It is no secret that TikTok has taken over social media across the world ever since it gained global popularity in 2018. These 30-60 second videos have captivated young minds for nearly seven years now…and its growth has even reached older generations, ultimately making it a staple on every phone today in 2025.
In fact, the United States saw a national ban of TikTok passed by the government on January 19th. During its short-lived, 12 hour extinction, Americans came face to face with boredom and confusion of what to do with their free time while the app was inactive.
However, the ban was lifted the very next day…and collectors breathed a sigh of relief, as many of their businesses and hobbies rely heavily on this platform.
This leads to the question: How is TikTok changing the trading card industry?
The growing popularity of short form videos in the trading card space is no surprise when one thinks of the advantages that it brings. TikTok videos can easily showcase card openings, share unique collections, and share market trends. What makes this advantageous to a viewer is the fact that it is easily viewable in 60 seconds or less, rather than watching a typical 10-30 minute video that contains a lot of “fluff”. Not only are these short form videos beneficial for viewers, but they are beneficial for the market and card companies.
To be completely transparent, it’s very difficult to watch one of these 60 second videos of someone pulling a huge hit and not think, “I could do that too”. Which then results in the frequent trip to the local card shop to spend money on more wax (thus creating revenue for the shop, the product company, and the market as a whole).
There have been leaders in the industry who have stepped forward as popular content creators in the space. Geoff Wilson (Sports Card Investor), Ryan Johnson (CardCollector2), and Tyler Santiago (Santiago Sports) have all stepped forward as leaders in the industry in regard to social media and short form video. However, there has been one name recently who seems to be catching the eye of many, if not all: Kyle Kravitz (King of the Kards).
TikTok and short form videos have also informed the common collector about information that would otherwise be more difficult to learn from anywhere else.
The math is simple: The more time someone engages with something, the more they learn.
Whether it is about negotiating at shows, individual products, or even how to start in the hobby, immersing oneself in constant viewership will result in knowledge growth of trading cards. This is especially important when thinking about the complexity of the industry with all the different parallels and versions of cards.
Furthermore, with an ever-growing market, there is something new to learn almost every single day, where a simple TikTok video provides quick learning and engagement, where one cannot find anywhere else. So with that being said, TikTok may provide its fair share of “brain-rot” (shout out to the Boomers), but this platform may be one of the most powerful tools out there.