The story behind ShinyFindr
I’ve been interested in Pokemon cards since they first came out, but actually collecting them is a different thing. For a long time, a travelling lifestyle meant it wasn’t really practical. You can’t build a collection when you’re rarely in the same place twice.
About 18 months ago that changed, and I found myself properly back in it. Sets to follow, cards to hunt, shows to go to. The whole thing.
The problem with show day
If you’ve been to a Pokemon card show, you know how it goes. You’re moving between tables, cards are spread out in front of you, sellers are busy, and you’re trying to make quick decisions. It’s fun, but it’s also a lot to keep track of.
I already used a collecting app to track what I owned. It was good. But logging a card at the table, switching screens, finding the card, marking it caught, adding what I paid, took just enough clicks that I’d stop doing it. I’d tell myself I’d catch up later. I never did.
So I’d keep a rough total in my head, lose track of what I’d already bought, and more than once came home with two copies of the same card. Not expensive ones, thankfully, but still.
The gap wasn’t features. It was speed.
What I built
ShinyFindr is the app I wanted on show day. One swipe to catch a card. Type the price you paid and it’s logged. Your remaining budget updates instantly. Everything you’re hunting, missing set cards, singles, portfolio cards, in one list, ready before you walk in.
It’s an Android app, currently in open beta on the Google Play Store, built for Pokemon TCG collectors who go to card shows, trade days at their local game store, or just want a faster way to manage a hunt list.
Who made it
I’m Chris. ShinyFindr is made under Fern Drop Studios, the same label behind Rollr, a board game companion app. Rollr exists because switching between a dice roller, a coin flipper and a timer mid-game is annoying, so I put them all in one place. ShinyFindr exists for the same reason, just at a card show instead of a game table.
ShinyFindr is a v1, built by one person in their spare time. It is not going to be perfect out of the gate, and that is okay - every app starts somewhere. If something frustrates you or feels like it is missing, I would genuinely love to hear about it. Constructive feedback is how this gets better. A one-star review with no context, while valid, does not give me a lot to work with.