We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Bryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I was younger, probably between 7-8 years old I was collecting Pokémon Trading Cards for fun and enjoying the chase of finding holographic cards. After some personal struggles post-college, I recently rediscovered my love for collecting Pokémon Trading Cards and thought, “why not buy/sell/trade/grade Pokémon TCG cards exclusively! I now have a full-time TikTok Channel dedicated to opening/ripping packs, and an eBay shop for selling cards. I figured if it’s something I love, then it’s definitely worth investing in to create a business. Also, it’s fun!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
‘Master Grade Cards’ is both a TikTok Channel (for content and community) and an eBay shop for selling Pokémon Trading Cards. We deal EXCLUSIVELY with Pokémon TCG. We open packs through TikTok and sell single cards, and bundles, through eBay. We work collectively with these two platforms to reach a wide audience (from kids to adults) of all ages. What sets us apart from other shops and e-retailers is our love for the “lifestyle” that Pokémon has become across generations. We want to share our passion for cards and collecting, and our hope is we can aid others in completing their personal collections or just being a reliable business for others to lean on. We are excited to be gaining followers through our TikTok channel, while also creating a positive customer experience through eBay.

We got where we are today through consistent work and dedication towards building an audience, and working with eBay. (Had I not attended eBay Open 2023, I would not have the insight and growth we’ve developed today). It hasn’t been easy, some weeks are harder than others, but we’re devoted to our fans and our customer base. I’m always excited to see positive feedback on eBay and new followers on TikTok.

I’ve learned it takes time, patience, and an unwavering loyalty towards the business. Always making sure orders are processed correctly, keeping up with inventory, and constantly posting content daily through our socials.

All in all, we enjoy what we do and wouldn’t change a thing! We look forward to building a bigger audience and becoming more ingrained in the community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being that we are in a VERY small town,(McEwen, TN) there’s not a whole lot in our area. However, our local gas-station “Bud’s” has some of the BEST breakfast biscuits IVE EVER HAD. We also have a city close to us, (Dickson, TN) which has some good food spots and local shops. I highly recommend checking out “Blackthorn Gaming”, and “New Wave Hobbies” for local cards. Also, “Camden Cards” in Camden, TN. All very good places to shop

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My fiancée, Erica. She has believed in my vision to make this Pokémon Card business a reality. Even when folks in my life had a negative viewpoint towards me doing this, she was there cheering me on and supporting my dream. She has helped behind the scenes in making ‘Master Grade Cards’ what it is today. If I didn’t have her unwavering support, love, and honesty; none of this would have been possible. It really shows when you have someone believing in you and supporting you emotionally… anything is possible.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/master_grade_cards?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-bryan-964a06a6?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mastergradecards?_t=8hkEsTYQTxm&_r=1

Image Credits
Austin Bryan & Erica Pullen

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