"WHEN YOU FIND THE THING THAT OTHERS DON’T SEE, THE OUTCOMES YOU DESIRE ARE ACHIEVED."
This is the headline quote from the Arbitraging Admiral page on the VeeFriends website, and it represents one of my favorite things about the hobby.
Finding value in the cards others have cast off as worthless junk brings me great joy. When I uncover some gems hiding in the dollar boxes at a show, and get to bring them home to list on eBay or COMC, the cards I buy with the resulting profits are even more meaningful.
Arbitrage is an investment approach which is all about putting in the work to discover inefficiencies in the market. You utilize knowledge you’ve obtained over time (sometimes years and years of time) to identify and buy something of value that others have overlooked and then sell it on another platform for a profit.
For me, this is played out when I sell base and insert cards on Sportlots, when I flip low end cards on COMC, and when I resell items I find at garage sales, thift stores, and estate sales.
When you’ve been a collector for decades, you come to understand the history of the hobby. You have learned the cycles of popularity certain segments of the hobby have experienced over the years, and you are less likely to get burned by chasing the latest fad a inexperienced hobby influencer is peddling.
You’re a hobby O.G.
Enter the VeeFriends
VeeFriends Uno was released in June of 2022.
Back in 2021, Gary Vaynerchuk introduced a series of characters he personally created. The lineup has grown over the last couple years, and each of the 283 VeeFriends characters represent a characteristic to aspire to. From the Accountable Ant to the Patient Panda, a specific trait is highlighted in their name.
These were originally released as two series of NFTs. I’m not a digital collectibles guy yet, so while I appreciated the concept, it wasn’t really for me. Gary talked a lot about the long term vision of VeeFriends, and it included growing the brand to ultimately include cartoons, movies, and physical products as well.
With his love of collectibles, creating an actual trading card of these characters was one of the first products he focused on producing. In March of 2022, he partnered with Zerocool to release VeeFriends Series 1 trading cards. A few months later, Series 2 came out with some updated character illustrations and with a print run that made them a bit more available than the original release.
He also partnered with Mattel to release a special edition of Uno which used 17 of the VeeFriends characters.
Gary has played a big role in teaching me about business, how to have a mindset of practical positivity, and to create content with the primary purpose of serving others.
Picking up a couple of these cards was a way I could support his work while also highlighting a couple of the characteristics I connected with. I felt the Arbitraging Admiral and the O.G. Ox were a great target. My decades of hobby experience make me an “O.G.”, especially in light of all the new hobby entrants we’ve seen since 2020, and Arbitrage is what allows me to make the money I use to build my collection. They are my VeeFriends!
You may not like Gary. These VeeFriends and their original connection to NFTs might turn you off. I get it.
But for me, it’s when I look at what these characters represent that I get excited. There are 283 different ideas, concepts, and mindsets that VeeFriends are trying to make people think about. Focusing on even a few of them can make me a better husband, father, businessman, and human.
Who doesn’t need a little more compassion, common sense, and self-awareness in their life.
Learn more about all the VeeFriends at VeeFriends.com
Shop VeeFriends on eBay