To: Fanatics Leadership

From: Concerned Hobbyists

With great power comes even greater responsibility. 

Over the last two years you’ve made bold and insightful moves to revolutionize the collectible card industry, an industry that has been ripe for disruption for some time. Brands have been acquired, exclusive licenses secured, distribution has been streamlined, marketing has been enhanced and products have been created or redesigned to cater to the growing variety of consumers that enjoy the “Hobby”. 

Many of these changes have been welcomed but it has consolidated your power and influence in ways that demand greater consumer advocacy and awareness. An informed customer is a loyal customer and transparency builds consumer confidence which leads, as you well know, to a multitude of positive downstream outcomes that enhance shareholder value, among other things. 

This petition seeks the following:

1.       More comprehensive disclosures for print runs and pack odds, we should know these numbers by product and the arithmetic should be clear. For the avoidance of doubt, this should include non-numbered parallels such as short print or super short print variations. To boost the integrity of these calculations, these print runs and pack odds should be audited by a third-party accounting firm prior to release. 

 

2.       Collectors make up the backbone of the “Hobby”, they are your most loyal, long-standing customers and greatest ambassadors for your products. For them, consistency is paramount, in many cases, it is the lifeblood of a collection. We would ask for to prioritize the consistency of your product versus other considerations as it relates to product redesign or creation. Should you embark on a process of sunsetting products, parallels, or inserts, seek to visibly engage with independent voices to balance the needs of progress with the value of legacy and tradition. 

 

3.       It is hard to deny the impact social media has had on society. In the collectible card market, its influence is a driving force in consumer attitudes and consumption patterns. As consumers, we deserve to know who you’ve partnered with in the Social Media Influencer world to advance your interests and that disclosure should be reciprocal with the influencers themselves. The lack of this transparency causes confusion and, if left unchecked, mistrust.  

 

4.       In a similar vein, the shift away from brick and mortar and towards online breaking is significantly changing the way in which your products are consumed. This poses as many rewards as it does challenges for your end customers. Fanatics Live is well positioned to be the voice in this emerging market and consequently is well equipped to establish and enforce a standardized set of Breaking Disclosure & Audit Requirements that would harmonize the consumer experience and ensure an equal playing field irrespective of the breaking format. These standards would be legislated by Fanatics but not a team affiliated with Fanatics Live, and infractions would result in serious implications for perpetrators including but not limited to a ban from the Live platform and from accessing product. 

 

Taken together, we view these changes as another form of innovation, innovation that seeks to create greater transparency to advance the interests of your most loyal customers. Customers that want nothing more than to see the Hobby thrive for decades to come. 

While it’s entirely possible that some or even all of our requests are on your agenda, it would be helpful to understand more clearly how you plan to execute these changes. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Concerned Hobbyists