eBay & TCGplayer Partner Up In $295 Million Acquisition
August 23, 2022 by fcostin
eBay has made some huge and further movements in the Trading and Collectable Card Industry. Furthering the continuous climb of popularity in trading card games, the second-hand store has announced a nearly $300 million acquisition and partnership with the online trading card marketplace, TCGplayer.
eBay TCG Player Press Release Image
Well-known for their deep catalogue of Magic: The Gathering, Yu Gi Oh and Pokémon cards, TCGplayer confirmed via press release that no immediate changes will be made. Ensuring to their community that the commerce site will continue to operate independently from eBay itself. With CEO Chedy Hampson, continuing on in his role for the foreseeable future.
Importantly, there will be no change in how we work with customers, and you can expect the same high-quality service, tools, products and content you have come to rely on from TCGplayer. - Chedy Hampson - TCGplayer
The whole family at TCGPlayer will also be reaping the benefits of growth. Across 688 TCG staff members both on a contractual salary and paid per hour, the employee stock option plan has echoed through each member of the team. Sharing in the financial rewards that the partnership and acquisition have to offer.
A positive experience and certainly growth for TCGplayer, however, there was a lot mentioned about how there will not be many changes - and not much mentioned about the reasons and future of the acquisition. Other than further growing and nurturing the collectables community.
"I am confident that with eBay's partnership, we will be even better positioned to serve the collectibles community. We will have the opportunity to benefit from eBay's decades of industry-experience and deep financial resources to expand our catalog of products, level up our tools and services and ensure hobbyists all over the world are able to shop from their favorite local hobby stores." Chedy Hampson - TCGplayer
Players are already headed to eBay as an alternative in hunting down their select and coveted cards. What do you think this means for the future of trading card games? Will the prices be evened out on each platform, making it truly harder to find a "good deal" for the consumer? Is this the beginning of the end of competitive prices for trading card games? What do you see for the future of trading card games?
$295 million?! That's like 30,000 Black Lotuses!
"(They were) ensuring their community that the commerce site will continue to operate independently from eBay itself..."
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
Just say no! @fcostin
“TCGplayer will continue operating independently” until ebay decides otherwise and then there is that…
Computer say’s NO cough cough COUGH.
Well, I suppose it’s good in one way that enough people are interested in card games that eBay actually thought it was worth getting involved.
But doesn’t eBay have a history of buying rival online auction sites so they can intentionally run them badly and so maintain their monopoly and ensure competitors never grow big enough to threaten them?
It doesn’t affect me personally as I avoid any “buy-to-win” games like the plague, but the poor souls willing to pay hundred of pounds for a tiny bit of card probably ain’t gonna see prices drop because of this.
And remember TCGPlayer bought out ChannelFireball just last month. Which means the last remaining competitor in the space is Card Kingdom.
Even secondary market for TCG cards isn’t free from this it seems. For us Euros there is still cardmarket.