The Live Auction App Where People Can Bid ‘Til They’re Broke

竞拍至倾家荡产的实时拍卖应用程序

The Journal.

2026-08-15

27 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Whatnot is one of the fastest-growing shopping platforms in the U.S., featuring live auctions that allow users to bid on trading cards, rare coins, designer fashions and more. But as WSJ’s Hanna Krueger explains, critics say Whatnot’s high-pressure countdowns and swipe-to-bid design encourage overspending and gambling addiction, claims the company denies. Jessica Mendoza hosts.   Further Listening: - Can GameStop Really Buy eBay? - Inside Quince’s Quest to Sell Luxury Goods for Less Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • When Sean Harding was a kid back in the early 1990s, he was obsessed with baseball.

  • I just grew up loving baseball.

  • You know, playing catch, watching baseball, playing baseball.

  • Here's a pitch on the way, a swing and a bell.

  • My favorite team when I was a kid was the Toronto Blue Jays, and they won the World Series.

  • And it was just so cool, and I just loved it.

  • Touch them all, Joe!

  • You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!

  • And like a lot of kids who love baseball, Sean was also really into baseball cards.

  • When I opened up a card, I would immediately turn it over and just read the stats, right?

  • Like, when was this person a rookie?

  • What's his batting average?

  • How many home runs has he hit?

  • What teams has he played for?

  • So I just loved being inundated with that knowledge and just,

  • you know, the pictures and getting to know more of the players.

  • It's just all of it.

  • But Sean grew up.

  • He got married, had three kids, and became an accountant.

  • And collecting baseball cards became just another childhood memory until 2024,