- GameStop’s PSA 10 Holo Gengar trade-in fetched nearly 90% of its market value.
- The trade sparked debate, with the company dismissing critics.
- Typical video game trade-ins remain far lower, often favoring store credit over cash.
GameStop says it has accepted a trade-in worth $30,494.70 USD from a customer who brought in a PSA 10 Holo Gengar card. This made it "the most valuable single trade-in in GameStop history." In a post welcoming the deal, GameStop also addressed the long-standing criticism of its trade-in business.
The company said, “Any trolls who publicly claim that GameStop trade-in values are bad are hereby factually and demonstrably incorrect… any prior and ongoing objections … are now deemed without merit and factually invalid.”
GameStop Trade-Ins: Store Credit vs. Cash
GameStop's trade-in offerings often prioritize store credit over cash, with prices often dropping below resale or secondary market values. A regular trade-in of a Sony PlayStation 4 would return $52.50 in cash or up to $75 in store credit, whereas a Nintendo Switch Console Neon Blue/Neon Red would return $63 in cash or up to $90 in store credit.
Store credit binds customers to future purchases, sometimes at higher prices. In contrast, the $30,000 Gengar Pokémon card trade-in is a rare instance, considerably beyond the typical trade-in scale for consoles and games.
How Everyday GameStop Trade-Ins Compare: Market Value vs. Reality
According to the statement, the card's fair-market value is around $33,883 USD, implying that the trade netted almost 90% of the market price, a strong result for a collectible. However, this unexpected payout does not reflect the average value granted by GameStop on video games, which are the cornerstone of its trade-in business.
Users have said that an average trade-in for recent games can result in small returns. A popular release, Battlefield 6 is reported to earn approximately $27.50 in store credit. Whereas, Borderlands 4 trade-in credit varies by platform, ranging from $18 to $22. At the same time, GameStop is also known for selling pre-owned versions of Battlefield 6 for roughly $52.24 and Borderlands 4 for around $48.
