And so, you know,

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by becoming more involved in this hobby. I saw

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firsthand how easily it can slip from that passion

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into just unrelenting pressure. You know, so

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through my collecting journey, I know the rush

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of the chase, the satisfaction of, you know,

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the hit or the purchase, the way timing, scarcity,

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and community validation can really just, you

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know, light up your brain. But I also live the

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other side, the creeping normalization of overspending,

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the rationalizations, the feeling of just, feeling

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like you have to be in control while quietly

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feeling like, you know, you're really out of

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alignment. You know, nothing catastrophic had

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to happen for it to be a problem. It was subtle,

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it was quiet, and that's exactly why it became

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so dangerous. And what I realized is that modern

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collecting isn't neutral anymore, right? It's

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fast, it's frictionless, it's algorithm driven.

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And it's just increasingly built around gambling

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mechanics. You have speed, you have randomness,

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you have social pressure, you have constant access.

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And when those systems collide with things like

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stress and identity and loneliness or financial

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vulnerability, the outcomes can be really harmful,

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even if they don't look so dramatic from the

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outside. When I went looking for support, there

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was a gap. traditional gambling resources didn't

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really fully fit. I would go to GA meetings and

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I would just feel out of place. You know, I had,

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I had a gambling problem too, a severe one, but

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you know, the two sort of were intertwined and

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they kind of fed, fed each other in a way. And

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so I'd sit down in a GA room, I'd start talking

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about joining breaks and just buying box after

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box. And we're not talking about $30, $50. you

00:09:39.379 --> 00:09:41.539
know, boxes that you see in Walmart or Target,

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we're talking about high -end hobby boxes that

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cost anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to

00:09:48.940 --> 00:09:51.620
upwards of $10 ,000, a pop, like we're talking

00:09:51.620 --> 00:09:54.759
about a pop, right? And, you know, people buy

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them in high volume. They go one after another

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the same way a compulsive gambler would just

00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:04.559
keep gambling, right? And so, you know, hobby

00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:09.080
spaces don't want to talk about harm. And collectors

00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:11.940
who are struggling, you know, feel isolated and

00:10:11.940 --> 00:10:14.419
ashamed and unsure whether their experience,

00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.240
you know, counted or matters. And so Collectors MD

00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:21.799
really exists to fill that gap. It's not about

00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:24.080
shaming the hobby or telling people they need

00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:26.659
to quit collecting. It's about giving collectors

00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:29.840
language, support and structure, whether that

00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:31.820
means learning to collect more intentionally,

00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:36.100
stepping away entirely. Or just finally being

00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:38.559
honest about what something is costing them emotionally,

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financially or relationally. Right. With their

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with their relationships at its core. MD is about

00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:47.539
one thing. It's just helping people to stay connected

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to themselves while navigating a system that's

00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:51.360
just designed to pull them out of alignment.

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Yeah. Yeah. And so forgive my ignorance. I know,

00:10:55.720 --> 00:10:57.320
Christina, you probably know a little bit more

00:10:57.320 --> 00:10:59.460
about collecting than I do, but there was at

00:10:59.460 --> 00:11:01.860
least like. 10 or 12 words that you just said

00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:04.299
that I kind of know what it is, but I don't know

00:11:04.299 --> 00:11:06.580
what it is. So, you know, and I'm sure I'm not

00:11:06.580 --> 00:11:08.639
the only one listening right now who is very

00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:10.440
curious about this, especially like maybe some

00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:12.899
of these parents out there that have young kids.

00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:16.840
Cause so I guess let's start with, you know,

00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:18.679
you were mentioned that it's like fast pace and

00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:22.460
high pressure. So just, you know, explain to

00:11:22.460 --> 00:11:24.779
us, like we're five years old, like what exactly

00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:27.679
does that mean? Like, like what, what are, so

00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:29.889
people are trading like on the internet. I know

00:11:29.889 --> 00:11:31.970
I sound ignorant and stupid right now. I just

00:11:31.970 --> 00:11:33.730
don't, I've never. I'm going to come in with

00:11:33.730 --> 00:11:35.990
my thought and see if it kind of lines up, but

00:11:35.990 --> 00:11:39.409
like the pressure of like a bid or, you know,

00:11:39.409 --> 00:11:42.269
only having so much time to get that bid, make

00:11:42.269 --> 00:11:43.809
sure you get the right amount of money in the

00:11:43.809 --> 00:11:46.769
bid for whatever the, the box or that you're

00:11:46.769 --> 00:11:48.649
doing that. That was my thought, but I'd love

00:11:48.649 --> 00:11:50.929
to hear that explanation to see if I'm even on

00:11:50.929 --> 00:11:52.809
the same. Yeah. Like what's a bid. What's a box,

00:11:52.870 --> 00:11:54.730
like a box of what, a box of cards or a box.

00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.100
okay okay yeah i'm gonna take a step back um

00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:00.799
and talk about breaking because that's where

00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:05.559
this is all uh sort of happening it's where the

00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:08.080
a lot of the problems a lot of the harm is taking

00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:11.779
place and so breaking in layman's terms is when

00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:16.159
people um an individual or you know a card shop

00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:20.240
opens sealed boxes of trading cards we're talking

00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.590
about You know, anything from sports cards to

00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:25.669
TCG, which includes like Pokemon and Magic the

00:12:25.669 --> 00:12:29.110
Gathering and Yu -Gi -Oh! And then there's, you

00:12:29.110 --> 00:12:33.450
know, franchises that have trading cards now.

00:12:33.570 --> 00:12:37.169
Think Disney, Marvel. I mean, SpongeBob has a

00:12:37.169 --> 00:12:39.870
product of its own now that's become incredibly

00:12:39.870 --> 00:12:42.870
popular. And so these individuals are basically

00:12:42.870 --> 00:12:45.889
opening up these high -end, expensive sealed

00:12:45.889 --> 00:12:49.830
boxes live on a stream. and then selling spots

00:12:49.830 --> 00:12:54.169
to viewers ahead of time. So instead of buying

00:12:54.169 --> 00:12:56.950
an entire box by yourself because it can be so

00:12:56.950 --> 00:12:59.169
incredibly expensive, you're basically buying

00:12:59.169 --> 00:13:02.269
a piece of it. And it's usually tied to something

00:13:02.269 --> 00:13:05.570
like a team or a player or a random slot. And

00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:09.090
when the cards get opened, when the box gets

00:13:09.090 --> 00:13:12.450
opened on camera, whatever hits from your spot

00:13:12.450 --> 00:13:15.129
belong to you or assigned to you, the breaker

00:13:15.129 --> 00:13:19.000
then sends them to you. Oh, okay. Let's say you

00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:22.340
buy the Knicks or you buy a random team in a

00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:24.399
break and you get assigned the Knicks, right?

00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:26.659
The New York Knicks. You're only going to get

00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:30.240
Knicks cards from that particular box. If nothing

00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.539
good comes out for your team, if there are no

00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:36.139
Knicks cards at all, you still paid, but you

00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:39.059
don't get anything back. If a big card does get

00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:41.820
hit, it feels like a huge win, right? And so

00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:45.279
that's why people compare breaking to gambling.

00:13:45.740 --> 00:13:47.700
It's one in the same. I mean, that literally

00:13:47.700 --> 00:13:50.460
is gambling from what you're telling me. Well,

00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:53.539
the definition of gambling is when a person stakes

00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:57.159
something of value on the outcome of an event

00:13:57.159 --> 00:13:59.840
or a thing and with the hope of winning something,

00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:02.399
right? So when we look at the definition, that's

00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:04.960
exactly what it is. You know, the consideration,

00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:08.240
right? What you're putting up for to get something

00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:11.500
of value, right? The chance, the chance of getting

00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.200
something valuable. Right. And then the prize.

00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:17.340
Exactly. Yeah, you're paying for uncertainty.

00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:20.639
The excitement is all in the reveal and the outcome

00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:23.220
is completely out of your control. It's fast

00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:26.480
paced. It's social. It can feel harmless because

00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:29.340
it's, you know, really disguised as this nostalgic

00:14:29.340 --> 00:14:33.059
childhood hobby. But it can also, you know, spiral

00:14:33.059 --> 00:14:35.940
out of hand very, very quickly, especially because

00:14:35.940 --> 00:14:38.779
it's designed to keep people engaged and just

00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:41.460
chasing the next hit. Christina, you brought

00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:44.580
up the whole concept of auctions. We're talking

00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:48.419
about eBay. There are a handful of other platforms

00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:52.179
that utilize the auction style transactions to

00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:54.419
purchase a product. Now, a lot of these live

00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:57.460
streaming platforms have adopted the auction

00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:02.740
style. So when a breaker or an individual is

00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:05.340
filling a break, they're usually selling the

00:15:05.340 --> 00:15:09.799
teams at auction. So you have all of the teams

00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:13.179
on the board. Hoping you get one of the better

00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:16.100
teams for, you know, the respective products.

