Meet Jarrod Pisors | Kanto Shark Owner and Operator

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

Hi Jarrod, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
One lesser known aspect about Pokémon is that it’s the biggest media franchise in the world and some Pokémon cards sell for a lot of money. The franchise is bigger than Marvel, Star Wars and Mickey Mouse. Pokémon originated in Japan and made its way to the USA in 1999. The cards specifically have remained popular worldwide and boom in price every few years. 2012, 2016, 2020. Many have used it as a side hustle to earn extra income to pay the bills. That’s exactly how it started for me.

What’s exciting is that even though we’re coming up on the 30th anniversary in a few years, Pokémon cards are still in their infancy. There’s immense room to grow with new sets releasing every few months and people jumping back into the hobby to buy back their childhoods. There’s new ways collect, buy and sell and more people than ever to make friends with in the card community. It’s a great way to connect.

Then you have Kanto Shark that I launched as a side hustle and it has “evolved” into what it is today, a Marketplace dedicated to buying and selling your Pokémon cards.

What should our readers know about your business?
I sell Pokemon cards for a living. Kanto Shark is The Ultimate Marketplace dedicated to Buying and Selling cards. It’s a consignment business. People ship us their cards from all over the world and we sell it on their behalf and charge a small fee for the service. We sell cards for everyone. From the brand new guy to the hobby that’s just getting his feet wet to other large card shops that need help liquidating their inventory. Our primary customers are those that want to ship all their inventory to us to sell at once, do no work (processing, scanning photos, listing, packaging) and net more income than spending the time to do it themselves.

There’s so many places to sell your cards today. It really shows the health of the market with as many options as there are. The biggest issue today is finding a platform that you can trust. A place where you don’t worry of being scammed or back charged. That’s where Kanto Shark swims in. Kanto Shark has helped thousands of people sell their cards that don’t know how or would rather free up their time and let us do it. Kanto Shark loves to sell cards to build your collection.

It hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows though. I launched Kanto Shark 4 years ago in a tiny bedroom with a single desk. It wasn’t even a business yet. You could call it a baby Shark. It was just me wanting to put a name behind what I loved doing for the previous 4 years. Selling Pokemon cards and even bigger, selling nostalgia back to people. I didn’t launch as a Consignment Service Marketplace at first. I launched as a card and pack display company and have been forced to shift time and time again due to that’s just how business goes. Over time, sticking to the fundamentals of delivering over the last 4 years has grown Kanto Shark into what it is today.

I can’t wait for the next few years. I’ve made a lot of key moves to avoid my past mistakes. Mistakes of losing 10s of thousands of dollars. I’ve hired two new members, Collin and Demitri, that are key players to offering more services for our clients and doing it better than just I could. I saved the best for last though. My amazing wife, Vashti, who is the inspiration behind all the great ideas and products. She’s been the voice of reason and pushing through the hard times in the beginning. I’m a Believer, so I consider myself incredibly blessed by God to have the best wife by my side at Kanto Shark. Oh and a major bonus, she’s our accountant.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Nobody I could dedicate more recognition to than my dad. My dad’s been a lifelong collector of coins. When you’re a kid, whatever dad likes, you like. I remember traveling around to coin shows growing up, buying silver dollars for $5 as long term investments as a 7 year old. Back in the day, he would cash in his checks for all $2 bills at the bank thinking one day they’d be collectible. He ended up being right! I had so much fun collecting coins with him that I dove into Pokemon Cards. I wanted my own “thing” to collect. I took it and ran with it from 1999 until about 2004 when video games, sports and girls became a little bit more interesting.

I also want to throw in that my dad has run is own business my entire life. Going on estimates, sales calls and watching him operate really gave me the upper hand when I decided to launch Kanto Shark.

Apart from Pappa Shark, what drove me BACK into the hobby of Pokemon Cards was in 2013. I was going through a really dark time in life when I was diagnosed with cancer. It gave me a healthy outlet. I was able to buyback my childhood to remind me of better times while also learning to buy and sell online to make extra income in college. It carried me through and kept me busy. Whether it’s Pikachu or Charizard or a completely different hobby, finding something to keep you busy during the dark times does wonders.

My biggest driver, supporter, open ear idea-listener, is my wife Vashti. In fact, she’s the reason I transitioned out of my day job and into Kanto Shark full time in 2022. We were newly married, she gave me a call and told me “Jarrod, it’s time to quit. It’s time to do the cards full time.” That call changed our lives. To have someone that believes in you wholeheartedly while also being dependent on your success, is true support. It’s easy to support someone when it doesn’t effect you. It’s an act of faith and courage when it has to work out for the sake of your own family. Vashti is the face of the franchise at all conventions and quite honestly, customers flock to her. Why wouldn’t they? Mrs. Shark is the true star.

Website: www.kantoshark.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kantoshark

Image Credits
Jaime Sanchez