GameStop defends trade-in values after customer swaps Pokemon card for record $30K
Wikimedia CommonsGameStop is firing back at critics after a customer traded in a rare Pokemon card for over $30,000, marking the biggest single trade-in in the retailer’s history.
On December 1, the company revealed that a fully authenticated PSA 10 Holo Gengar from the Skyridge set was traded at a GameStop location in Grapevine, Texas. The card carried a fair-market valuation of $33,883, with GameStop paying out $30,494.70 through its Power Packs Buyback Program.
According to the company, the transaction followed “all required inspection, verification, and compliance procedures” before the payout was issued.
GameStop hits out at “trolls” after $30K Pokemon card trade
The record-setting trade is tied to GameStop’s Power Packs program, which lets customers purchase digital blind boxes that correspond to real Pokemon cards.
GameStop opens the packs itself, slabs the hits in partnership with PSA, and resells them through its online system. Customers set up Stripe accounts, pick the pack they want, and wait to see what card they pull.
While most cards fall below the cost of a pack, GameStop is using this $30K payout as evidence that their trade-ins aren’t as bad as memes suggest.
The company even took a shot at its long-time critics.
“Any trolls who publicly claim that GameStop trade-in values are bad are hereby factually and demonstrably incorrect,” the retailer said. “Any prior and ongoing objections to our trade values are now deemed without merit and factually invalid.”
The timing is no coincidence. GameStop is gearing up for its upcoming “Trade Anything Day,” where customers can trade in almost anything for store credit. The only banned items are weapons, alcohol, and live animals. Taxidermy, however, is fair game.