00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:20.340
So, for instance, you know, today's latest Topps

00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:25.460
Chrome Basketball 2025 -26 edition, the big chase

00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:27.840
is Cooper Flagg because he's the hottest rookie

00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:30.139
in the NBA right now. So you want to get the

00:15:30.139 --> 00:15:33.019
Dallas Mavericks, right? And so in a random team

00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:36.360
break, if the Dallas Mavericks are still available,

00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:40.139
people are going to be paying a premium at auction.

00:15:41.050 --> 00:15:44.570
For a random team or a chance to get the Maverick.

00:15:44.610 --> 00:15:47.269
So it's like you're gambling before you even

00:15:47.269 --> 00:15:51.610
get to the actual, you know, gamble. Right. And

00:15:51.610 --> 00:15:53.929
so there's another thing that I want to touch

00:15:53.929 --> 00:15:56.230
on real quick. And that's sudden death auction.

00:15:56.649 --> 00:15:59.490
And that means that the clock doesn't reset after

00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:02.269
somebody bids. And that's usually what happens

00:16:02.269 --> 00:16:04.610
in a traditional auction. When the time runs

00:16:04.610 --> 00:16:07.429
out, it's over. Right. Instantly. That creates

00:16:07.429 --> 00:16:11.070
this constant fear that any pause. means you're

00:16:11.070 --> 00:16:13.230
going to lose. There's no breathing room. There's

00:16:13.230 --> 00:16:15.690
no recalibration. There's no moment to, you know,

00:16:15.690 --> 00:16:19.090
sort of step back and ask if the bid, you know,

00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:21.830
still makes sense or if it aligns with your purchasing,

00:16:21.909 --> 00:16:25.990
you know, decisions. And so this triggers a panic

00:16:25.990 --> 00:16:28.649
response, a panic response, right? Not a buying

00:16:28.649 --> 00:16:31.549
decision. The brain shifts from like a valuation

00:16:31.549 --> 00:16:34.789
to complete survival mode. It's like bid now

00:16:34.789 --> 00:16:37.549
or it's gone forever. And so that urgency just

00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:41.190
overwhelms boundaries that might exist in much

00:16:41.190 --> 00:16:45.250
calmer environments. Right. And then they also

00:16:45.250 --> 00:16:48.029
kind of punish restraint. Right. Waiting, thinking

00:16:48.029 --> 00:16:50.610
or trying to stay disciplined actually increases

00:16:50.610 --> 00:16:54.169
the chances that you lose. So the system rewards

00:16:54.169 --> 00:16:58.889
impulsivity and really just like penalizes intention.

00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:03.730
And so over time, this kind of. it trains people

00:17:03.730 --> 00:17:06.450
it conditions them to act faster and just think

00:17:06.450 --> 00:17:10.609
less so you mentioned that you know you grew

00:17:10.609 --> 00:17:13.450
up collecting so like growing up collecting like

00:17:13.450 --> 00:17:16.750
this was not a thing you go to card shows right

00:17:16.750 --> 00:17:21.789
and you just like like but so when this started

00:17:21.789 --> 00:17:24.730
who started it like is this independent people

00:17:24.730 --> 00:17:27.309
that are just buying something or is it now like

00:17:27.309 --> 00:17:30.029
companies that are that are organizing these

00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:33.470
these streams That's a great question. And it's

00:17:33.470 --> 00:17:35.269
something that comes up a lot. People are like,

00:17:35.329 --> 00:17:38.230
how did breaking come about? Honestly, I think

00:17:38.230 --> 00:17:40.710
I don't know exactly who started it. I can't

00:17:40.710 --> 00:17:45.309
tell you who the founding father was of break

00:17:45.309 --> 00:17:49.069
culture or the pioneer. But it started out as

00:17:49.069 --> 00:17:52.269
like a concept, right? You have these expensive

00:17:52.269 --> 00:17:55.410
boxes. And this was probably around, I would

00:17:55.410 --> 00:18:01.259
say like 2009, maybe early like 2010s. Where,

00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:03.500
you know, you have these expensive boxes at the

00:18:03.500 --> 00:18:05.140
time people were chasing, like, you know, rookie

00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:08.880
LeBron James or maybe Kobe Bryant or, you know,

00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:12.240
some of the players that were relevant and sought

00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.480
after them. And so they just, you know, decided

00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:19.460
like, hey, what if we came up with this concept

00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:23.980
where people can share a box and buy into a portion

00:18:23.980 --> 00:18:25.640
of it as opposed to having to buy the entire

00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.519
box? Somebody came up with the idea. It was.

00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:31.180
increasingly popular i would say over the span

00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:33.460
of a decade and then like i said before when

00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:37.299
the pandemic hit that was really when breaking

00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:41.299
organically just caught steam and became again

00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:45.140
a phenomenon and so these apps capitalized on

00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:50.980
that momentum and so Whatnot was formed Fanatics

00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:55.440
got involved they bought tops they um entered

00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.940
sort of the hobby space i mean they were already

00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:01.740
into collectibles it just sort of made sense

00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:04.740
for them um from a business standpoint now there's

00:19:04.740 --> 00:19:07.640
Fanatics Live which is a dedicated live streaming

00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:10.480
platform just for card breaks there are a handful

00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:13.000
of others eBay has one now it's called eBay Live

00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:17.140
so it's quite literally everywhere uh but it

00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:20.700
really happened you know organically i think

00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:23.440
you know because of the pandemic and now it's

00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:25.839
a mainstay it's it's the way people you know

00:19:26.109 --> 00:19:30.230
purchase cards these days. Yeah. And I think

00:19:30.230 --> 00:19:32.990
it's interesting before we jump on, before we

00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:34.849
jumped on to record, we were kind of talking

00:19:34.849 --> 00:19:37.369
about podcasts and you had mentioned Brian Hatch,

00:19:37.369 --> 00:19:39.829
which is a good friend of mine. And it's interesting

00:19:39.829 --> 00:19:43.009
because he did an episode where he talks about

00:19:43.009 --> 00:19:47.630
what he considers a relapse because of his card

00:19:47.630 --> 00:19:50.769
buying and very similar kind of what you were

00:19:50.769 --> 00:19:53.630
talking about and how he kind of really connected

00:19:53.630 --> 00:19:56.809
that with his own. recovery from gambling and

00:19:56.809 --> 00:20:00.930
that behavior. And then you were talking about

00:20:00.930 --> 00:20:03.569
how it correlated, right, with your own gambling

00:20:03.569 --> 00:20:06.289
behavior. And of course, this is, it might look

00:20:06.289 --> 00:20:08.289
like a different behavior, but it's still the

00:20:08.289 --> 00:20:10.789
same kind of, it belongs in the same circle.

00:20:10.829 --> 00:20:13.549
And it's interesting how just compulsion in general

00:20:13.549 --> 00:20:15.910
sometimes can belong in the same circle. Like

00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:17.730
I get people who reach out to me, not necessarily

00:20:17.730 --> 00:20:20.599
for, because I work mainly in the women. you

00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:23.579
know, with women in this space, like other things

00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:27.279
like jewelry and very, very similar where they

00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:30.259
spend so much time and money, like even bath

00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:31.960
bombs. I had somebody reach out to me and I'm

00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:33.700
not comparing what you're talking about to bath

00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:36.079
bombs. I'm just comparing kind of the compulsiveness

00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:40.059
of like how things can in collecting. And so

00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:42.700
they would do these auctions of these bath bombs

00:20:42.700 --> 00:20:44.960
and you would dissolve the bath bomb. And there

00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.480
could be, I know Adam's like, what? There could

00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:53.140
be the potential. of a real jewelry piece like

00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:57.859
a real like uh sapphire ring in the thing so

00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:00.779
it's like you but this this particular woman

00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.880
who reached out she had spent thousands of dollars

00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:06.480
trying to get like it's mostly costume jewelry

00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:08.880
but then you get like a really real gemstone

00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:13.019
ring right and but you but she was on like tech

00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:17.109
talk and Facebook forums, and she was spending

00:21:17.109 --> 00:21:21.210
her paycheck on the compulsiveness of this thing.

