Whatnot has occasionally taken some heat in this newsletter in the past, and I think it’s time we draw a very important distinction. The average sports card breaker is generally our issue. There are exceptions, of course (and we’ll get to them in a minute!). But Whatnot is not just breakers, and people sometimes conflate the two.
Whatnot is, in fact, the future. Maybe it’s the present. I’m not sure. Regardless, it is a playground that is limited only by your imagination. I’ve spent good chunks of time watching someone wax poetic about a spinning marble that I know nothing about. I’ve watched someone explain the ins and outs of betta fish as one swims merrily on screen. I’ve seen a grown man in a giant green hat try to sell me a $21 refurbished laptop without being sure of any of the specs. And every single time I’ve walked away feeling a little smarter. Except for that last one.
This Sunday, as the NFL slate got stale, I pulled up Whatnot and wandered into a channel called digdivediscover. They sell geodes, but with a twist. You see the rock – and only the rock – on screen and bid on it. THEN the host switches camera angles to a pair of tablesaws, where he precariously cuts the geode in half, which he then washes off, remarks how great it is, and dramatically reveals the inside of it on another camera angle. He then goes on to explain the geode inside and what makes it so special and great. One of the geodes had a band of white running through the blue-ish outer rim, which is a unique characteristic you don't see very often. I learned that live on this channel.
I didn’t actually buy anything from the geodes guy, but I watched for an hour. I even screenshared it to the Apple TV so everyone could watch. Whether or not digdivediscover realizes it, he’s producing what we used to call “compelling TV.” And he’s not alone.
So, in an effort to swing the pendulum back the other way and show the fun side of Whatnot, here are…
The Whatnot accounts I love right now
One important note before we begin for those just beginning with Whatnot – if you slowly swipe your screen from right to left during a show, you can make all the comment feeds/seller notes disappear and get a cleaner look at what’s actually happening on screen.
Also, if you are going to sign up, ask your friends or acquaintances for a referral code, because they will get some money, you will get some money – everyone wins! I’m not dropping mine here because that seems crass and insincere, right?
On to the shows!
Even if you don’t know what geodes are, the surprise reveal and “PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH THE TABLESAW” sweat are worth it (Note: We know it’s called a “lapidary saw,” please just play along).
This is an adult version of a surprise blind box, really. The rock is “the box” and the small strip of cardboard you pull to open the box is “a bone-shearing rotating sharp commercial blade.” So almost the same!
Fun fact: I’ve watched several marbles sell for over $150 and I have no idea what I’m looking for. Or at. I need to know more about the world of marbles, and it is entirely because of how this guy talks about them. He throws out terms like “wet mint” and “Popeye” and “Ravenswood” (not a fan of Ravenswood, TBH). I bought this book and now read it at night to learn more; I have tabs of marble forums up on my browser, too. I’m not joking. It’s a completely fascinating world and I am afraid to buy anything until I know exactly what a “Joseph’s Coat Swirl” means. But know this – marbles are fun. And worth a lot of money. And there’s at least a decent correlation between “this looks pretty!” and “this is worth a lot of money.”
I should also note that this is another channel you can just watch, pour a drink, stream to the TV, and turn your brain off for a little bit. You won’t necessarily learn anything because all the terms are probably still foreign to your ears (ie – a “Popeye” marble is not this – however cool it may look), but there’s something to be said for watching a person who is at “expert level” of knowledge on a topic spin that thing around and measure its diameter and flash a UV light on it – like all of this is important, which it is – and then barrel ahead with an auction while singing a marble’s praises, pointing out its cool features (usually in the way the paint swirls on the design), and authentically congratulating the winners for great buys.
In other words… See you all in Cromwell in a month!
3. A handful of breakers who are actually pretty great
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trophyroomcardco – they have a great studio backdrop, the hosts are normal and fun, and the prices are fair. It’s a far nicer experience than what you may be used to everywhere else. GET THEM A HOBBY AWARD NOMINATION ASAP!!
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womenontopps – she is a GOAT on Instagram and takes that personality over to Whatnot far less often than we would like. When the alert pops up, we run to it.
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pebblebreaks – I did a Leaf Metal Pop Century break with them a couple weeks ago and that is an absolute slog waiting for hundreds of spots to fill. But I got an alert when it was ready to roll, tuned in, and actually enjoyed the way they did it, the reveals, the banter, the back and forth with the people in it, etc.
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julesthecollector – I found this shop scrolling through a bunch of breakers and it had some kind of Greek mythology card callout I’ve never heard of (I have since become a near-marble level expert on wanmanshe cards) (just kidding, I still don’t understand what’s happening but I do think they look cool). I bought a pack for $4 and won an autographed card that I have no idea how to describe on eBay if I ever want to sell it. But Jules was super excited for me as it came out and he and the commenters all sent over congrats.
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onitathlete – “Do you know what the f**k I will do to you if you talk about breakers and don’t include ONIT?”— Evan Parker, probably
4. The fish people
I have yet to find the fish seller I like, but there are a few of them… floating around (BADABUMCHEEEEE). I’ll frame it like this: if you’ve ever wandered into Petsmart just to look at the fish (I think this is normal?), I would encourage you to search for terms like live fish, bettas, clams, lobster and find your person. The shop I liked initially got annoying with the music and singing, so I’m currently searching for a new one!
5. meimei_sf
This shop is dedicated solely to POP BEANS. They are obscure, tiny offshoots of POPMART toys. And this is not the only shop that sells them (hannahtoyhub is another one I like, actually), but this host has such an amazing depth of knowledge and sense of recall, it’s worth it. She speaks broken English, has two different sets of nails – her left hand has super-long nails and her right has regular-long nails, I assume to better open the holders – and the average sale price for her wares is about $2.
After you buy one, shipping is free. But if you have a POP BEAN fan in your home, or if you want to introduce a new family activity where the kids can earn money to spend every other Friday on them, this is the perfect channel. She pops on at around 7:05 ET every night, she’s fun, she doesn’t get discouraged if an item doesn’t sell, and she will find whatever weird POP BEAN you are describing almost immediately (“the brown and yellow ghost one with a heart on the front and I think holding up a sign that says ‘7’”? BOOM – next one up). Watch, buy, collect. This is what it’s all about, right?
I feel like I should also squeeze in that I’ve been buying a very specific set of 1970s German Sesame Street stickers in hopes of scoring a Cookie Monster rookie at a decent price, as I am thinking people start looking for that brand of nostalgia. Maybe. Worst case is I have a Cookie Monster rookie, right?
Until next week, everyone! Enjoy these channels!! AND BE SAFE WITH YOUR SAWS!!!
