If you didn’t make it to PAX this year, we’re sure it’ll be on your hit-list next year after seeing all the epic action that went down in Melbourne. Whether you’re picking up a brand new hobby or you’re a seasoned veteran collector, here’s what you missed at PAX, where eBay tapped into the world of fandoms and made their mark with The Collectors Club.
There were plenty of brands vying for the attention of the 85,000+ attendees over the weekend at PAX but there was one brightly coloured booth that really stood out. eBay’s popular activation sat in a prime location at the Melbourne Convention Centre, right in the middle of the room that divided the gaming activations and the fast-growing section of the event, the Tabletop Hall, which was sponsored by eBay for the first time this year.
Their concept was simple — collect your passport, get your photo taken, complete tasks either at the activation or around the PAX convention hall, collect stamps for your efforts and claim the prizes from the eBay merch stand like exclusive pins to retro football jerseys
From the moment we arrived at the eBay Collectors Club, we were blown away at the crowds lining up at the booth and it was clear to everyone in attendance that this was a must-visit at PAX and reinforced the fact that collecting can transcend gaming fandoms, communities and generations.
Our first task was simple, get your passport photo taken and you’ll earn your first stamp of the day. We added stickers and sketches to customise our passports – the quality really stood out, don’t be taking this one to the airport by accident!
Once our passports were starting to look the part, it was time to make our way to the Discovery Hub to eye off some key collector items AND solve a few clues to earn stamps.
Not only did we get to see some killer collectables on loan from eBay sellers like vintage Pokémon Cards, new releases from Magic: The Gathering and the Lilo & Stitch figurines, but there was an easter egg hunt component which required the participant to find three hidden mini characters in the wall to earn a stamp (it was harder than it sounds!)
The final step before reaching out to the wider PAX activations was to head to the Collectors Club Arcade.
Participants could play Donkey Kong, NBA Jam or our favourite, Pac Man, to earn one stamp, add a photo to their Insta story and tag eBay for two stamps, or get a high score on a machine for a whopping three stamps. Unfortunately, the PAX audience is too skilled, there were no high scores between the two of us.
We were surprised to find more “Daily Drop” bonus stamp challenges on eBay Australia’s Instagram story each day. One option was to challenge a staff member to scissors, paper, rock and another was to find a hidden QR code on the graffiti wall…
From there it was either head to the reward shop to claim your prizes, depending how many stamps you had to spend, or to take to the wider PAX activations to find additional ways to collect stamps.
More stamps were up for grabs by finding an eBay seller in the Tabletop Hall or Expo Hall, like Cherry Collectables, and either following their store on eBay or buying something for their collection.
If you tuned in to the PAX Arena on Twitch you may have seen eBay also put on a live showing of an epic game of Magic: The Gathering on the Friday afternoon which would earn a stamp to anyone that made an appearance at the show.
The Commander Showdown didn’t require much arm twisting to attend in-person though, as the epic battle saw a full house in attendance to watch local heroes and international guests go toe-to-toe. We even got to meet Gavin Verhey, Principal Magic: The Gathering Designer after the show – talk about starstruck!
Once you’d done all your collecting for the day and just wanted to settle down with a tabletop game before heading for the exits, eBay set up the eBay After Dark event for players who wanted to relax and game on with some friends.
The taco truck was close by and the beverages were casually flowing, giving keen collectors a chance to enjoy their collection or even have a quiet bite and beverage before calling it a day.
It’s safe to say that anyone that took place in their eBay collector journey at PAX was treated to a fun and interactive day, making for a brilliant addition to the biggest weekend for gaming in Australia.
Whether you’re looking to start your journey or you’re a seasoned veteran in the world of collecting, eBay is where every collector’s search begins — and where the fandom continues beyond the booth. Head to eBay now to start or continue your collection
