A Letter from the CEO

A few months ago, we changed Loupe’s tagline to “A card show in your pocket.” It took some soul searching to get there. We got together as a team and tried to nail down what we think Loupe does well. What makes us different. The tagline we landed on represents the authentic experience we want every buyer and seller to have on Loupe.

Loupe launched on October 23, 2020 as I streamed to a handful of people from my kitchen. The setup was not elaborate. My wifi was acting up. I wasn’t nearly as entertaining as the sellers you see today. But you stuck with me, you bought some cards, and you hung out to talk about sports and the hobby. 

I had been working on Loupe since late 2019, and you gave me faith that this crazy idea wasn’t so crazy after all. The past 12 months have only cemented that. We’ve grown at a rate that I could only dream of. Your support means that we’ve been able to grow our team to 14 full-time employees within a year. We’ve partnered with some of the biggest names in sports like Major League Baseball. We opened our own physical card shop!

But it also means the world to the people you buy from. Through Loupe, you’re supporting small businesses as they navigate the ways the hobby is changing. Multiple sellers have done more than $1M in sales on Loupe. They’re setting new records all the time. It’s life-changing stuff for them — whether it means they’re able to open their own stores, send their kids to college, or pursue their dream careers.

That’s why we think of Loupe as a card show in your pocket. Yes, you’re able to buy cards at any time of day. More importantly, you’re moving around from digital table to digital table, supporting people who genuinely love cards. And everyone in chat? They’re collectors just like you who are just as passionate about the hobby. That’s what Loupe does well and what makes us different. We have buyers and sellers who care enough that they want to make the hobby a more welcoming and more inclusive place.

Saturday marks our one-year anniversary. As we reach Year Two of Loupe, we promise that we’re focused on improving on what you see today. All the things that make this app special, the reasons you want to spend your evenings here? We’re going to enhance them. We recently grew our development team by 4x so that we’re more agile in improving the app and rolling out new features. Our business development team is hard at work sifting through the 1,000+ applications(!!) to add world-class sellers to our roster.

This is a Thank You letter, but it’s also a celebration. We have to throw a party for the craziest whirlwind year of our lives. On Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23, we’re slashing prices by 20%. All sealed wax will be 20% off to commemorate our 2020 launch.

This is just the start. Get ready for big things on the horizon. We’ve got a rocket ship, a tank full of fuel, and we’re taking #LoupeToTheMoon.

Eric Doty
Founder & CEO
Loupe