Interview with the Legend Behind TCG Quick Ship

Nerdly: Can you introduce yourself and where you are from?

Ebsan: Hi, my name's Ebsan and I'm from Maryland. 

Nerdly: How would you describe yourself in the trading card space?

Ebsan: I'd say I'm a new collector and an old-time player. Recently, though, I've enjoyed bringing my full-time job and expertise with coding into the hobby by making tools to help sellers and collectors alike.

Nerdly: How long have you been involved in the hobby? And what got you into it?

Ebsan: I've been collecting and playing ever since the Pokémon TCG and then Yu-Gi-Oh was released. After a long hiatus, I started collecting again when my coworker got me into Magic. I played in a couple of local tournaments and tons of Commander nights. That's when I found my old childhood Pokémon collection, and my interest in the collecting side of the hobby started up again.

Nerdly: As someone who has experience playing and collecting multiple TCGs, how would you rank them? (Yes, I am trying to create a fight in the comments)

Ebsan: I still think MTG is king when it comes to playing a TCG. It feels more methodical, and you have more opportunities to plan your attack/counterattack. I just recently learned how to play One Piece, and I gotta say I see why the competitive scene is really heating up. There's tons of big moments in the game and the trigger mechanic brings in a lot of excitement. When it comes to collecting, though, you can't beat Pokémon. As the biggest IP in the world and the fact that the Pokémon Company knows how to market and build hype, there's no competition. They're also extremely successful at creating ancillary products/games (Pokémon GO, TCG Pocket, etc.) that just keep the craze going.

Nerdly: What do you primarily collect?

Ebsan: Cool art! After being out of the hobby for so long, the modern full art cards were just jaw-dropping to see. I started collecting all and any full arts (V's, ex's, trainers, etc.) I saw. But of course, that started to get really expensive, haha. That's really when my interest in the selling side of the hobby began, to further grow my collection. But since then, I've started honing in on specific artists. The growth of YouTube content around the history of the cards, artists, and Pokémon really got me excited, too. Right now, I'll have to say I'm a big-time fan of Naoki Saito. I'm planning on creating a binder just for his art.

Nerdly: What is it about the art style of Naoki Saito that really appeals to you? What other artists do you follow?

Ebsan: I like the "kinetic-ness" of his art. There are a lot of fight scenes or just even Pokémon moving about in the environment. For some of the fight scenes, I can almost hear the soundtrack playing in the background of some of these images. Another artist I really enjoy and hope to see more cards from is Ligton. They did the Zeraora VSTAR from Crown Zenith, and it's gotta be one of my favorite cards. I like their work with light and water as well.

Nerdly: What stand-out items do you have in your collection? And what’s the story behind them?

Ebsan: I've got a couple, and most of them stand out because of the memories I have collecting them with my family. Of course, there's ripping 151 and ripping all three starter evolutions (I still remember when my wife got a Charizard). The most recent one is the Cubone full art from the Chinese Gem Pack 3. That one card was just so awesome to see, and Cubone's my wife's favorite Pokémon, so to see a full art where Cubone finally has a partner was just amazing. That's when the hunt began! We bought a ton of Gem Pack Vol. 3 boxes and got almost everything but the Cubone (and Gengar lol), but it was really fun ripping them all with her. 

I finally caved and decided to buy it raw. But no one was selling it locally, nor could I find it at shows, so I had to buy it online after months of searching. I was able to surprise her with it and an extended art case for it. I also got her a commissioned Cubone card as a separate gift after seeing all the amazing art people were creating online. It was definitely a fun ride, and now she gets to display it all on her desk.

Nerdly: This is amazing! Some of my favorite moments are ripping open packs with my family, too! In regard to ripping packs as family entertainment, many people feel it is essentially gambling, buying so many boxes to get a specific card with no guarantee. As someone in the industry, how do you think about it?

Ebsan: Yeah, I tend to agree and it doesn't help that ripping packs can get extremely expensive just like playing the slots can. I think the popularity of platforms like Whatnot is making it even worse. It's too easy now to "rip" packs and the platform itself is built to fuel the addiction. I like how other countries have gambling laws and try to mitigate this with published pull rates but it's debatable if it helps or not. Ultimately, we have to grapple with this issue and work on it. I would say that people should try and get out to shows and buy singles more. It's actually really fun making a list of cards you're looking for and going to a card show with that list, hoping to find them. Not only is it more sustainable for your wallet, but you can socialize and get a better appreciation for the hobby by meeting like-minded people.

