eBay buys trading card marketplace TCGplayer for $259 million

The online trading card marketplace TCGplayer was bought by eBay. The auction site has paid $259 million for the acquisition. If the deal is approved, the acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.

TCGplayer is a buying and selling platform for card games such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Magic: The Gathering. The platform also offers sales tools and services, including warehousing and order fulfillment. The company was founded in 2008 and has 688 employees.

eBay writes in a statement Monday that it wants to participate more in the trading card market, noting that the demand for trading cards has “increased significantly”. “With TCGplayer, we can improve the customer experience across all categories, forge even more relationships and serve enthusiasts around the world,” wrote Dawn Block, eBay’s vice president of collectibles.

TCGplayer CEO Chedy Hampson reports that little will change within the company after the takeover. The trading card marketplace will remain independent and Hampson will remain the CEO. “We will have the opportunity to leverage eBay’s decades of experience and financial resources to expand our product catalog and take our tools and services to the next level,” said the man.