Trading Cards
GameStop is increasing its focus on graded trading cards
- As a component of GameStop's turnaround, starting in 2024, GameStop began expanding the business into graded trading cards
- By collaborating 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
- On April 15, 2026, GameStop announced the launch of Power Packs to the general public — "an innovative digital experience from PSA and GameStop" where collectors can purchase digital packs to unlock real, PSA-graded trading cards
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.
As GameStop has increased its focus on trading cards, the collectibles segment as a percent of all revenue has been increasing.
GameStop's new Power Packs service introduces a novel way to buy PSA-graded trading cards. GameStop has created an experience that makes it easy to buy a randomized PSA-graded card with disclosed odds of expected card value.
When a customer buys a Power Pack, the random card is revealed and then the customer is provided several options for their newly obtained card:
- Sell the card back to GameStop with real-time pricing provided by Card Ladder. GameStop offers 90% of the card value per that pricing, and also collects a 6% selling fee
- 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 to the customer for a fee
Read a comprehensive review of GameStop's new Power Packs service.
See an example of a customer using 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. By March 2026, GameStop was approaching its 4 millionth submission, showing significant growth of the service.
- On July 29, 2025, GameStop launched Power Packs to early customers — powerpacks.gamestop.com — "an innovative digital experience from PSA and GameStop."
- On April 15, 2026, GameStop announced that Power Packs were being launched to the general public