Nerdly: Do you have a theme or philosophy that you focus on?

Ebsan: Less is more. I started this most recent jaunt with collecting by buying almost everything that I liked. But that's not sustainable, and it really takes away from the experience. So I've definitely adopted the philosophy of buying less and enjoying what I already have more. This also includes enjoying normal cards more. So I've started collecting a lot of non-full art cards that I really enjoy the art of, and also ones where the description text is either interesting or funny to me. They really do help immerse you in the world. I will say, though, I never realized how dark Pokémon can be until I read some of these descriptions!

Nerdly: What are some of the funniest/ darkest cards you have found?

Ebsan: Any Ghost/Psychic type Pokemon would probably fit the bill. I think the Mimikyu description texts are always really sad. He just wants to be loved!

Nerdly: Is there a set or era you feel doesn’t get enough love?

Ebsan: I'm not sure about a set or era, but I will say that I'm starting to really like all the full art V's from Pokémon. Something about the framing of the V text around the card really makes them pop. I feel like the Pokémon in them are also posed more actively, if that makes sense. I know these are already loved by a lot of people, so it's not that they don't get enough love, but I definitely think they deserve some more time in the limelight.

Nerdly: Do you think that in Pokémon, there is a divide between cards that are made for collecting the art and cards that are made as game pieces for the game?

Ebsan: Yeah absolutely! Pokémon Company does a great job balancing the two, though. It looks like they've dialed in on reprints and have built in security measures for issues caused by the collecting world. For example, holographics used to mean that a card was rare. But then when people started weighing packs the Pokémon Company came up a few different ways of fighting this without destroying the rarity of the truly rare cards (make almost everything holographic!).

Nerdly: What has been your most impactful memory in the hobby?

Ebsan: "Probably going to my local comic book shop as a kid. I remember not having the opportunity to rip that many packs when I was young, so I had to buy singles when I could. We used to have a comic book shop near us that I remember distinctly. They had a crazy, chrome-filled interior at the time and tons of glass displays. They had a life-sized Predator replica in there that my brother and I would always goggle at, it was so cool!

So as a kid, I just loved being in there. I collected Marvel cards as well, and they were really heavy into that. But I remember a distinct memory about being able to buy some Fighting Energies from them. I know, I know...fighting energies? But it was what I could afford, and it really got me wishing to become a league player. I remember holding those energies and thinking of all the possibilities and how I could use them and what kind of decks to make. My competitive dream never panned out, but that memory really stuck with me. It just reminds me that something that someone could find to be junk or bulk (energies) can still bring a lot of joy."

Nerdly: Looking at the hobby over the long term, do you think kids today have the same opportunities to fall in love with trading card games as they did back then? Do you ascribe to a narrative that kids are priced out of the hobby due to the demand from adults?

Ebsan: Yeah, I think this is inevitable. Nostalgia is a powerful motivator, and the kids who originally fell in love with Pokémon now have money to burn, so it's natural, I would say. But I also believe in the cyclical nature of collecting so things will calm down. If it's from adults leaving the hobby or Pokémon increasing their printing capacity, something will eventually give and even out. There's so much to this hobby that parents can find a lot of different ways to help their kids enjoy it. They might not be able to give their kids the top chases, but there's so many other cards to choose from.

Nerdly: What advice would you give someone just entering the hobby?

Ebsan: Don't chase the hype. There's so much Pokémon out there that you just have to look and you'll find something you enjoy, even if it's not the most expensive or no one is talking about it.

Nerdly: I completely agree! I find that the hobby becomes way less fun when you chase hype cards or only play the "Meta."

Nerdly: Are you currently working on anything you would like to share?

Ebsan: Yes! I’m working on TCG Quick Ship, an app built to help trading card sellers ship orders faster by managing sales from multiple marketplaces in one place. You can purchase postage and labels and get tracking included. It’s designed to simplify fulfillment and save time. You can try it for free at TCGQuickShip.com

Check out Ebsan's YouTube Channel 

Check out TCGQuickShip

Thank you,  Ebsan! You are amazing!