00:21:21.390 --> 00:21:23.529
And she was like, I don't fit in anywhere. I

00:21:23.529 --> 00:21:25.089
don't know where to go. That's why I'm reaching

00:21:25.089 --> 00:21:29.349
out to you. And it just really hit me that when

00:21:29.349 --> 00:21:30.789
you said you came into this space, because I

00:21:30.789 --> 00:21:34.369
imagine just hobby stuff in general always kind

00:21:34.369 --> 00:21:38.190
of feels safe. Oh, that's a hobby, right? Or

00:21:38.190 --> 00:21:40.309
that's something. And so it's like when you go

00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:44.630
and the hobby turns into harm. not being able

00:21:44.630 --> 00:21:48.849
to find spaces that meet those needs is a very

00:21:48.849 --> 00:21:54.029
real thing. Yeah, Christina, you're absolutely

00:21:54.029 --> 00:21:57.009
on point, right? People love the element of excitement

00:21:57.009 --> 00:22:00.009
and chance because it taps into something very

00:22:00.009 --> 00:22:02.269
human, right? We're talking about anticipation

00:22:02.269 --> 00:22:06.230
and possibility and, you know, this brief escape

00:22:06.230 --> 00:22:10.710
from reality, from certainty, right? And so that

00:22:10.710 --> 00:22:14.789
moment before the outcome lands is is just really

00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:18.769
powerful and it's where the hope and the potential

00:22:18.769 --> 00:22:22.470
and the anticipation really you know thrive and

00:22:22.470 --> 00:22:24.809
um you know i think it's like the imagination

00:22:24.809 --> 00:22:28.269
sort of filling the gap in a way and so the unknown

00:22:28.269 --> 00:22:33.170
creates this emotional lift even if the result

00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:36.650
result itself is is smaller fleeting right our

00:22:36.650 --> 00:22:39.789
brains are just wired to respond to this you

00:22:39.789 --> 00:22:44.059
know maybe Right. The possibility that something

00:22:44.059 --> 00:22:46.839
special could happen that this time could be

00:22:46.839 --> 00:22:49.400
different. Right. And so I think excitement and

00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:53.000
chance also kind of compress time. They pull

00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:57.259
us fully into the moment, you know, and it kind

00:22:57.259 --> 00:23:00.920
of dulls some of the harder parts of life like

00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:04.799
stress or boredom or doubt or depression or,

00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:09.299
you know, loneliness. Right. And for a few seconds,

00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:13.240
like the world narrows to. whatever outcome you're

00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:15.920
seeking. And that focus can feel like relief,

00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:19.000
which is why I think it's so compelling and why

00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.160
it shows up in so many different places, right?

00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:24.279
The games and the sports and the entertainment

00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:27.200
and the collecting and the bath bombs. I mean,

00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:29.680
the key distinction isn't whether excitement

00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:33.420
and chance are, you know, inherently good or

00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:37.539
bad. It's how often they're used, how fast they

00:23:37.539 --> 00:23:40.700
repeat and whether they're supported by somebody's

00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:44.490
boundaries. Right. Without friction or the opportunity

00:23:44.490 --> 00:23:47.750
to take a step back, pause and reflect, take

00:23:47.750 --> 00:23:50.650
personal inventory. What starts as fun can can

00:23:50.650 --> 00:23:55.089
very quickly shift into something that just runs

00:23:55.089 --> 00:23:58.069
on compulsion instead of like real choice, real

00:23:58.069 --> 00:24:00.410
intention. You know, people don't love chance

00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:03.230
because they want to lose control. They love

00:24:03.230 --> 00:24:06.309
it because it's just it offers like that that

00:24:06.309 --> 00:24:09.940
possibility, that excitement. And, you know,

00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:14.480
I think the work is just making sure, you know,

00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:17.599
people are aware of this. Right. So that they

00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:20.680
don't quietly become dependent on it because

00:24:20.680 --> 00:24:23.160
it can happen without you even realizing. And

00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:26.400
that's a huge part of this. A lot of these activities

00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:31.119
like something as, you know, something as small

00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:35.759
as buying a bath bomb on TikTok can very quickly

00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:40.140
sort of manifest into. a real addiction. And

00:24:40.140 --> 00:24:42.740
I'm not saying that applies to every single person,

00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:46.460
but there are a lot of people that, you know,

00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:50.220
they find themselves in a situation where they

00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:52.339
didn't think that they were addicted or that

00:24:52.339 --> 00:24:54.920
they have had an addictive personality. And next

00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:58.619
thing they knew, all their savings is gone. Their

00:24:58.619 --> 00:25:01.140
lives are being compromised. You know, divorce

00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:03.059
is on the table. They're having to sell their

00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:05.200
belongings or their homes. They're looking at

00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.619
bankruptcy. These are real life stories that

00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:09.519
we see every single week in our peer support

00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:12.900
meetings over cardboard, right? It's one thing

00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:16.619
to lose yourself in something like gambling,

00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:18.359
which has been around forever, where like, you

00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:21.259
know, you hear the story is as old as time. Somebody,

00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:23.720
you know, goes on tilt and throws away everything

00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:27.539
on, you know, blackjack or through sports betting.

00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:31.119
But like, we're talking about opening up packs

00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:34.380
of Pokemon cards, right? Things that children.

00:25:35.470 --> 00:25:39.269
are involved with. And that in itself creates

00:25:39.269 --> 00:25:42.869
a sense of guilt and shame. People have a really

00:25:42.869 --> 00:25:44.549
hard time admitting they have a problem with

00:25:44.549 --> 00:25:47.230
something like that because they don't want to

00:25:47.230 --> 00:25:51.430
look in the mirror and say, wow, I became addicted

00:25:51.430 --> 00:25:55.849
to a toy, right? So it's all about just spreading

00:25:55.849 --> 00:25:57.849
positive awareness, letting people know that

00:25:57.849 --> 00:26:00.690
there are other people out there just like you

00:26:00.690 --> 00:26:04.019
who are experiencing these very problems. And

00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:08.279
rather than struggling alone in isolation, you

00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:11.140
can heal in community. And so that's why this

00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:14.140
space is so important. Yeah, we know all about

00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:18.900
that. Yeah, we do. So I want to talk about the

00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:22.819
warning signs that you've observed in your time.

00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:26.920
But also, I want to go back. You alluded to it.

00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:28.980
If you don't mind, tell us a little bit about...

00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:32.019
your experience both with this and with your

00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:34.099
gambling and you said that they kind of intersected

00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:37.880
and at what point did you realize oh like this

00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:41.539
this might be an actual problem yeah it was around

00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:47.240
um the fall of 2022 where right before i got

00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:50.059
married i got married in november of 2022 actually

00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:54.019
on my birthday um so Quick sidebar, I no longer

00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.880
get to celebrate my birthday. It's been replaced

00:26:55.880 --> 00:26:58.660
by my anniversary. She ensured that you would

00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:00.819
never forget the anniversary. That's exactly

00:27:00.819 --> 00:27:07.200
right. Smart lady. Brilliant. Anyway, around

00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:10.480
that time, I was living life in the fast lane.

00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:16.900
I was gambling. I was winning. I had a ton of

00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:20.990
money that I was making on the side from. playing

00:27:20.990 --> 00:27:25.549
live blackjack. And, you know, I was also doing

00:27:25.549 --> 00:27:28.690
well in my career. So I felt this sense of entitlement,

00:27:28.769 --> 00:27:32.029
I felt like, you know, I had earned the right

00:27:32.029 --> 00:27:35.569
to buy nice things and shower myself with gifts.

00:27:35.670 --> 00:27:39.150
And, you know, given the fact that I've always

00:27:39.150 --> 00:27:44.210
been kind of a compulsive person, in terms of,

00:27:44.210 --> 00:27:49.640
you know, just becoming overly excited or overly

00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:52.460
passionate about specific things. You know, at

00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:55.240
one point in my 20s, I had over 500 pairs of

00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:58.180
sneakers. No single person should ever own that

00:27:58.180 --> 00:28:01.960
many sneakers. But I was so, you know, enthralled

00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:05.720
by sneaker collecting, I just lost myself. And

00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:07.900
so that was an issue in itself. But again, fast

00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:11.339
forward to 2022, I was gambling, but I was also

00:28:11.339 --> 00:28:14.019
joining these high -end breaks and buying. you

00:28:14.019 --> 00:28:17.059
know, these expensive boxes for myself on live

00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:22.779
streams and just sort of, it became a cycle where

00:28:22.779 --> 00:28:25.680
I would buy into, let's say a $2 ,500 break.

00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:28.559
I then feel like I needed to recoup that money,

00:28:28.660 --> 00:28:31.640
whether I hit a card, work that or not. And so

00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:34.099
I would hop onto live blackjack on one of the

00:28:34.099 --> 00:28:37.059
apps, win the money back that way. And I wasn't

00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:41.529
the type of gambler that would, you know, be

00:28:41.529 --> 00:28:43.210
able to lose a couple hundred bucks and then

00:28:43.210 --> 00:28:46.869
walk away anytime i started to lose i would double

00:28:46.869 --> 00:28:51.549
down and it would just you know happen over and

00:28:51.549 --> 00:28:53.589
over again where i put myself in these situations

00:28:53.589 --> 00:28:56.730
where i'd run out of money and you know a particular

00:28:56.730 --> 00:28:59.710
sitting i'd lose thousands of dollars upwards

00:28:59.710 --> 00:29:02.049
of ten thousand dollars and there were times

00:29:02.049 --> 00:29:03.930
where i would just keep going until everything

00:29:03.930 --> 00:29:07.029
was just completely gone and you know i hit these

00:29:07.029 --> 00:29:10.990
rock bottom moments throughout my uh you know,

00:29:10.990 --> 00:29:14.170
the throes of my addiction where finally it came

00:29:14.170 --> 00:29:17.710
to a halt and I realized that I had a serious

00:29:17.710 --> 00:29:20.569
problem. It was actually a weekend in April of

00:29:20.569 --> 00:29:24.130
2023 where my wife was on a bachelorette party

00:29:24.130 --> 00:29:28.009
and I just went like balls to the wall, all out,

00:29:28.049 --> 00:29:32.329
a 48 hour bender where I just was nonstop gambling.

