{"id":87975,"title":"Misprint - Robinhood, but make it Pokémon cards","tagline":"Know Your True Value: Buy, Sell, and Research Collectibles 20x Faster","body":"### **We Built Misprint: The First Transparent Marketplace for Collectibles**\n\n**TL;DR:** We’re [Eva](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-herget/) and [Jon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtjenkins18/), founders of [Misprint](https://www.misprint.com/) — the first **real-time bid/ask marketplace for trading cards** with **transparent pricing powered by machine learning.**\n\nThink of it like a **stock exchange for Pokemon cards**—finally, you can know your collectibles’ true value. Listing cards on our platform is 20x faster than competitors. Watch it happen:\n\n\u003chttps://youtu.be/Kq5-TWzFImA\u003e\n\n### **How it Started**\n\n\\\nEva here! I just wanted to share how this crazy idea came to be.\n\n\\\nI've always loved trading cards—both as a collector and a player. When most people grew out of it in middle school, for some reason I never did. In college, I started making [YouTube videos](https://www.youtube.com/c/evasbinder) breaking down the financial side of Pokémon cards, from undervalued sets to spreadsheets showing the expected values of sealed products. Turns out, other people were into this too! I ended up writing for [TCGplayer](https://infinite.tcgplayer.com/author/Eva-s-Binder) and PSA’s Pop Culture Magazine while working at Goldman Sachs, but as my side hustle selling cards grew, I realized I was making more from Pokémon than my day job. So in July 2024, **I quit my high-paying job at Goldman to go all-in on selling shiny cardboard**, before Misprint was even an idea.\n\n![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfArFZA5gfAKqzCXiksQZntOGn7edSdz6UxKhKpkIEiIeIsZCadK774R1wvOgmjCXEE9zYZeVpuQ3RwklXt_BLisS-JmFfJ0bRDMLhKP4L3Tozf0z3lUCv1qcYJzZlHwY9r-WRA?key=1zrj1FJsKZGIBB6KR2xeQLPo)\n\n_Me getting a signed poster at the 2024 Pokemon World Championship! So cool!!_\\\n\\\nBy fall 2024, I was selling over **$40K/month** in cards with **$16-20K in profit** – but the process was painful. Sourcing inventory was inefficient, listing cards took forever, and pricing was a mess. I asked my best friend from Exeter, Jon, to help me build a tool to price cards faster. As we gathered millions of sales for 200K+ unique cards, we realized we weren’t just solving my problem – we were onto something bigger.\n\nThat’s when we decided to apply to YC (thanks to a push from my roommate, ty Prady!!). We got in, and this fun side project turned into our entire lives. Jon dropped out of his PhD, and Misprint was born – a real-time, transparent marketplace for trading cards. Now, we’re building the future of collectibles, starting with Pokemon.\\\n\\\nAnd now for the shill…\\\n\\\n**The Problem: Market Inefficiency**\n\nRight now, collectors rely on **scattered, inconsistent data** from eBay, auction houses, and forums to guess at card values. Marketplaces don’t provide real-time analytics, and pricing is often biased or outdated. This leads to **unclear pricing** and **inefficient auctions that sell below market value.**\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=87975\u0026key=user_uploads/2304336/8c635927-b3ff-4ec4-9293-186d405f662a)\n\n### **How Misprint Fixes This**\n\n* **Transparent Pricing via ML** — We analyze **millions of data points** (auction results, grading data, past sales) to provide **real-time, data-backed card values.** No more guesswork.\n* **Two-Sided Exchange (Bid/Ask Marketplace)** — Buyers place **bids,** sellers list **asks,** and the platform **matches orders instantly.** This means **faster trades at fair prices** without the usual back-and-forth haggling.\n* **Fastest listing process** — Sellers can list 10+ cards with a single photo, over **20x faster** than competitors. (see demo above)\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=87975\u0026key=user_uploads/2304336/e756f831-5d8b-47d8-a73f-d2a78ede5c09)\n\n### **Why We’re the Right Team**\n\n**Eva (CEO)** — **Left Goldman Sachs** to go all-in on trading cards, _before_ even considering applying to YC (or even really know what it was!) Hit **$500K ARR in 3 months** selling Pokémon cards. Runs the Pokemon-finance YouTube channel [Eva’s Binder.](https://www.youtube.com/c/evasbinder) Has written for PSA Pop Culture Magazine \u0026 TCGplayer Infinite. Absolutely addicted to shiny cardboard.\n\n\\\n**Jon (CTO)** — Mathematician turned machine learning expert. **Left his PhD** in ML to build cutting-edge pricing algorithms for collectibles. **Published researcher**, now leveraging deep expertise in modeling and optimization to redefine asset valuation in collectibles.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=87975\u0026key=user_uploads/2304336/429cebde-4bc5-4f46-b89b-e0319a7120f6)\n\n### **Our Ask**\n\n📢 **If you collect Pokémon, sports cards, or other collectibles—try out Misprint!** We’d love feedback from any collectors.\\\n📩 **If you know anyone in collectibles, fintech, or marketplaces, intro us!** Always looking to connect.\n\nFinally, here’s a bonus photo. If this doesn’t inspire confidence, we don’t know what will:\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post\u0026id=87975\u0026key=user_uploads/2304336/ec5af821-69c1-4b42-ab86-a7467aca4a8c)\n\n# Reach out at:\n\n[eva@misprint.com](mailto:eva@misprint.com)\n\n[jon@misprint.com](mailto:jon@misprint.com)","slug":"Msx-misprint-robinhood-but-make-it-pok-mon-cards","created_at":"2025-02-24T22:10:31.796Z","updated_at":"2026-05-25T01:53:39.047Z","total_vote_count":54,"url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Msx-misprint-robinhood-but-make-it-pok-mon-cards","share_image_url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/media/?type=post\u0026id=87975\u0026key=user_uploads/2304336/429cebde-4bc5-4f46-b89b-e0319a7120f6","company":{"id":30302,"name":"Misprint","slug":"misprint","url":"https://www.misprint.com","logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/8a1c3f9a7b61db8b3dcf3a8453340dd7f22bb529.png","batch":"Winter 2025","industry":"Consumer","tags":["Marketplace","Consumer"],"search_path":"https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/30302"}}