Trading items at GameStop doesn't really give you the best value. The retail chain is notorious for offering prices well below market value, whether it's a video game, TCG cards, or other collectibles. You can choose store credit, but that doesn't give you any other option than to buy something else from them.
However, it seems that 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 Pokémon cards. The massive payout earned the seller $30,494.70. The store announced that this was a new payout record, but the truth is that the seller was still scammed.
Someone traded in ten Holo Gengars for $30,000 at GameStop
With their “Trade Anything Day” last month, and this latest announcement, it certainly 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 so far as to say that anyone who thinks their trade-in is a ripoff has now been proven 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 market value of $33,883.00. After completing all necessary inspections, verification and compliance procedures, GameStop made a payout of $30,494.70 in accordance with the established Power Pack terms and conditions of purchase.”
That's still about $3,389 below market value. So making a statement that everyone is wrong about 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 lose. The comments on GameStop's own announcements joke that the cards would have been worth much more elsewhere.
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The Escapist also noted that GameStop's own FAQ page says it won't give more than $1,500 for any PSA-rated card. So why has this particular trade-in offered more than double what it usually does, according to GameStop's own rules? Earlier in May, it also made a big show of offering $1,340 in store credit for a nearly complete collection of Amiibo.
It sure sounds like the dealer wants good PR for their trade-in offers.
- Original release date
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October 20, 1996
- Number of players
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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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Pokémon
