What Fanatics Live does

Fanatics Live is a subsidiary of Fanatics (legally organized as Fanatics Live, Inc.) that operates a two-sided live shopping marketplace for sports card breaking and collecting. The platform connects third-party sellers — including professional card shops and independent breakers — with collectors through live-streamed breaking sessions accessed via web browser and a native iOS application ("Fanatics Live - Break Your Way"). The platform's core technology is real-time video streaming with built-in bidding, auction, and spot-purchase mechanics, supporting formats such as Pick Your Player (PYP), Pick Your Team (PYT), Player Breaks, and Instant Rips. Product coverage spans NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and Soccer trading cards, plus entertainment categories including Pokemon, WWE, UFC, Disney/Marvel, and Star Wars.

The platform runs on a marketplace commission revenue model, taking a transaction fee on sales conducted by third-party sellers, supplemented by seller subscription/listing fees for branded storefronts. Fanatics Live is deeply integrated with the broader Fanatics ecosystem: it features Topps (Fanatics-owned card manufacturer) products prominently, links to Fanatics Collect (fanaticscollect.com) for singles fulfillment, and benefits from cross-promotion across Fanatics-owned sports commerce properties. The marketplace competes for audience with adjacent live shopping platforms (e.g., Whatnot) and direct e-commerce channels, and its differentiated value proposition lies in curated seller vetting, vertical integration with the Topps supply chain, and the entertainment-driven format that combines commerce with community engagement.

The company is privately held, has no standalone disclosed funding (operating as a Fanatics subsidiary), and serves both U.S. and European markets. Customer concentration is distributed across a long tail of mid-market sellers (e.g., 528 Collectibles, WeTheHobby, Suncoast Sports, VIPRIPS) plus a few enterprise-level sellers (Sports Illustrated Collect) and individual hobbyist buyers. No API, AI/ML capabilities, or quantified revenue figures are publicly disclosed in the available material.

Name

Fanatics Live

Legal name

Fanatics Live, Inc.

Website

https://fanatics.live

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fanatics Live is a live shopping marketplace where third-party card shops and breakers stream real-time sports card breaking sessions to collectors via web and iOS, monetizing through transaction commissions and seller subscriptions, integrated with Topps and Fanatics Collect.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Shopping Marketplace for Sports Collectibles

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (459999)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Trading Cards Retail (CRAMAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fan Communities & Subscription Content Platforms (Membership/Patronage) (BPAMAJAO), Fan Membership, Subscriptions & Patronage Platforms (MPACABAF)

Keywords

• Live shopping marketplace
• Sports card breaks
• Trading card auctions
• Collectibles streaming
• Card breaker platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission: Fanatics Live operates as a platform taking a transaction fee or commission on sales conducted through the platform by third-party sellers. Sellers run paid shows where participants purchase spots or items, and the platform retains a percentage.
2. Seller Subscriptions/Listing Fees: Sellers operate branded storefronts on the platform. While a seller waitlist exists (waitlist.fanatics.live/sellers), the specific fee structure for seller accounts is not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fanatics Live is a live shopping marketplace that connects third-party sports card breakers and shops with collectors through real-time streamed breaking sessions. Participants purchase team or player spots in advance, watch sellers open sealed hobby boxes live, and win the cards pulled for their chosen selections. The platform also supports Instant Rips single-card auctions starting at $1 and integrates with Fanatics Collect for secondary-market singles transactions.

Product overview

Fanatics Live is a live shopping platform for sports card breaks and collecting. The core product is a live streaming platform where third-party sellers conduct card breaking sessions. Key features include Pick Your Player (PYP) and Pick Your Team (PYT) formats, Instant Rips (random wax pack rewards), and a direct marketplace integration with Fanatics Collect for purchasing singles and sealed products. The platform supports multiple sports leagues including NFL, NBA, MLB, Soccer, NHL, as well as entertainment categories like Pokemon, Disney, Marvel, and WWE trading cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Instant Rips: Live streaming feature where packs are opened in real-time with instant winner selections
• Pick Your Player (PYP)