00:29:32.490 --> 00:29:35.329
And I lost more money than I had ever lost in

00:29:35.329 --> 00:29:37.779
one particular sitting. we don't necessarily

00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:39.880
like to talk about the amounts you know it's

00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:42.000
kind of arbitrary everybody's financial situation

00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:44.059
is different different amounts affect different

00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:46.420
people but i could tell you it was a lot of money

00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:50.599
and so i thought it was all over that that i

00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:52.599
think it was like a friday morning at 6 a .m

00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:56.240
where i had basically gambled away a last dollar

00:29:56.240 --> 00:30:02.660
to my name i had extended into you know um uh

00:30:02.660 --> 00:30:05.799
cash advances through credit cards and maxed

00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:10.140
out credit cards just you know to try to um fuel

00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:14.160
the cycle and it did not end well and so i called

00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:17.920
my dad just in this like state of panic and um

00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:20.900
he came scoop me up from my apartment in jersey

00:30:20.900 --> 00:30:23.579
city where i was living at the time and i was

00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:28.220
quite literally paralyzed to the recliner in

00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:30.700
their living room for that entire weekend just

00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:33.599
anticipating what I was going to tell my wife

00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:35.799
when she got home from this trip that following

00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:40.859
Monday. And it was hell. I was beside myself.

00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:44.059
I didn't know what to do. And so at that point,

00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:48.559
you know, my parents helped me in finding an

00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:51.000
outpatient facility here in New Jersey called

00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.299
Right Choice Recovery. And I got into that program.

00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:59.410
I self -excluded. I stopped gambling. You know,

00:30:59.430 --> 00:31:02.410
I started to slowly pick back the pieces. But

00:31:02.410 --> 00:31:07.369
the reality is you can't self -exclude from collecting

00:31:07.369 --> 00:31:09.829
or from buying, right? Unless somebody cuts you

00:31:09.829 --> 00:31:12.390
off completely financially or you turn over your

00:31:12.390 --> 00:31:15.190
finances to a loved one, right? And so I was

00:31:15.190 --> 00:31:17.809
still buying the cards. I was still joining breaks

00:31:17.809 --> 00:31:21.230
and I wasn't really getting better. It just seemed

00:31:21.230 --> 00:31:22.930
like I was getting better because I was going

00:31:22.930 --> 00:31:27.269
to this outpatient facility and going to GA meetings

00:31:27.269 --> 00:31:30.420
and things of that nature. And so it really just

00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:34.599
got to a point where I decided so many people

00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:36.880
are being affected the same way that I am. I

00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:40.380
need to create a space that I wish existed when

00:31:40.380 --> 00:31:43.500
I was really at the lowest of my lows. And so

00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:46.799
that's how Collectors MD was born. I'm just,

00:31:46.859 --> 00:31:48.920
I'm smiling because, you know, the first three

00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:51.079
quarters of that sentence is exactly how I felt

00:31:51.079 --> 00:31:53.279
after, you know, once I entered recovery. So

00:31:53.279 --> 00:31:56.599
that's awesome. Same. I wasn't seeing myself

00:31:56.599 --> 00:32:00.279
in the rooms and I wasn't hearing, I wasn't seeing

00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:03.980
women experiences in the room. So it was like

00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:07.539
very much of, let me try and create a space where

00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:15.019
I feel welcomed and where my story can be somebody

00:32:15.019 --> 00:32:16.880
else's story. You know what I mean? Like, even

00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.730
though. I think anybody who struggled with addiction,

00:32:19.950 --> 00:32:23.670
we can all connect on this level of it's taken

00:32:23.670 --> 00:32:26.549
over our life. It's rewired those pathways in

00:32:26.549 --> 00:32:30.150
our brain to, to focus on the, the reward center,

00:32:30.230 --> 00:32:32.690
everything like that. We can all focus on like

00:32:32.690 --> 00:32:34.890
those types of things, but there are so many

00:32:34.890 --> 00:32:38.329
individual parts of our story that sometimes

00:32:38.329 --> 00:32:41.630
is more relatable to women or more relatable

00:32:41.630 --> 00:32:43.789
to men or more relatable to somebody who's in

00:32:43.789 --> 00:32:46.589
the collectible world. Right? Like, and so I

00:32:46.589 --> 00:32:49.329
think. spaces that match our own experiences

00:32:49.329 --> 00:32:53.430
are very very helpful along with just broadening

00:32:53.430 --> 00:32:55.569
out and being curious about other people's experiences

00:32:55.569 --> 00:32:58.150
as well just like this is a fascinating conversation

00:32:58.150 --> 00:33:01.630
for me because like yeah i knew Hatch's story

00:33:01.630 --> 00:33:03.250
and kind of what he struggled with but i don't

00:33:03.250 --> 00:33:06.029
think i really understood it you know and kind

00:33:06.029 --> 00:33:07.769
of the connectedness and the way that you're

00:33:07.769 --> 00:33:11.670
explaining it really opens that up absolutely

00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:14.160
Yeah, you brought up some really great points

00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:15.980
there, Christina. And there is one other component

00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:19.299
that I'd be remiss not to share where it really

00:33:19.299 --> 00:33:24.579
came full circle for me. And so while I was working

00:33:24.579 --> 00:33:27.819
on building Collectors MD, let's say about six

00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:30.220
months ago, I went back to Right Choice Recovery

00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:34.329
to connect with the owner, Rob Sackowitz. And

00:33:34.329 --> 00:33:36.410
let him know what I was doing, really, you know,

00:33:36.410 --> 00:33:38.289
just taking my addiction and sort of turning

00:33:38.289 --> 00:33:40.289
it on its head to help other people. Really,

00:33:40.369 --> 00:33:42.990
that's step 12 of the 12 -step program is paying

00:33:42.990 --> 00:33:46.170
it forward and, you know, helping other people

00:33:46.170 --> 00:33:49.769
who are suffering with compulsive gambling overcome

00:33:49.769 --> 00:33:53.710
their addiction too. And so, you know, we were

00:33:53.710 --> 00:33:55.470
talking about ways we could potentially collaborate.

00:33:56.549 --> 00:33:59.430
And, you know, after meeting with him several

00:33:59.430 --> 00:34:01.349
times, he was like, you know what? I'd really

00:34:01.349 --> 00:34:03.789
love for you to... lead some group meetings here

00:34:03.789 --> 00:34:06.410
if you're open to it. And so since September

00:34:06.410 --> 00:34:08.949
of last year, I've been running two meetings,

00:34:09.110 --> 00:34:10.969
Monday and Tuesday nights at Right Choice Recovery,

00:34:11.289 --> 00:34:15.710
leading, you know, groups for around gambling

00:34:15.710 --> 00:34:17.809
addiction. And so it's kind of like a full circle

00:34:17.809 --> 00:34:20.469
moment going from being a client there to now,

00:34:20.630 --> 00:34:22.570
you know, leading group meetings. And again,

00:34:22.710 --> 00:34:26.250
it's just, I've dedicated my life, my career

00:34:26.250 --> 00:34:31.949
to this journey, to this world where I just,

00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:37.579
feel this unrelenting urgency to grow Collectors MD,

00:34:37.719 --> 00:34:40.920
to help spread the message, not to, you know,

00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:45.900
make money or, you know, gain followers or grow

00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:49.000
like a company or a brand, but more so because

00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:51.460
there are tens of thousands of people struggling

00:34:51.460 --> 00:34:54.760
with this type of addiction that have zero idea

00:34:54.760 --> 00:34:59.980
that real tools, resources, and support are available

00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:05.920
for free. Yeah, so we're not people who bash

00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:09.099
industry or whatever, but I'm curious where the

00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:15.000
exploitation happens on this side of the collectibles

00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:17.300
industry. Like, where are the things that really,

00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:19.739
like, we can name the things on the gambling

00:35:19.739 --> 00:35:23.699
side where it's obvious, right? So kind of give

00:35:23.699 --> 00:35:26.280
us some ideas of what that looks like on the

00:35:26.280 --> 00:35:29.179
collectible side and how they kind of compare.

