Shockingly, GameStop’s Graded Card Program Will Buy PSA Cards for Their Market Value! All The Details!

We’ve now learned full details for GameStop’s graded cards program!

GameStop plans to launch the program at all locations in June. Today it soft-launched at 200 stores in Texas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and New York.

It appears GameStop will offer fair market prices for PSA cards. When we first revealed this program last week, the most common critique was that GameStop would only buy cards for a portion of their value. However, that’s not the case (at least not currently).

For example, when visiting a store earlier today, GameStop’s offer for a PSA 10 Jolteon VMAX was $158 cash or $176 store credit. A PSA 10 Noivern V was $121.50 cash or $135 store credit.

These prices are similar to what the cards are worth if you try to buy them online right now.

GameStop’s buying prices are similar to the price guide on PSAcard.com. PSA’s price guide scrapes auction websites to determine the average market value of a card. GameStop appears be using that database for their price, at least in part. For example, the Jolteon VMAX was offered for $176 store credit and recently sold for $177.50 at auction.

When a customer brings cards in, they will be valued in real-time by entering their PSA number into GameStop’s systems. Because the prices can fluctuate often, GameStop’s offers will only be valid during that transaction. The customer may then accept or reject the offer. They can be paid in cash or store credit, but cash will offer 10% less.

GameStop is currently training its employees to evaluate the authenticity of PSA cards submitted by customers. As mentioned last week, cards valued above $500 will not be accepted. Signed cards also won’t be accepted at this time.

Here is an internal checklist employees will use to verify a card slab’s authenticity. Employees will even use a blacklight. If a slab fails any one of these checks, the employee must reject it.

GameStop is currently sourcing fixtures to eventually display and sell the graded cards in stores (though it’s unclear if they will offer a fair market price when selling them). As we reported last week, the cards they buy from customers won’t initially be sold in stores. They will be shipped to GameStop’s headquarters and sold on GameStop.com.

Eventually GameStop plans to expand this program to all types of collectibles, like statues and Funko Pop. Some of their internal documentation indicates the program may expand to other grading companies as well.

You can watch our last podcast episode talking about this program here: