GameStop might start buying graded Pokémon playing cards at a choose variety of retail places quickly, based on retailer associates. If true, the transfer would make the retailer one of many single largest patrons of graded collectibles with almost 3,000 potential retail places in the US for shoppers to promote their playing cards. Rumors first started circulating Thursday, by way of PokéBeach. Polygon has reached out to GameStop’s press group for remark.
Polygon spoke with a number of GameStop places on Friday in 4 completely different states — Arizona, Illinois, Florida, and New York. Shops in three of these states confirmed that the brand new providing had been communicated to them by their company workplace. Associates with data of this system stated that solely playing cards graded by Skilled Sports activities Authenticator (PSA) can be accepted, that these playing cards have to be graded eight or larger on that firm’s 10-point grading scale, and that no playing cards valued at greater than $500 can be accepted in retailer.
Not one of the employees Polygon spoke to knew if, or when, these playing cards may be offered at retail.
The marketplace for Pokémon, new and previous, picked up throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. On the similar time, various high-profile Pokémon card gross sales have raised the profile of those specific collectibles.
It stays to be seen, nevertheless, how GameStop’s entry into the secondary card market will affect unbiased retailers. Many native sport retailers do a gentle enterprise in so-called “singles” and graded playing cards, and it continues to be a powerful income in an in any other case turbulent retail panorama.