00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:33.340
You know, collecting, I was talking about this

00:35:33.340 --> 00:35:35.579
before. Collecting used to be slow. You know,

00:35:35.579 --> 00:35:38.179
you would save up. You would go to a local card

00:35:38.179 --> 00:35:41.380
shop. You would trade cards or, you know, items

00:35:41.380 --> 00:35:44.199
with your friends. And, you know, maybe you would

00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:48.300
buy a card or two here and there. Today, collecting

00:35:48.300 --> 00:35:51.739
happens online in real time with constant notifications,

00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:55.820
instant payments, and live auctions running around

00:35:55.820 --> 00:35:59.059
the clock, right? The hobby didn't. just move

00:35:59.059 --> 00:36:02.340
online, it adopted the same mechanics used in

00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:05.659
gambling, gaming, and social media. And so what

00:36:05.659 --> 00:36:08.760
that means in plain terms is this. People are

00:36:08.760 --> 00:36:11.699
no longer just collecting. They're chasing, they're

00:36:11.699 --> 00:36:14.699
reacting, they're spending faster and more often

00:36:14.699 --> 00:36:17.840
than they plan to. Sometimes without even realizing

00:36:17.840 --> 00:36:20.739
how far it's gone until it's too late and real

00:36:20.739 --> 00:36:24.239
damage has been done. And so, you know, Collectors MD

00:36:24.239 --> 00:36:26.340
exists to say something very simple and very

00:36:26.340 --> 00:36:29.550
important. collecting itself isn't the problem

00:36:29.550 --> 00:36:33.969
it's the way the modern system is built so we

00:36:33.969 --> 00:36:37.090
focus on three things the first thing is education

00:36:37.090 --> 00:36:40.210
we want people to understand why the hobby feels

00:36:40.210 --> 00:36:43.570
so you know hard to control now the speed and

00:36:43.570 --> 00:36:45.809
the randomness and the you might win big this

00:36:45.809 --> 00:36:49.369
time type of feeling and the constant 24 7 access

00:36:49.369 --> 00:36:51.949
all these things push the brain into impulse

00:36:51.949 --> 00:36:54.710
mode and once people start to understand that

00:36:54.710 --> 00:36:58.960
the shame starts to lift and clarity really comes

00:36:58.960 --> 00:37:02.420
back. The second is support. We run weekly peer

00:37:02.420 --> 00:37:05.260
support meetings for collectors who feel stuck,

00:37:05.539 --> 00:37:08.039
overwhelmed, or out of control. You know, some

00:37:08.039 --> 00:37:10.440
people do want to stay in the hobby, but with

00:37:10.440 --> 00:37:13.139
structure and boundaries. Others need distance

00:37:13.139 --> 00:37:15.460
from it entirely. And so we make room for both

00:37:15.460 --> 00:37:18.119
lanes, intentional collecting and abstinence.

00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:20.300
Intentional collecting is basically our version

00:37:20.300 --> 00:37:23.099
of harm reduction. And then third, accountability

00:37:23.099 --> 00:37:25.900
and prevention. We work with platforms, shops,

00:37:26.019 --> 00:37:29.079
and community leaders to talk about real guardrails,

00:37:29.079 --> 00:37:31.780
things like, you know, age protections and moderation

00:37:31.780 --> 00:37:34.840
and transparency and slowing systems down so

00:37:34.840 --> 00:37:37.579
that fewer people are getting hurt in the first

00:37:37.579 --> 00:37:40.179
place. And so the key idea is that, you know,

00:37:40.199 --> 00:37:43.039
people shouldn't have to hit rock bottom to realize

00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:46.480
something is off, something is wrong. So I want

00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:49.599
to illustrate to you some of the stuff that is

00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:53.039
going on in the hobby. And again, I say this,

00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:56.739
I want to preface by saying Collectors MD, we're

00:37:56.739 --> 00:37:59.300
not a watchdog organization. We're not here to

00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:02.480
call out manufacturers, platforms, individuals,

00:38:02.880 --> 00:38:06.739
breakers who are doing things maliciously or

00:38:06.739 --> 00:38:10.440
are preying on collectors or using exploitative

00:38:10.440 --> 00:38:14.179
messaging. However, it is important to address

00:38:14.179 --> 00:38:16.530
some of these things. So again, as part of that

00:38:16.530 --> 00:38:19.329
educating, that awareness, people have a better

00:38:19.329 --> 00:38:22.170
idea, a better sense of what's really going on

00:38:22.170 --> 00:38:25.829
behind the scenes. And so there are a few platforms

00:38:25.829 --> 00:38:31.849
and manufacturers that really take a page out

00:38:31.849 --> 00:38:34.110
of the playbook of traditional gambling. And

00:38:34.110 --> 00:38:38.630
so I'm not going to say the platform that sent

00:38:38.630 --> 00:38:41.480
this message out to people. For those in the

00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:43.440
hobby, in the collecting world, they might be

00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:45.519
able to connect the dots. But I'm just going

00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:48.980
to read you a marketing message that I received

00:38:48.980 --> 00:38:54.059
from one of these hobby platforms. Hey, it's

00:38:54.059 --> 00:38:57.599
the guy that does all the emails at said platform.

00:38:57.860 --> 00:39:00.760
You probably think this is some automated email

00:39:00.760 --> 00:39:03.239
trying to get you to come back and rip a slab

00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:05.940
pack, huh? Well, you're absolutely right. Except

00:39:05.940 --> 00:39:08.000
I wrote this email myself with a bit of help

00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:11.670
from ChatGPT. I wanted to give you a 25 % discount

00:39:11.670 --> 00:39:14.949
to get you back into the action. Specifically

00:39:14.949 --> 00:39:17.730
use the word action. The code will only work

00:39:17.730 --> 00:39:20.070
on gold, ruby, emerald, diamond, or legendary

00:39:20.070 --> 00:39:22.769
packs. It would be really cool if you came back

00:39:22.769 --> 00:39:25.010
and got a pack so that I can tell my boss I'm

00:39:25.010 --> 00:39:27.050
doing a good job. If you don't want to, it's

00:39:27.050 --> 00:39:29.389
all good. I'll start updating my resume now.

00:39:29.489 --> 00:39:32.329
Click here to rip a pack. Oh, wow. I mean, that

00:39:32.329 --> 00:39:35.389
just makes me so... Like manipulation. Angry.

00:39:35.590 --> 00:39:38.239
Oh, my God. I thought it was like... tongue in

00:39:38.239 --> 00:39:41.280
cheek and somebody you know uh signed off on

00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:42.900
that and was like yeah that's totally totally

00:39:42.900 --> 00:39:45.340
fine totally kosher to send out to our entire

00:39:45.340 --> 00:39:50.519
you know email listserv um are there any age

00:39:50.519 --> 00:39:54.099
regulations though like no because i mean i can

00:39:54.099 --> 00:39:56.739
see a kid reading that and like oh my gosh this

00:39:56.739 --> 00:39:59.900
person's gonna lose their job if i don't do this

00:39:59.900 --> 00:40:02.960
or whatever and so like like most of us can read

00:40:02.960 --> 00:40:07.010
that for what it is right Yeah. I'm sorry. Can

00:40:07.010 --> 00:40:09.090
we just take a moment to pause? Because I think

00:40:09.090 --> 00:40:12.269
sharing my screen here would be monumental. Like,

00:40:12.289 --> 00:40:14.090
I really think it would help paint this picture.

00:40:14.570 --> 00:40:16.670
I literally don't think we can. Can we? There's

00:40:16.670 --> 00:40:19.750
a share button on the bottom. Try. Try it. Click

00:40:19.750 --> 00:40:22.030
it and see what it, see what it, yeah, because

00:40:22.030 --> 00:40:24.630
there is a share button. So. There we go. Oh,

00:40:24.650 --> 00:40:26.829
look at that. There we go. Look at that. He's

00:40:26.829 --> 00:40:29.670
teaching us something here. Yeah, go ahead. This

00:40:29.670 --> 00:40:31.650
is a first on Evive Live. Here we go. Yeah, it

00:40:31.650 --> 00:40:36.539
is. So it's Big Justice and AJ. AJ and Big Justice.

00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:41.460
Oh, I hate these guys so much. They are brand

00:40:41.460 --> 00:40:43.500
ambassadors for the brand I was talking about.

00:40:43.559 --> 00:40:45.400
And at this point, I'm just going to go ahead

00:40:45.400 --> 00:40:50.360
and show you. But yeah, they're exploiting the

00:40:50.360 --> 00:40:56.199
child to promote this product. I mean, it's all

00:40:56.199 --> 00:41:00.320
over. You can see here, here. I'll just show

00:41:00.320 --> 00:41:08.659
the most recent one. to tell us which one is

00:41:08.659 --> 00:41:16.539
the best. First Emerald Pack, here we go. Patrick

00:41:16.539 --> 00:41:19.619
Bell with the red shiver. PSA 10. We got him

00:41:19.619 --> 00:41:21.840
a Holmes right from the start. I'm not even joking.

00:41:21.880 --> 00:41:24.880
This is a chase card. This was at the very top,

00:41:25.019 --> 00:41:31.219
Dad. Wow. Oh, that's awesome. Color match. That

00:41:31.219 --> 00:41:45.160
is a good first pack. One more Emerald. from

00:41:45.160 --> 00:41:51.340
the elite series is that variation wow that is

00:41:51.340 --> 00:41:56.079
sick rookie patrick mahomes and now the diamond

00:42:23.630 --> 00:42:26.750
I mean, at least he's a good actor, I guess.

