GameStop Blasts 'Trolls' Who Claim Its 'Trade-In Values Are Bad' While Celebrating Record $30,000 Payout For a Pokémon Card (That It Admits Was Worth $3,000 More)

GameStop has highlighted its caller payout of much than $30,000 for a uncommon Pokémon paper arsenic grounds that the chain's trade-in programme offers just worth — portion simultaneously admitting the paper had really been worthy astatine slightest $3,000 more.

In its latest publicity stunt aimed astatine getting gamers' attention, GameStop issued a typically jocular connection connected societal media declaring its grounds $30,494.70 payout for a PSA 10 Holo Gengar was a "historic" infinitesimal for the company.

"Any trolls who publically assertion that GameStop trade-in values are atrocious are hereby factually and demonstrably incorrect," the concatenation wrote. "Any anterior and ongoing objections to our commercialized values are present deemed without merit and factually invalid," it continued, portion admitting the paper had really been worthy $33,883 — respective 1000 dollars more.

A Statement from GameStop pic.twitter.com/Qho0M7xzko

To beryllium just to GameStop, the concatenation does not fell the information it paid $3,388.30 little than what it describes arsenic the "fair-market valuation" for the card. Indeed, the institution simply states it handed implicit its payout "upon completion of each required inspection, verification, and compliance procedures" — processes, the connection appears to suggest, which travel astatine immoderate cost.

But galore responses to GameStop's societal media station person pointed to the concatenation inactive having "shorted" the card's owner, and suggesting the paper would person reached a higher worth astatine auction. Others person noted GameStop's ain trade-in FAQ leafage states that the concatenation has a $1,500 precocious bounds for trade-in value, thing that suggests this peculiar merchantability is thing of an anomaly. IGN has contacted GameStop for more.

In its post, GameStop states its payout was executed "in accordance with the established presumption and conditions governing the Power Packs Buyback Program," an connection that immoderate customers person criticized for allowing the retailer to repeatedly marque wealth from the aforesaid high-value cards.

An illustration of this would beryllium a lawsuit buying a $100 Power Pack (a unsighted container with a unsmooth worth of a $100) from GameStop and uncovering a paper that is so worthy $100 inside. If it's a paper they don't want, GameStop offers an Instant Buyback connection that's worthy 90% of the card's worth minus an further 6% committee fee. Here, the paper seller gets $84.60 back, portion GameStop retains a $100 card, which they tin merchantability again for $100 — and proceed to repetition the process.

"They're not speculating connected paper value," 1 instrumentality wrote successful a reddit thread connected GameStop's strategy posted a fewer months ago. "They power the supply, the pricing tier, and the resale loop. It's vertical integration disguised arsenic a loot box.

"PowerPacks aren't conscionable astir cards. The existent borderline is the buyback loop. On average, GameStop pays little than marketplace for returned cards, past sells them again astatine afloat price. Every rhythm is simply a nett opportunity. It's repeatable. Scalable. Efficient. And it doesn't trust connected retail footfall oregon console cycles. PowerPacks mightiness extremity up being GameStop's astir profitable merchandise yet."

Earlier this year, GameStop attempted to crook its high-profile Switch 2 stapler snafu into a societal media accidental by auctioning disconnected the now-infamous portion of stationary that 1 worker utilized to puncture dozens of Switch 2 screens connected the console's motorboat night.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social