Passion to Profession: From Collector to Infrastructure Builder with Karn Rai of Slab Sharks

Stacking Slabs

Karn Rai has been around cards since he was ten years old.

What started with hockey cards, Pokémon packs, and trips to the Toronto Expo turned into one of the fastest growing consignment businesses in Canada.

In this episode of Passion to Profession, Karn breaks down the evolution of Slab Sharks and why the future of the hobby belongs to operators who think beyond cards on a table.

We talk about:

  •  Building trust through customer experience 
  •  Why storytelling matters in auctions and consignments 
  •  The shift from “garage eBay sellers” to real infrastructure businesses 
  •  How Canada’s hobby market is changing 
  •  The role of technology, AI, and reinvestment in scaling a company 
  •  Why emotional intelligence matters when handling collections 

This conversation goes far beyond buying and selling cards.

It’s about building systems, earning trust, and understanding the emotional connection collectors have with their cards.


Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free

A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.

Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon

Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
More description

Karn Rai has been around cards since he was ten years old.

What started with hockey cards, Pokémon packs, and trips to the Toronto Expo turned into one of the fastest growing consignment businesses in Canada.

In this episode of Passion to Profession, Karn breaks down the evolution of Slab Sharks and why the future of the hobby belongs to operators who think beyond cards on a table.

We talk about:

  •  Building trust through customer experience 
  •  Why storytelling matters in auctions and consignments 
  •  The shift from “garage eBay sellers” to real infrastructure businesses 
  •  How Canada’s hobby market is changing 
  •  The role of technology, AI, and reinvestment in scaling a company 
  •  Why emotional intelligence matters when handling collections 

This conversation goes far beyond buying and selling cards.

It’s about building systems, earning trust, and understanding the emotional connection collectors have with their cards.


Sign up for Hobby Jobs and The Weekly Rip for free

A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.

Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon

Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
2026-05-18 61 min Transcript
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