00:42:27.210 --> 00:42:31.289
It feels scripted. Oh, yeah, I mean, it's...

00:42:31.289 --> 00:42:37.429
So that happens, people can open virtual packs?

00:42:38.590 --> 00:42:43.199
Yeah. You can get 20 % off your first part of

00:42:43.199 --> 00:42:45.280
the Slap Pack purchase right now on Arena Club

00:42:45.280 --> 00:42:48.199
by visiting arenaclub .com forward slash boom

00:42:48.199 --> 00:42:50.960
and entering the code boom at checkout. Arena

00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:57.940
Club gets a big boom! Why do I feel like I need

00:42:57.940 --> 00:43:01.320
a shower? Like, that just felt gross. And that's

00:43:01.320 --> 00:43:04.659
running rampant across the hobby. So that is

00:43:04.659 --> 00:43:08.679
like a company then. So somebody's gone from...

00:43:09.190 --> 00:43:11.190
Here's the saddest part about, and I'm only going

00:43:11.190 --> 00:43:15.309
to call out Arena Club because they're, you know,

00:43:15.309 --> 00:43:19.170
they're a huge part of the problem. I grew up

00:43:19.170 --> 00:43:23.650
a diehard Yankee fan and Derek Jeter is one of

00:43:23.650 --> 00:43:27.389
my favorite athletes of all time. Honestly, like

00:43:27.389 --> 00:43:31.489
an idol to me. He is one of the co -owners of

00:43:31.489 --> 00:43:35.210
Arena Club. And when that news came out, it really

00:43:35.210 --> 00:43:37.500
just broke my heart because It made me realize

00:43:37.500 --> 00:43:41.960
that this is so much bigger than anybody, you

00:43:41.960 --> 00:43:44.760
know, ever fathomed it would become, right? Because

00:43:44.760 --> 00:43:47.039
you have athletes and celebrities that are endorsing

00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:49.800
this type of behavior without taking a moment

00:43:49.800 --> 00:43:52.639
to pause and think like, I have a massive platform

00:43:52.639 --> 00:43:55.760
and influence. Why don't I leverage that to help

00:43:55.760 --> 00:43:59.760
people who really, you know, could use help?

00:44:00.019 --> 00:44:01.960
You see the same thing with the traditional gambling

00:44:01.960 --> 00:44:04.659
ads, all the celebrities endorsing these casinos.

00:44:05.199 --> 00:44:08.099
The one caveat, though, is that with traditional

00:44:08.099 --> 00:44:10.780
gambling, there's regulation and there's oversight.

00:44:11.039 --> 00:44:14.179
And it's a part of the corporate responsibility

00:44:14.179 --> 00:44:17.219
of these casinos and sportsbooks to provide tools

00:44:17.219 --> 00:44:20.280
and resources, whether they want to or not, to

00:44:20.280 --> 00:44:24.699
organizations or, you know, platforms like 800

00:44:24.699 --> 00:44:28.920
Gambler and, you know, basically promote responsible

00:44:28.920 --> 00:44:33.300
gambling. Right. That does not exist in. the

00:44:33.300 --> 00:44:36.179
hobby environment whatsoever. There's zero regulation,

00:44:36.420 --> 00:44:38.300
there's zero oversight, there's zero age gates,

00:44:38.460 --> 00:44:41.780
there's zero guardrails. Anybody can just log

00:44:41.780 --> 00:44:45.099
in, create an account, and just, you know, go

00:44:45.099 --> 00:44:48.599
crazy on these repacks or joining breaks or whatever,

00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:51.719
you know, whatever it is. And so kids are being

00:44:51.719 --> 00:44:54.139
groomed and conditioned at such a young age that

00:44:54.139 --> 00:44:57.420
this type of behavior is the norm, is socially

00:44:57.420 --> 00:44:59.940
acceptable. I mean, you heard the kids say, like,

00:44:59.940 --> 00:45:02.519
if Drake May wins the Super Bowl, This is a big

00:45:02.519 --> 00:45:05.159
card. Now, I want to add one more note here.

00:45:05.940 --> 00:45:09.179
When I first caught wind that they were creating

00:45:09.179 --> 00:45:11.539
these ads, this was almost a year ago when I

00:45:11.539 --> 00:45:14.639
first started Collectors MD, they were including

00:45:14.639 --> 00:45:18.159
the value of the cards at the bottom of the screen.

00:45:18.679 --> 00:45:21.440
So he'd like hit that card and it would say like,

00:45:21.500 --> 00:45:25.599
you know, $500. And they had this ticker that

00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:27.599
would show how much money they were up or down

00:45:27.599 --> 00:45:30.789
based on their investment. And I left a comment

00:45:30.789 --> 00:45:33.269
from the Collectors MD account saying something

00:45:33.269 --> 00:45:35.849
along the lines of this is not okay. This is

00:45:35.849 --> 00:45:38.469
conditioning children to think gambling is acceptable,

00:45:38.690 --> 00:45:42.849
yada, yada. They stopped. I think that comment

00:45:42.849 --> 00:45:45.869
got a couple hundred likes, a bunch of people

00:45:45.869 --> 00:45:48.530
just supporting, endorsing the message. They

00:45:48.530 --> 00:45:51.309
stopped doing it. And then on the following video

00:45:51.309 --> 00:45:54.710
where they took that out, I commented again and

00:45:54.710 --> 00:45:57.070
I said something along the lines of, you know,

00:45:57.070 --> 00:46:00.699
glad to see that. this has been adjusted, but

00:46:00.699 --> 00:46:03.780
still the message here is an issue. Anyway, AJ

00:46:03.780 --> 00:46:06.119
and big justice and arena club liked the comments.

00:46:06.159 --> 00:46:08.539
So, you know, I'm not going to sit here and say

00:46:08.539 --> 00:46:12.099
that we were the reason why they stopped doing

00:46:12.099 --> 00:46:15.199
that, but pretty, pretty. Yeah. It didn't hurt.

00:46:15.320 --> 00:46:21.139
Yeah. We, I mean, I've, I have so many more questions,

00:46:21.219 --> 00:46:23.179
but you know, we're, we're heading towards the

00:46:23.179 --> 00:46:27.719
end here. Like a couple of like rapid fire things

00:46:27.719 --> 00:46:30.820
real quick. Like, So where does the money go?

00:46:31.340 --> 00:46:35.639
If, if I, if I don't get my team pulled, that

00:46:35.639 --> 00:46:37.800
money just goes to the person who's running the

00:46:37.800 --> 00:46:43.380
break. Yep. And, and so there's no like legalities

00:46:43.380 --> 00:46:45.539
or they're not paying to, I mean, so Whatnot

00:46:45.539 --> 00:46:49.860
requires, uh, the dealer, the, the breaker to

00:46:49.860 --> 00:46:53.420
ship anything purchased. So a label is automatically

00:46:53.420 --> 00:46:55.820
generated. If you don't hit any cards at all,

00:46:55.860 --> 00:46:59.440
what they'll usually do. And I've seen, cases

00:46:59.440 --> 00:47:02.179
where a completely empty package just shows up

00:47:02.179 --> 00:47:05.320
at the door um but they'll take stacks of base

00:47:05.320 --> 00:47:07.539
cards cards that are worthless that get thrown

00:47:07.539 --> 00:47:09.719
in the garbage or donated and they just send

00:47:09.719 --> 00:47:12.360
them to the individual so kind of a slap in the

00:47:12.360 --> 00:47:14.400
face actually it's like it's like going on full

00:47:14.400 --> 00:47:17.440
tilt losing a ton of money and then two weeks

00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:19.219
later something shows up at your door to remind

00:47:19.219 --> 00:47:23.510
you about it and then The other thing I had written

00:47:23.510 --> 00:47:25.909
down was like, as far as like content creators,

00:47:26.110 --> 00:47:27.909
like, like, like right now in gambling space,

00:47:28.010 --> 00:47:30.630
like we have these YouTubers who, you know, have

00:47:30.630 --> 00:47:32.610
all these sponsorships from the casinos and they're

00:47:32.610 --> 00:47:35.269
not using their real money. Is that happening

00:47:35.269 --> 00:47:37.590
in, in the hobby side of things where people

00:47:37.590 --> 00:47:39.769
are starting to, you know, cause I know that

00:47:39.769 --> 00:47:41.889
there's all these and I'm going to sound like

00:47:41.889 --> 00:47:43.690
an old man, but like, you know, the discords

00:47:43.690 --> 00:47:45.250
and the, and the things, you know, the people

00:47:45.250 --> 00:47:48.969
are on Twitch and it's just them watching them

00:47:48.969 --> 00:47:51.329
do other things, watching other people. You know

00:47:51.329 --> 00:47:54.300
what I mean? Like, it's it's like you couldn't

00:47:54.300 --> 00:47:58.179
imagine it's worse it's honestly worse than than

00:47:58.179 --> 00:48:01.059
the gambling industry in terms of uh these influencers

