EB Games will buy your single cards over the counter now. Pokémon, Magic the Gathering and One Piece, at thirty (30) stores around the country.
What percentage is EB Games paying?
80% in credit, 65% in cash.
15% is a pretty big gap. On a $50 card, you're giving up $7.50 to walk out with cash instead of credit. On a $400 card it's $60.
None of that is unusual. Credit is cheaper for EB Games than cash is, because it comes straight back through the till.
EB Games has run its video game trade-ins on that logic for a long time.
How does EB Games work out what your card is worth?
We don't know (yet).
EB hasn't published a buy list. There's no page to check before you make the trip to the store. You find out when the card goes through the scanner.
Press Start reported that values are marked against TCGPlayer; however, this information isn't stated on the EB Games website.
TCGPlayer is an American marketplace, owned by eBay since 2022, and it prices in US dollars.
Which stores?
Thirty (30) stores across four (4) states.
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New South Wales: Burwood, Chatswood, Glendale, Greenhills, Liverpool, Mt Druitt, Narellan, Parramatta, Penrith, Settlement, Shellharbour, Wetherill Park, Zing Blacktown.
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Queensland: Aspley, Australia Fair, Browns Plains, Burpengary, Carindale, Chermside, Coomera, Forest Lake, Garden City, Ipswich, Kippa Ring, Logan Central, Robina, Stafford.
- Tasmania: Launceston. Western Australia: Midland.
- Victoria: Knox City.
Why is EB doing this now?
Because GameStop owns them, and GameStop has been actively trying to gain a stronger foothold in the TCG market for a while now.
If you recall, GameStop started buying and selling graded cards at select US stores in 2024. Then, in October of that year, it announced a collaboration with PSA that made it an authorised dealer and allowed grading submissions through its stores.
We expect EB Games Australia to take a similar approach in the coming months.
What are the conditions of the trade in?
EB Games have set out a strict set of rules for buying trading cards. The card must be in mint or near mint condition. Any bent, creased or highly played cards are immediately ineligible.
Oversized, double-sided and non-English cards are also not eligible.
Will EB Games buy graded cards in Australia?
Not yet. The Australian page covers singles only. GameStop buys PSA slabs at grade 8 and up in the US, so it's a reasonable thing to expect here eventually, but nothing's been announced.
Can I trade in Yu-Gi-Oh, Lorcana or Flesh and Blood cards?
No. Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and One Piece are the only games EB names.
Is 80% store credit better than selling it myself?
Per card, usually not, since a private sale gets you the full price. What 80% buys is that it happens today with no listing and no postage. Whether that trade is worth it depends on how much the card is worth and how much you hate posting.
Should you sell with EB Games?
For sub-$50 cards, it's worth considering, especially if they are slow movers. For anything valued more than that, or for a highly liquid card (think: Pikachu, Luffy, etc.), you would be much better off listing your cards online or taking them to a card convention. In our opinion, 65% cash is criminally low. Imagine trading in a $500 card and only getting back $325.
So where does this leave us?
We think a national chain buying singles is good news overall for the market. That being said, we'd like to see better cash trade-in rates, as there's a good chance a fair number of consumers will get ripped off if they're taking in cash at 65%.
Traded anything in yet? Were you satisfied with the experience? Did the market values make sense?
