Fanatics Collect and the Hollowing of the Ladder Segment

Rrat · 09-10-2025, 10:36 AM

think we need to have a real conversation about what Fanatics Collect auctions are doing to the hobby, especially in the $100–$500 “ladder segment.”

Here’s the issue in plain terms:
• Fanatics Collect auctions routinely end well below comps, particularly in the $100–$200 range.
• These low results aren’t just isolated fire sales — they get reported directly into Card Ladder and other tracking tools, which resets perceived “market value.”
• The result? Every comparable card in the market looks like it just dropped 20–40%, even when healthy sales are still happening on eBay, Goldin, MySlabs, etc.

It’s creating a hollowing effect in that middle tier of the hobby. Cards that should be the backbone of liquidity — solid rookies, PSA 9/10s, rare but not ultra-elite parallels — are getting repriced down in real time because Fanatics Collect’s platform caters almost entirely to bargain hunters or whales. That hurts collectors trying to trade up the ladder and it kills confidence for sellers who don’t want to see their cards dumped into that pit.

This isn’t just a “don’t like the comps” whine. It matters because:
1. Bid transparency – Fanatics doesn’t show bid logs publicly, which makes it impossible to verify if there’s even healthy competition on these auctions.
2. Market distortion – When their results flow into widely used indexes, it distorts comps across the board.
3. Long-term risk – If the $100–$500 tier becomes a wasteland, you’re left with only ultra-high end and low-end raw as viable segments. That’s not a healthy hobby structure.

Fanatics has the reach and resources to build this platform into something strong, but right now it feels like they’re undercutting the very market they claim to be growing. At minimum, they need:
• Transparent bid logs
• Better auction curation (not flooding weakly marketed sales)
• Separation of their results in pricing databases until there’s proof of consistent, competitive bidding

Otherwise, the “ladder” that so many collectors rely on to move up in the hobby is getting hollowed out from the middle — and once that’s gone, good luck rebuilding it.

Curious if others are seeing the same thing with their sales or tracking comps.

09-10-2025, 10:36 AM	#1
Rrat Member Join Date: Jun 2025 Location: Southern NB, Canada Posts: 16	Fanatics Collect and the Hollowing of the Ladder Segment think we need to have a real conversation about what Fanatics Collect auctions are doing to the hobby, especially in the $100–$500 “ladder segment.” Here’s the issue in plain terms: • Fanatics Collect auctions routinely end well below comps, particularly in the $100–$200 range. • These low results aren’t just isolated fire sales — they get reported directly into Card Ladder and other tracking tools, which resets perceived “market value.” • The result? Every comparable card in the market looks like it just dropped 20–40%, even when healthy sales are still happening on eBay, Goldin, MySlabs, etc. It’s creating a hollowing effect in that middle tier of the hobby. Cards that should be the backbone of liquidity — solid rookies, PSA 9/10s, rare but not ultra-elite parallels — are getting repriced down in real time because Fanatics Collect’s platform caters almost entirely to bargain hunters or whales. That hurts collectors trying to trade up the ladder and it kills confidence for sellers who don’t want to see their cards dumped into that pit. This isn’t just a “don’t like the comps” whine. It matters because: 1. Bid transparency – Fanatics doesn’t show bid logs publicly, which makes it impossible to verify if there’s even healthy competition on these auctions. 2. Market distortion – When their results flow into widely used indexes, it distorts comps across the board. 3. Long-term risk – If the $100–$500 tier becomes a wasteland, you’re left with only ultra-high end and low-end raw as viable segments. That’s not a healthy hobby structure. Fanatics has the reach and resources to build this platform into something strong, but right now it feels like they’re undercutting the very market they claim to be growing. At minimum, they need: • Transparent bid logs • Better auction curation (not flooding weakly marketed sales) • Separation of their results in pricing databases until there’s proof of consistent, competitive bidding Otherwise, the “ladder” that so many collectors rely on to move up in the hobby is getting hollowed out from the middle — and once that’s gone, good luck rebuilding it. Curious if others are seeing the same thing with their sales or tracking comps. Last edited by Rrat; 09-10-2025 at 10:39 AM.