April 2, 2025
SINGAPORE – Mr Ang Bin Xiu’s job is a Pokemon fan’s dream – he opens packs of Pokemon cards for a living and live-streams himself doing so.
It started with chancing upon Pokemon cards at a convenience store in 2022, which sparked his interest in collecting Pokemon cards again in his 20s – many years after he had done so as a child – out of nostalgia.
He said: “Now that I had ‘adult money’, buying the cards felt like fulfilling a childhood dream.”
The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a global resurgence interest in Pokemon card collecting, as well as live streaming as a way of shopping. Riding on this wave, Mr Ang has managed to make a career out of his hobby. Now 31, he works as a full-time live streamer who opens packs of Pokemon cards daily for audiences on his TikTok channel @DegenwBinshu.
He operates on what is known as a “rip and ship” business model.
Viewers, who range from students to young working adults from Singapore, can purchase packs of cards on his live stream. After they buy the cards, Mr Ang opens them on the stream. The contents of the opened pack are then shipped to buyers.
Mr Ang acquires his product from distributors and retailers both locally and overseas. Each pack contains anywhere between five and 10 cards, depending on the set, which he charges $9 to $12 for.
Mr Ang said that beyond the entertainment value of watching and interacting with the live stream, the appeal of his business is the accessibility it provides, especially when it comes to harder-to-find card sets from Japan or more expensive vintage sets.
“(My business) allows them to buy just one or two packs from these sets without having to buy a whole box.”
Each box contains 30 to 36 packs and can cost anywhere from just over $50 to several thousand dollars. Mr Ang said that he usually tries to fulfil requests, although some niche sets are too expensive for his business model.
Inspired by influencers with similar business models in America, Mr Ang first began live-streaming in December 2022 as a side hustle while working full-time as a trainer at Amazon.
During a typical live stream, Mr Ang opens packs of Pokemon cards ordered by his customers while interacting and speaking with his viewers. He can open up to a hundred packs during each six-hour-long stream.
When he first began streaming, his intention was not to make money, but rather, to find community.
He said: “I’m a collector before I’m a seller. I wanted to find a community where I could meet (other hobbyists) and (open) packs together just for the fun of it.”
He was also motivated to give live streaming a shot due to the low overhead costs. He said: “It was something I could do from the comfort of my own home, and I really only needed to purchase the card packs.”
Mr Ang managed to sell $1 million worth of products within the first nine months of starting his live stream. At his peak sales period of May to June that year, he took home up to $10,000 monthly.
His business was doing so well that in September 2023, he left his job at Amazon to focus on live-streaming full time. He has since diversified to also include sports cards and cards from other trading card games such as One Piece.
Online live-streaming shopping businesses like Mr Ang’s, and other forms of social media-based shopping experiences, are expected to grow significantly over the next five years.
A market report on researchandmarkets.com estimated that the gross merchandise value of the social commerce industry in Singapore will increase from US$1.2 billion (S$1.6 billion) in 2023 to reach US$8.47 billion by 2029.
Consumers of the social commerce industry tend to skew young too. According to a 2024 report released by New York-based data analytics firm Earnest Analytics, Gen Zs aged between 18 and 24 are more than three times as likely to spend at TikTok Shop than the average shopper.
Associate professor of marketing at the National University of Singapore Yan Zhang said that for small businesses, integrating social media into business models can be more effective than typical digital marketing strategies, such as buying online advertisements.
She said: “An online advertisement may reach more people, but it’s more expensive and only a small number of people who see it are going to be interested.
“Using social media not only makes use of the (social media) platform’s more targeted algorithm, but it also allows for interaction with customers, which often leads to higher conversions.”
Mr Ang’s initial sales have since cooled off, which he attributes to the growing number of live streamers in the region with a similar business model, but the job remains sustainable for him.
“When I first started, there were only five or six people doing this. But because of the low barriers to entry, there are about three to five new streamers trying it out every month,” he said.
Still, Mr Ang does not regret his career switch, in part because of the personal friendships that he has been able to build through his business, some of whom he has regular offline catch-ups with regularly.
Mr Ang’s initial sales have since cooled off but the job remains sustainable for him. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
He said: “I don’t like to see my viewers as customers, but as friends. (My live streams) are more about the common love of the hobby rather than just profit.”
Mr Ang said the biggest challenge he faced running his live-streaming business was fluctuating demand for his products.
He said: “(How much money I take home) is different month to month. During months when there’s a new set (of cards) released, I may take home more money, but during slow periods, it can be difficult.
“But, I think it’s important to be resilient. If you can power through the tough times, there’s no stopping you.”