I’ve always been drawn to collecting in small ways. As a kid, I held onto rocks, keychains and little things that had sentimental value. In recent years, the only thing I’ve traded are friendship bracelets. Beyond that, I hadn’t really kept up any collections, but walking into CollectFest, I remembered exactly why I loved the thrill of hunting for little treasures.
CollectFest is a convention for collectors of all kinds and it was busy from the moment I walked in. This year, eBay Australia’s Collectors Club turned CollectFest into more than just a convention — it became an interactive treasure hunt.
Tables were stacked with trading cards — across Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, One Piece, NBA. Shelves had rows of action figures and toys, from Labubus to Marvel and even Kpop fandom collectables.
There were diecast cars lined up in glass cases, LEGO sets still in their boxes, and even more items for any kind of collector. People moved slowly through the aisles and pointed things out to each other. They were even stopping to talk with the sellers about what they had.
Everywhere I turned, people were leaning in close, talking, swapping, comparing. Some stalls were run by eBay sellers, which meant you could finally meet the people behind stores you’d usually only see online.
The eBay stall was home to the eBay Collectors Club, where you could live bid on rare items from the marketplace in person and where you picked up your eBay Collectors Club Passport, which added a whole extra layer of interactivity to the weekend. It was also where you could redeem rewards earned through the passport at the mini gift shop.
The passport was free, and getting started was simple — first, snap a photo at the eBay photobooth to stick into your booklet. From there, you could collect stamps by completing different activities across the event. Some were quick, like following @ebayau on Instagram or TikTok, or tagging them in a story.
Others encouraged you to explore the event itself — taking a photo of your collectible on the mini red carpet, spotting hidden figures on the shoppable wall, or sitting in on the eBay panel.
You could even consign items with Goldin for a few extra stamps, add pieces to your Watchlist via the eBay wall, or purchase from participating vendors to boost your total.
Once you had enough, you could bring the passport back to the eBay shop and swap them for prizes. With five stamps you could get something small, and the rewards went up the more you had. I saw people walk away with scarves, caps, tote bags and the most popular item, the jerseys.
A few even managed to collect fifty stamps in one day and picked up the major prizes — which on this day were a giant POP MART figure, and a sought-after LEGO Star Wars set.
What stood out to me most was how much the passport shaped the energy of the event and offered multiple ways for people to discover CollectFest, while encouraging participants to explore what interested them most.
It encouraged people to wander, connect with sellers, and notice details they’d otherwise miss.
While CollectFest is the ultimate place for seasoned collectors to finally see their favourite online merchants in person and trade with others in real time, it also felt like somewhere newcomers like me could understand why these items mattered to someone.
And the eBay passport made it easier for me to notice details I might have otherwise missed — a limited-edition Kpop vinyl here, a rare sports card there — offering a sense of accomplishment for following the paths it suggested. The whole thing felt like it added another layer of interactivity on top of the collecting itself.
I left with a few stamps and a few new finds of my own. But what stayed with me was the feeling of discovery — noticing things I wouldn’t have otherwise, and understanding what makes collecting so compelling.
Whether you’re starting small or chasing rare finds, eBay is where every collector’s treasure hunt continues. Head to eBay now to discover how you can start or fuel your collectables journey.
