Hobby Musings: In Conversation with Loupe’s Eric Doty – The trading card world has grown significantly over the past few years. One area where this has been apparent has been in the number of new hobby companies. One such company has been the app Loupe. Offering collectors a new way to enjoy breaking and the hobby community, Loupe is the brainchild of CEO and Founder Eric Doty. I had the chance to catch up with him to found out more about how it came about.
KS: Eric, how did Loupe come about?
ED: I had been collecting for a while and there were more and more card accounts showing up across my Instagram feed. Eventually I caught one of them livestreaming personal breaks. I was immediately hooked and buying hobby boxes of basketball. The experience of seeing the cards opened with an audience was really captivating, but the process of making the purchase through their website, going back to IG to confirm payment, figuring out my place in the queue — all of it was such a hassle. I vividly remember thinking, “This can be better.”
KS: For those who don’t know, can you explain in a nutshell what Loupe does and how it works?
ED: We like to think of ourselves as a card show in your pocket. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can grab your phone, and you’re transported to a card show. Every time you open it up, there are shops and sellers from all over the United States who are live in the app and ready to sell singles, slabs, packs, boxes, and breaks.
KS: What do you think have been the biggest challenges in getting it to this point?
ED: I’m not sure it’s a challenge per se, but one thing that we’re hyper aware of is respecting the tradition of the hobby while simultaneously helping usher in a new way to collect. We want to enhance and embolden the hobby while also making sure we aren’t disrespecting it or stepping on toes. I’m proud of the way we’ve been able to make good on that.
KS: What are you most proud of with it so far?
ED: It is 100% the success of shops on our platform. We also spend a lot of time thinking about how we can serve small businesses. Every now and then, our business team steps back and realizes, “A lot of these breakers went from slow nights on Instagram to making millions in sales on Loupe.” That’s really cool. It has been life-changing for a lot of them, and that just feels really good.
KS: You’ve invested in the hobby through marketing, MLB sponsorships, brick and mortar, etc. Investment like that isn’t easy or cheap, so why make the decision to go as heavy there as you have?
ED: We needed an office for our team members in Miami. As I was looking around I realized that I wanted a studio for content and streaming, and having a brick and mortar store offers unique advantages to our business. A key example is that operating a card shop gives us the first-hand insight as to the common pain points for all shops around the country. It’s really valuable to know their struggles as we try to help solve some of those problems on a broader scale.
As for the MLB sponsorships, we strongly believe in expanding the hobby to those who may not necessarily collect today. I think there is value in reminding sports fans that cards are still a huge collectible. With our focus on quality and trust we know that if we’re their first experience or their re-introduction to the hobby, they’re going to have a fun time.
KS: What are your hopes for Loupe in the future?
ED: Ultimately, I want Loupe to be remembered as a company that elevated the collecting experience and powered a ton of thriving small businesses. If we accomplish that mission, we’ll have created a lot of positivity in the lives of a lot of people. That’s where I want to end up.
KS: The hobby has undergone such a seismic change over the past few years. What do you think is the overall state of it today?
ED: It’s really exciting, right? There are a ton of eyes on the hobby which is obviously great. But, there are all these people innovating in ways that we haven’t seen before. People raising the bar on content creation, companies making cards more accessible, all this renewed emphasis on entertainment and community. Seismic shift really is the perfect way to describe it, but the hobby is undoubtedly going to be in a better place going forward.
KS: If there was one thing about the sports card world you could change, what would it be?
ED: I think it’s undeniable that some bad actors have gotten attention for their unfortunate actions. I wish that the hobby were a more trustworthy place overall, but I also realize that doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why it’s so important to us that we foster a trustworthy platform at Loupe. It’s one of the few lenses that we view literally every decision through. We don’t want people to ever question whether something shady happened on Loupe. We want everyone to feel safe.
KS: If you had to pick, who is the most collectible athlete in trading cards today?
ED: Michael Jordan is an easy pick for this. He was an incredible player with the championships to back it up. While his personal brand is strong through Nike and he regularly pops up around the sports world, there are very few modern cards made for him. So you have this deep catalog of cards of every type and price point.
KS: Are you a collector yourself?
ED: Yes, of course. I don’t think I could lead this company if I wasn’t. On the flip side, spending a lot of time on Loupe has proven dangerous for my wallet. Topps Tribute just released and it’s probably my favorite card product. Seeing it available in the app is a temptation I can’t resist.
KS: Is there a dream item you’d eventually love to have in your collection?
ED: There are two items that I’d love to have in my collections someday. The first is a graded Goldeneye 007 Nintendo 64 sealed in box, and the second is a PSA 10 Jim Kelly rookie card. They are on opposite ends of price scale, but both really hit me with nostalgia of growing up playing video games and being a huge Buffalo Bills fan.
KS: If someone was interested in becoming a member of Loupe, how would they go about doing so?
ED: If anyone wants to sell on Loupe they can go to the profile section in the mobile app and select “Apply to sell on Loupe”.
Our account team will personally review each application, and if they seem like a good fit we will set up a call with them to walk through the process.
Hobby Musings: In Conversation with Loupe’s Eric Doty – More Resources
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Kelsey’s ability to bring hobby coverage to the mainstream sports fan has been a true asset. GTS is happy to feature his thoughts on collecting in Hobby Musings. The opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.
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