The ReRipped Story

The Idea of a Child

It all began with my 10-year-old son, Rebel, who had a heartwarming idea: he wanted to give away some of his sports cards to kids who might not have the means to enjoy them.

As his dad, I thought this was such a thoughtful gesture for a 10-year-old to recognize that there are other kids that may not have the access to the sports cards that he enjoyed opening himself! However, as I set out to find the best place to donate some of our cards, I couldn’t find a specific place that accepted sports cards and collectibles for donations that we knew would end up in the hands of kids. Sure, you can drop them off at Goodwill or thrift stores, but those cards often end up damaged or snagged by veteran collectors. And Rebel really wanted to have a way for these kids to open the cards, which is his favorite part of the hobby! Without a place we were excited to donate to, we kept the cards to hold onto until later.

One day, while chatting with Rebel over opening another set of cards, he came up with a brilliant suggestion: “What if we took our cards and other people’s unwanted cards that are still in good shape and repackaged them for kids who can’t afford them?”

That was the moment the idea for ReRipped was born.

A few months later, Rebel and his best buddy Blake were hanging out, and I found myself talking with Blake's dad about sports cards and collectibles. He’s really knowledgeable about the card world, so I shared Rebel’s idea with him. He thought it was an awesome way to spread the joy of collecting while teaching our boys the importance of giving back. The two of us collaborated on the idea for a few months until we decided that it was worth the time, energy, and effort to make ReRipped a reality. 

Why It's Important

Unfortunately, the cost of enjoying this hobby has gotten pretty high for many families, and prices just keep climbing. As any collector knows, most cards pulled from packs don’t hold much value. The numerous piles of base cards and inserts that we see quickly flipped through on YouTube videos and by Breakers may not be important to collectors, but they can mean the world to kids. These kids don't get the joy of ripping a pack and seeing their favorite players and making that connection to their favorite teams because the vast majority of packs are opened in pursuit of the "Big Hit".

So, we asked ourselves what are these kids going to get out of the experience of collecting. Through some research we found collecting has numerous social and emotional benefits to people of all ages. The hobby of collecting Sports Cards and other Collectibles encourages kids to learn about and interact with different sports, boosts social interaction surrounding a shared interest, fosters a sense of accomplishment through collecting, and can even be used as a tool for learning math and statistics. Which is why we need to make it a priority to expand access to all people, young and old, in our community. 

That’s where ReRipped comes in! Instead of letting those extra cards collect dust in your garage or closet (or worse, throwing them out to avoid a discussion with your partner), you can send them our way. We’ll repackage these cards to bring smiles and joy to kids who will really appreciate them, all while nurturing the next generation of collectors.

What's Next

Our journey started with a simple idea from a child, and now we’re excited to be in the process of collecting donated cards and collectibles in our effort to "Share the Hobby". Our goal is to have enough cards to repack and distribute to children, at little to no cost to them, everywhere.

In an effort to move toward our goals, we’ve even started selling cards from our own collections to raise funds to fulfill the ReRipped purpose of letting kids have the amazing chance to rip open packs themselves!

Rebel and Blake are putting in a ton of effort on the ReRipped YouTube channel and on social media to spread the word about their awesome cause. As dads, we’re thrilled to support their dream of sharing this hobby with as many kids as possible and taking care of the things they can't quite handle yet. This hobby has brought all of us so much joy and fun together, and we want to share that amazing experience with even more people! 

If you’d like to help us out, please consider donating to ReRipped. Every bit counts!

Thanks so much for being here and being a part of the ReRipped experience!  

Tyler and Ryan, Collectors and Proud Dads