00:48:01.059 --> 00:48:04.579
that are opening boxes on stream this is just

00:48:04.579 --> 00:48:07.760
like an opportunity for the manufacturers and

00:48:07.760 --> 00:48:10.460
the platforms to get free ads right they send

00:48:10.460 --> 00:48:13.619
them there's there's uh conspiracies that they

00:48:13.619 --> 00:48:16.300
get at loaded boxes they open them up on screen

00:48:16.670 --> 00:48:18.449
They hit the big card, and then the average collector

00:48:18.449 --> 00:48:20.610
is seeing that and saying, wow, I want to hit

00:48:20.610 --> 00:48:24.909
that card. So, yeah, it's a major problem, and

00:48:24.909 --> 00:48:28.789
it's been going on for years. There are a lot

00:48:28.789 --> 00:48:32.929
of watchdog creators, influencers that call out

00:48:32.929 --> 00:48:36.469
this type of behavior all the time, but it's

00:48:36.469 --> 00:48:40.469
not nearly as big in terms of the scale, the

00:48:40.469 --> 00:48:44.050
number of people watching and following. compared

00:48:44.050 --> 00:48:46.570
to like the number of individuals that are consuming

00:48:46.570 --> 00:48:50.429
the content that's being called out. Yeah, it's

00:48:50.429 --> 00:48:52.449
interesting because I was just filming a podcast

00:48:52.449 --> 00:48:56.750
the other day and this kind of even reminds me

00:48:56.750 --> 00:48:59.309
of what she was talking about on the social casino

00:48:59.309 --> 00:49:02.110
side where she could go on these social platforms

00:49:02.110 --> 00:49:05.550
like TikTok and Clapper and they would have these

00:49:05.550 --> 00:49:10.000
live gambling sessions where you can... throw

00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:12.679
money and, you know, they can gamble your number

00:49:12.679 --> 00:49:15.119
or whatever, whatever the behavior is, or even

00:49:15.119 --> 00:49:18.599
like pull tabs or like, and it's just so interesting

00:49:18.599 --> 00:49:22.539
how social media has now, from what you're talking

00:49:22.539 --> 00:49:24.380
about, from what she was talking about, from

00:49:24.380 --> 00:49:27.599
what we see from influencers, just how much social

00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:30.920
media is influencing. All of these different

00:49:30.920 --> 00:49:33.639
spaces and really contributing to the harm and

00:49:33.639 --> 00:49:36.000
the fact that there is no real regulation, there

00:49:36.000 --> 00:49:39.019
is no like when we're talking about kids being,

00:49:39.099 --> 00:49:42.679
you know, we know that in gaming kids are highly

00:49:42.679 --> 00:49:47.219
shown gambling behaviors, skins in the game,

00:49:47.300 --> 00:49:48.579
those types of things. And I certainly don't

00:49:48.579 --> 00:49:49.960
want to talk about things I don't really know

00:49:49.960 --> 00:49:52.460
that much about. But it's just really, really

00:49:52.460 --> 00:49:55.960
interesting how even even in this space or all

00:49:55.960 --> 00:49:58.099
these different spaces where social media really.

00:49:59.199 --> 00:50:02.519
really impacts and really creates the space to

00:50:02.519 --> 00:50:05.739
to experience more harm can we talk about that

00:50:05.739 --> 00:50:08.420
for a second and then we'll we'll close out yeah

00:50:08.420 --> 00:50:12.460
it's it's a great point i'm kids are so impressionable

00:50:12.460 --> 00:50:16.059
and they're like sponges right they consume any

00:50:16.059 --> 00:50:18.039
and everything around them and so when you have

00:50:18.039 --> 00:50:21.739
these environments that you know on the surface

00:50:21.739 --> 00:50:27.139
are are painted to seem normal like this is just

00:50:27.139 --> 00:50:31.409
normal child behavior the biggest problem is

00:50:31.409 --> 00:50:35.150
that the parents don't see it and i think the

00:50:35.150 --> 00:50:38.750
industry kind of uses the whole childhood nostalgia

00:50:38.750 --> 00:50:41.449
component to their advantage right because they

00:50:41.449 --> 00:50:44.030
know that most parents are looking the other

00:50:44.030 --> 00:50:45.969
way they're like oh yeah my kids just ripping

00:50:45.969 --> 00:50:49.269
pokemon cards oh he's selling cards at a card

00:50:49.269 --> 00:50:52.449
show or online he's learning how to you know

00:50:52.449 --> 00:50:55.309
transact he's learning how to do business at

00:50:55.309 --> 00:50:57.460
a young age it's actually a good thing When in

00:50:57.460 --> 00:50:59.980
reality, they're just being conditioned through

00:50:59.980 --> 00:51:03.239
influence, through social media, that this is

00:51:03.239 --> 00:51:07.300
completely acceptable. Yeah, without any conversation

00:51:07.300 --> 00:51:10.300
around the potential harms. And that's the thing,

00:51:10.300 --> 00:51:12.739
too. It's like the kids are so much more technology

00:51:12.739 --> 00:51:16.739
advanced. Like the kids coming up now just know

00:51:16.739 --> 00:51:18.380
so much more. I mean, I was waiting for Adam

00:51:18.380 --> 00:51:20.960
to say the Facebook. You know, these kids go

00:51:20.960 --> 00:51:23.920
to the Facebook. Because that's, you know, that's

00:51:23.920 --> 00:51:28.730
our age. It's just interesting how much we have

00:51:28.730 --> 00:51:30.949
to stay ahead of that for the generations to

00:51:30.949 --> 00:51:33.449
come and to be more aware of it. And it's just

00:51:33.449 --> 00:51:36.849
like, and I know this sounds super Debbie Downer,

00:51:36.869 --> 00:51:39.449
but it's like, what else can we fucking ruin,

00:51:39.610 --> 00:51:43.150
right? Like, we're ruining social media. We're

00:51:43.150 --> 00:51:47.650
ruining trading cards and collecting. Like, ah,

00:51:47.849 --> 00:51:50.269
man, it's just so frustrating. What's the common

00:51:50.269 --> 00:51:53.429
denominator, Adam? Yeah, it's this. It's this

00:51:53.429 --> 00:51:56.400
and social media, right? It's just greed. Like

00:51:56.400 --> 00:51:59.340
Derek Jeter, you really need to be the owner

00:51:59.340 --> 00:52:03.380
of that. Right. I mean, oh, it's so, it's so,

00:52:03.380 --> 00:52:06.780
it's so sad, but it brings me, let's, let's,

00:52:06.780 --> 00:52:08.360
let's try to end on a high note. Let's come in,

00:52:08.360 --> 00:52:10.639
let's come into the end. And Alyx, give us, give

00:52:10.639 --> 00:52:12.659
us what gives, what gives, what gives you hope?

00:52:13.179 --> 00:52:15.159
I want to show you, I want to show you one more

00:52:15.159 --> 00:52:17.139
thing and maybe you can squeeze this in with

00:52:17.139 --> 00:52:19.760
the email that I sent to Arena Club. And I apologize

00:52:19.760 --> 00:52:21.940
if this is getting like choppy or confusing.

00:52:22.650 --> 00:52:25.909
But again, I have to share this. This is really

00:52:25.909 --> 00:52:29.550
important because it's another exploitative marketing

00:52:29.550 --> 00:52:33.510
email that was sent out to customers around October.

00:52:33.969 --> 00:52:35.829
We can't get in trouble for this, right? For

00:52:35.829 --> 00:52:40.150
like showing all this stuff? No. Because I'm

00:52:40.150 --> 00:52:44.769
not showing the name of the provider, but I'll

00:52:44.769 --> 00:52:49.610
just say that they are the biggest in terms of...

00:52:50.719 --> 00:52:54.199
having equity in the industry uh so this is the

00:52:54.199 --> 00:52:57.360
email i personally received mind you i i stopped

00:52:57.360 --> 00:53:00.820
buying on this platform you know a long time

00:53:00.820 --> 00:53:02.920
ago i can't even access this account that they

00:53:02.920 --> 00:53:07.199
sent this email to because i you know um i either

00:53:07.199 --> 00:53:09.900
deleted it or i asked them to you know ban me

00:53:09.900 --> 00:53:11.860
or whatever the case may be anyway it says you've

00:53:11.860 --> 00:53:14.599
earned this an exclusive offer built for our

00:53:14.599 --> 00:53:18.199
top collectors spend rip get rewarded from wednesday

00:53:18.199 --> 00:53:21.670
october 22nd through Saturday, October 25th.

