Trading items at GameStop doesn’t really give you the best value. The store chain is notorious for offering prices way below market value, whether it’s a video game, TCG card, or other collectibles. You could opt for store credit, but that just leaves you with no other option but to buy something else from them.
However, it seems GameStop wants to make a statement about this, as it just offered its highest ever cash payout to someone who traded in ten Holo Gengar Pokemon Cards. The massive payout saw the seller earn $30,494.70. The store announced that this was a new payout record, but the truth is that the seller still got ripped off.
Someone Traded In Ten Holo Gengars For $30K At GameStop
With its “Trade Anything Day” last month, and this latest announcement, it really looks like GameStop is quietly running a PR campaign for trade-ins. In fact, it even went ahead and made a formal statement about this, going as far as to say that anyone who thinks their trade-ins are a ripoff has now been proved wrong. But the truth is that even this record payout feels like a ripoff.
In a statement, Gamestop noted, “a customer traded-in a fully authenticated PSA 10 Holo Gengar with a fair-market valuation of $33,883.00. Upon completion of all required inspection, verification, and compliance procedures, GameStop executed a payout of $30,494.70, issued in accordance with the established terms and conditions governing the Power Packs Buyback Program.”
That’s still around $3,389 lower than market value. So, to be making a statement that everyone is wrong about the trade-ins, while still offering over $3.3K less than market value seems like a stretch. I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot of money to miss out on. The comments on GameStop’s own announcements joke that the cards would have been worth way more anywhere else.
Report: The Pokemon TCG’s Turmoil Isn’t Only In The West As Japanese Stores Are Facing Major Stock Issues And “Frequent Sell-Outs”
On a recent trip to Japan, I investigated whether the issues English-language Pokemon TCG collectors were facing were prevalent in Japan.
The Escapist also noted that GameStop’s own FAQ page states that it will not give more than $1,500 for any PSA rated card. So, why has this particular trade-in offered over double of what it usually would, according to GameStop’s own rules? Earlier in May, it also created a big show of offering $1340 in store credit for a near-complete collection of Amiibo.
It sure sounds like the retailer wants some good PR for its trade-in offerings.
- Original Release Date
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October 20, 1996
- Player Count
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2
- Age Recommendation
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6+
- Length per Game
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Variable
- Franchise Name
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Pokemon
