Trading Cards
Starting in 2024, GameStop has made efforts to expand into the market of graded trading cards
As part of ongoing turnaround and transformation efforts, GameStop has expanded its business by entering the graded trading card market. This move aligns with its experience in the secondary market, similar to its established used video games model. By leveraging its existing retail infrastructure and expertise in buying and reselling pre-owned items, GameStop is positioning itself within the trading card market while exploring opportunities for growth and customer engagement.
- The graded trading card market, for example sports cards and trading card games (TCG) such as Pokémon, is large and growing
- GameStop is increasing its focus on its collectibles segment with new graded trading card services — through its collaboration with PSA, GameStop is establishing a position in the trading cards market by providing a reliable in-store infrastructure for convenience of services and instant transactions
- Customers can bring ungraded cards to participating GameStop stores to have their cards sent to PSA to be graded
- Customers can bring their PSA-graded cards (grades 8, 9, and 10) to participating GameStop stores for immediate cash or store credit, providing a unique edge over online-only marketplaces such as eBay
- In July 2025, GameStop further expanded service offerings with the introduction of Power Packs — "an innovative digital experience from PSA and GameStop" where customers can open a sealed digital pack that contains a PSA-graded card
- Dedicated spaces: According to some rumors, "stores will start adding dedicated space for sports cards, trading card games and trade-and-play events for collectors to gather."
At the 2025 meeting of stockholders, GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen provided some comments on the move into trading cards.
We are focusing on trading cards as a natural extension of our existing business. The trading card market, whether it's sports, Pokémon, or collectibles, is aligned with our heritage. It fits our trade-in model, it appeals to our core customer base, and it is deeply embedded in physical retail. Unlike software, it's tactile. Unlike hardware, it has high margin potential. It's a logical expansion.
In an interview with Charles Payne on Fox Business:
We’ve moved the business from a big reliance on hardware and software to collectibles. So, we’re selling a ton of trading cards — both sports and TCG (trading card games), and it’s a much more durable business. It's not as cyclical as hardware, which — it's hit-driven, the software business — hardware is every 6 to 7 years, and it's TBD in terms of the future of hardware. So, we've got a much larger collectibles business today.
GameStop's new Power Packs service introduces a fun, novel, and modern way to buy PSA-graded trading cards. GameStop has created an experience that makes it easy to buy, open, and sell PSA-graded card packs online.
A customer can purchase and open the digital Power Pack, which will provide them with a random PSA-graded card. The customer then has several options for their newly obtained card:
- Immediately sell the card back to GameStop with real-time pricing provided by Card Ladder. GameStop takes 10% of the value.
- Put the card into PSA Vault
- The card can be kept in the vault for safe keeping
- The card can be seamlessly listed for auction on eBay
- The card can receive an instant offer from PSA
- Ship the physical card home for a fee
Read a comprehensive review of GameStop's new Power Packs service.
See an example of a customer buying a PSA-graded card using the Power Packs service.
- On October 15, 2024, GameStop announced a collaboration with PSA, becoming an authorized PSA dealer, with PSA providing authentication and grading services for trading cards through select GameStop stores across the United States.
- On November 18, 2024, GameStop announced that Nat Turner, Chairman and CEO of Collectors Holdings, Inc., has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors.
- On March 20, 2025, GameStop announced that they were approaching the 1 millionth PSA card submission. On May 7, 2025, GameStop announced that the milestone had been reached, and the customer that did the submission received 1 year of free card grading.
- On July 29, 2025, GameStop launched Power Packs — powerpacks.gamestop.com — "an innovative digital experience from PSA and GameStop."
