No Plan & Just Cards - My Beginning

It was Christmas 2019, the most magical time of the year. I was 18 years old, and under the tree was a gift from my uncle that would unexpectedly shape the next few years of my life: a 2019 NFL Optic Hobby Box.

I hadn’t opened a box of cards in years, but the rush came back instantly. Ripping packs, chasing autographs, dreaming of hitting one of my favorite players, it all reminded me how much I loved to collect. That spark quickly turned into something bigger. I wanted more. Not just to collect, but to be part of the card world in a deeper way.

The only problem? I was broke, 18, and heading straight into a global pandemic.

With COVID shutting everything down in early 2020, getting my hands on product became harder and more expensive. Still, I was obsessed. I spent hours scrolling eBay and learning about the hobby’s growing ecosystem. That’s when I discovered “Pick Your Team” breaks, where sellers open boxes and buyers claim teams in hopes of pulling their favorite players. It clicked. If I could buy boxes, sell teams, and cover the cost of the ones I wanted to collect, maybe I could make this work.

So I gave it a shot.

I started a Facebook group and listed my first breaks through Marketplace. I’d buy boxes from Walmart and eBay, piece together team slots, and hope I’d break even while keeping some of the teams I liked. Throughout 2020, I kept grinding. I went into my freshman year of college still posting breaks, flipping singles, and growing my tiny following.

Then, on April 1st, 2021, at just 19 years old, Rainman Card Collection was officially born. I formed an LLC so I could apply for a wholesale account and try to source sealed product. At the time, all I cared about was sports cards. What I didn’t realize was just how competitive the market had become.

The demand for trading cards in 2021 was insane. Distributors were gatekeeping new releases, and to even qualify for presales, I was told I’d need to spend over $100,000 on older product. I was a college kid with no real income, that kind of money wasn’t just out of reach, it was laughable.

Still, I tried to find another way. I connected with a local card shop in Columbia, South Carolina that mainly sold Magic: The Gathering. They offered to help me get product with a small markup, but even their distributor couldn’t supply any sports cards. So I stuck with what I could find at Walmart and Target. When that failed, I hit card shows, hoping to buy low and resell.

But 2021 wasn’t about profit, it was survival. Most of the time, if I found product, I couldn’t resist ripping it for myself. I wasn’t building a business, I was just fueling my collecting habit and sinking deeper financially. I picked up a full-time job during college just to support the hobby and keep myself afloat.

In 2022, something new caught my eye: HRO by DC – Chapter 1. A collectible product tied to a digital leaderboard. I loved the concept and thought maybe this was my chance to pivot. I bought a few boxes, listed them on my website… and nothing sold. After a month, I gave up and ripped them all myself. Once again, I dug the hole deeper.

My Facebook group had gone quiet by then. Card shows were harder to attend, and I was constantly stretched between school, work, and trying to chase a dream that seemed to be slipping away.

2022 came and went with more losses. I tried HRO Chapter 2 and 3 in 2023, hoping for a different result. Same story with no sales, just more unopened product I couldn’t resist opening. I listed some on eBay to recover what I could, but by mid-2023, it was clear: this wasn’t working.

After years of trying, I officially gave up. I closed my sales tax license, stepped away from the business side, and accepted that the timing just wasn’t right. But what I didn’t realize was that the product I had once written off, the one I never really gave a fair shot, would end up changing everything.

In late 2023, one of my eBay listings caught someone’s attention. A buyer messaged me asking if I had sealed product from an upcoming release of HRO by DC, not just for himself, but for a group of friends as well. At first, it felt too good to be true. But I couldn’t say no to the opportunity.

Within a week, I reopened my sales tax license, claiming I had closed it by mistake. I started a Discord group for him and his friends, and just like that, I was back in the game, this time with a new purpose and a focused community.

With the release of HRO by DC: Chapter 4, something incredible happened. I sold over $100,000 worth of product while still in college. What once felt impossible had become my new reality. I was staying up until 2 a.m. most nights, exhausted, yes, but energized by the momentum and deeply fulfilled by the work. It was tough, even grueling at times, but it finally felt like I was building something real.

Looking back, the journey from ripping that first hobby box in 2019 to running a six-figure business out of my college apartment was anything but smooth. It was filled with doubt, failure, and moments where quitting felt like the only option. But through all the late nights, empty bank accounts, and unopened doors, one thing kept me going, the love of the hobby. What started as a gift from my uncle turned into a purpose I never expected. Rainman Cards was never about making a quick buck. It was about building something meaningful, something I could call my own. And while the path was far from perfect, it led me exactly where I needed to be. This is just the beginning.