00:53:21.670 --> 00:53:24.030
Keep in mind that's only three days. Spend at

00:53:24.030 --> 00:53:26.809
least $10 ,000 on live breaks and you'll receive

00:53:26.809 --> 00:53:30.050
$1 ,000 in rewards. That's for doing what you

00:53:30.050 --> 00:53:32.469
already love. No opt -in needed, no hoops to

00:53:32.469 --> 00:53:34.670
jump through. How it works, make purchases or

00:53:34.670 --> 00:53:36.809
rips totaling $10 ,000 or more during the promotion

00:53:36.809 --> 00:53:39.070
period. Check your order history to track your

00:53:39.070 --> 00:53:42.070
progress. Receive your $1 ,000 reward code via

00:53:42.070 --> 00:53:45.679
email on Monday, October 27th. Important. This

00:53:45.679 --> 00:53:47.679
offer is exclusive to you as a recipient of this

00:53:47.679 --> 00:53:50.079
email and is not transferable. All purchases

00:53:50.079 --> 00:53:51.599
made during the promotional period will count

00:53:51.599 --> 00:53:53.619
towards the offer. Orders made before or after

00:53:53.619 --> 00:53:55.820
the promotional window will not count. So when

00:53:55.820 --> 00:53:58.039
I first saw this and I saw the important, I'm

00:53:58.039 --> 00:54:00.320
thinking to myself, please be a disclaimer. Please

00:54:00.320 --> 00:54:02.239
be a disclaimer. Please be like a warning sign

00:54:02.239 --> 00:54:04.679
or something. And of course it's not. Anyway,

00:54:04.760 --> 00:54:07.579
who in their right mind is spending $10 ,000

00:54:07.579 --> 00:54:10.000
on live breaks in three days? You know, Adam,

00:54:10.019 --> 00:54:12.719
you laughed, but this is the norm. There are

00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:15.559
people that spend upwards of $50 ,000 a night

00:54:15.559 --> 00:54:20.179
on Whatnot. It just takes me back to the days

00:54:20.179 --> 00:54:23.059
of like spending hundreds and hundreds and thousands

00:54:23.059 --> 00:54:25.579
of dollars at a casino just to get a free air

00:54:25.579 --> 00:54:28.460
fryer. Like that you could have gone to Walmart

00:54:28.460 --> 00:54:31.460
and bought for 40 bucks. Like that's how that

00:54:31.460 --> 00:54:33.579
math is math into me, right? The company that

00:54:33.579 --> 00:54:36.940
sent that email also owns a casino and sports

00:54:36.940 --> 00:54:39.840
book. So to my knowledge, what they did was.

00:54:40.269 --> 00:54:42.929
they tapped into that marketing team and just

00:54:42.929 --> 00:54:47.030
repurposed it right what's so funny to me too

00:54:47.030 --> 00:54:49.070
is that everything that we've talked about today

00:54:49.070 --> 00:54:51.590
the person then has to like resell that card

00:54:51.590 --> 00:54:54.230
right it's not like they're winning money right

00:54:54.230 --> 00:54:56.710
it's way more complicated than that it's yes

00:54:56.710 --> 00:54:59.590
you're right it's not liquid at all um but yes

00:54:59.590 --> 00:55:02.190
you the whole process is first you have to hit

00:55:02.190 --> 00:55:04.510
the card and and we're talking about layers and

00:55:04.510 --> 00:55:05.969
layers and gambling somebody recently called

00:55:05.969 --> 00:55:08.630
it gambling inception uh which i really liked

00:55:08.630 --> 00:55:11.269
because there's so many layers to actually finally

00:55:11.269 --> 00:55:14.230
getting the card but then you get it and forget

00:55:14.230 --> 00:55:17.429
about the card you hit it has to be in good condition

00:55:17.429 --> 00:55:20.170
because if it's not in good condition it's not

00:55:20.170 --> 00:55:21.869
going to grade well and if it doesn't grade well

00:55:21.869 --> 00:55:24.090
you're not going to maximize your return on it

00:55:24.090 --> 00:55:27.420
and the whole grading process takes It takes

00:55:27.420 --> 00:55:29.619
weeks, sometimes months to get the card back

00:55:29.619 --> 00:55:32.900
from PSA or Beckett or wherever. And then once

00:55:32.900 --> 00:55:36.039
you finally do get it back, you now have to sell

00:55:36.039 --> 00:55:40.500
it on a platform, whether it be eBay or Goldin

00:55:40.500 --> 00:55:42.980
or Heritage or all these different auction houses,

00:55:43.159 --> 00:55:47.300
or you go to a card show. But yes, it's a very,

00:55:47.340 --> 00:55:50.300
very complicated process. And no, it is not liquid.

00:55:50.380 --> 00:55:53.320
And what I always say is if you're in the hobby,

00:55:53.760 --> 00:55:56.019
because you think it's an opportunity for you

00:55:56.019 --> 00:55:58.960
to make money or win money, find another hobby.

00:55:59.619 --> 00:56:03.019
Card collecting should be for people who are

00:56:03.019 --> 00:56:06.019
passionate about card collecting, who enjoy the

00:56:06.019 --> 00:56:08.900
cards, who enjoy the players, who enjoy, you

00:56:08.900 --> 00:56:11.539
know, whatever category it is, if it's Pokemon

00:56:11.539 --> 00:56:14.280
or Magic the Gathering, whatever it is. If you're

00:56:14.280 --> 00:56:16.539
just in it because you think a Drake May rookie

00:56:16.539 --> 00:56:18.780
card is going to sell better after they win the

00:56:18.780 --> 00:56:23.250
Super Bowl on Sunday, find another hobby. knock

00:56:23.250 --> 00:56:28.289
on wood yeah um yeah no Alyx this has been amazing

00:56:28.289 --> 00:56:30.650
but really quick you just gotta tell us you got

00:56:30.650 --> 00:56:32.969
we gotta end on a high note like based on the

00:56:32.969 --> 00:56:36.110
last year of you building Collectors MD from

00:56:36.110 --> 00:56:38.769
the ground up what are some things in the space

00:56:38.769 --> 00:56:42.769
that gives you hope what gives me hope is the

00:56:42.769 --> 00:56:47.619
support and partnerships that we've created within

00:56:47.619 --> 00:56:50.079
the hobby not just on the recovery side you know

00:56:50.079 --> 00:56:53.099
we've partnered with 800-GAMBLER and PGCC and

00:56:53.099 --> 00:56:55.460
of course Evive and Gamban and open recovery

00:56:55.460 --> 00:56:58.960
all these you know uh treatment centers and and

00:56:58.960 --> 00:57:00.940
organizations that support us on the recovery

00:57:00.940 --> 00:57:03.139
side within the traditional gambling space that's

00:57:03.139 --> 00:57:05.519
incredible and i'm so grateful for that but within

00:57:05.519 --> 00:57:09.300
the hobby we have a handful dozens of brands

00:57:09.300 --> 00:57:13.260
that endorse our message And so we started a

00:57:13.260 --> 00:57:15.519
movement, an initiative called Rip Responsibly.

00:57:15.940 --> 00:57:18.260
And through Rip Responsibly, we're basically

00:57:18.260 --> 00:57:21.300
spreading awareness around why it's important

00:57:21.300 --> 00:57:25.780
to pause before you spend. Rip Responsibly, collect

00:57:25.780 --> 00:57:28.019
responsibly, collect with intention, not compulsion.

00:57:28.059 --> 00:57:30.019
These are all things that, mantras that we use.

00:57:30.119 --> 00:57:32.719
And we've had some of the biggest brands in the

00:57:32.719 --> 00:57:36.800
hobby. back it and buy into what we're building.

00:57:37.159 --> 00:57:39.920
And so we actually have a whole program where

00:57:39.920 --> 00:57:42.280
you could buy co -branded mats with your hobby

00:57:42.280 --> 00:57:45.219
logo along with Collectors MD with the

00:57:45.219 --> 00:57:48.559
#RipResponsibly. Those have been rolling out across

00:57:48.559 --> 00:57:52.500
the hobby ecosystem. And my goal, my hope is

00:57:52.500 --> 00:57:55.699
that as more and more hobby brands get behind

00:57:55.699 --> 00:57:58.599
this and push this message forward, it will spread

00:57:58.599 --> 00:58:01.440
like wildfire and it'll become a standard instead

00:58:01.440 --> 00:58:05.800
of an option. Love that. Yeah. Love it. Thank

00:58:05.800 --> 00:58:08.280
you so much. You really taught me a lot and I

00:58:08.280 --> 00:58:10.639
really appreciate this conversation. Yeah, this

00:58:10.639 --> 00:58:12.780
was great. Thanks so much for having me on. Any

00:58:12.780 --> 00:58:15.539
opportunity to spread the message and just reach

00:58:15.539 --> 00:58:17.840
more people that we can help, that's what this

00:58:17.840 --> 00:58:20.760
is all about. Absolutely. Great. Thank you. All

00:58:20.760 --> 00:58:22.199
right, Alyx. Thanks a lot. Thanks for being on

00:58:22.199 --> 00:58:24.219
Evive Live. Thanks for having me.