Products and services

• Fanatics Live A live shopping marketplace for sports card breaks and collecting enabling third-party sellers to stream live card breaking sessions where participants purchase spots in breaks, bid on auctions, and receive Instant Rips of trading cards. Supports multiple sports leagues including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and Soccer, plus entertainment categories such as Pokemon, WWE, Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars.
• Instant Rips A live selling format on Fanatics Live where sellers conduct immediate card rip sessions and singles are auctioned in real-time at $1 starting bids or as 'mystery' products, enabling instant purchasing of single cards via live auctions.
• Marketplace (Fanatics Collect) An integrated marketplace operated by Fanatics Collect for purchasing singles, slabs, sealed products, and trading cards outside of live shows, serving as a complementary marketplace for completed transactions and linked directly from Fanatics Live navigation.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• ToppscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTopps is a sports card manufacturer owned by Fanatics. Fanatics Live prominently features Topps products (Topps Chrome, Topps Inception, Topps Finest, Topps Dynasty, etc.) across its live shows. The platform serves as a distribution channel for Topps products and a discovery vehicle driving buyers to Topps.com.
• Fanatics CollectcoreTechnology or IntegrationFanatics Collect is the secondary marketplace for Fanatics (fanaticscollect.com). The Fanatics Live platform links to Fanatics Collect for singles purchases, creating an integrated ecosystem where live shows drive discovery and Fanatics Collect handles fulfillment of individual card transactions.
• Sports Illustrated CollectmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSports Illustrated Collect operates a branded storefront on Fanatics Live featuring high-value breaks and reward programs ($5,000 in rewards per break). This is an enterprise-level seller utilizing the platform as a primary sales channel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Whatnot: Whatnot is the leading live shopping marketplace for collectibles, including sports cards, Pokemon, and trading card breaks. It is the most direct competitor to Fanatics Live, offering live streaming, break formats, and a seller/buyer marketplace with a similar feature set.
• eBay Live: eBay's live shopping platform enables sellers to host live auctions and shopping events, including sports cards and collectibles. It competes directly with Fanatics Live in the live sports card break category, with the added advantage of eBay's massive existing buyer base.
• Goldin: Goldin is a major sports card and memorabilia auction house, comparable to Fanatics Live in serving sports card collectors seeking high-value cards. While it focuses on premium auctions rather than live breaks, it competes for the same collector audience and trading card secondary spend.
• PWCC Marketplace: PWCC is one of the largest sports card marketplaces, specializing in raw and graded card trading with strong auction infrastructure. It is comparable to Fanatics Live as a destination where sports card collectors transact, particularly for investment-grade cards surfaced from break activity.
• Heritage Auctions: Heritage Auctions is a major sports card and memorabilia auction house, comparable to Fanatics Live for collectors seeking authenticated, high-value trading cards. It competes indirectly via the secondary market that absorbs singles produced by live break activity.

Broad incumbents

• Fanatics Collect: Fanatics Collect is the secondary marketplace for sports cards within the same Fanatics corporate umbrella. It is closely comparable as it shares customer overlap, product catalog, and the live-to-collect navigation flow that drives single-card purchases after live breaks.
• Topps: Topps is the sports card manufacturer owned by Fanatics and a featured product line across Fanatics Live shows. While not a platform peer, it is integral to the ecosystem and comparable as the upstream supply source whose release calendar drives Fanatics Live engagement events.

Emerging players

• Alt: Alt is a live shopping platform focused on sneakers and collectibles with similar live auction mechanics to Fanatics Live. While currently less focused on sports cards, its live shopping format and collector audience position it as an emerging adjacent competitor.

Others

• Card Ladder: Card Ladder is a sports card pricing and analytics platform used by collectors, breakers, and investors. It is an ecosystem enabler for the sports card market that Fanatics Live operates in, providing price transparency that supports break and singles valuations on the platform.
• StockX: StockX is a resale marketplace for sneakers, apparel, and collectibles including trading cards. While not a live shopping platform, it competes for secondary sports card resale demand that emerges from Fanatics Live break activity and serves a similar collector/investor audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fanaticslive
• Facebookfacebook.com/fanaticslive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fanatics Live