Pokémon cards are already way more expensive than MSRP at GameStop, but the retailer still isn’t done squeezing out every possible dollar from the collector-market frenzy. Since last year, the video game retailer has been selling something called ‘Power Packs,’ which are small sets of cards compiled by GameStop itself. Earlier in April, GameStop followed that up by launching a digital version of Power Packs, which allows users to buy and trade digital versions of physical cards.
So why would someone willingly purchase repacked cards, a practice that allows resellers to pocket the most valuable cards while still making a profit from duds? What GameStop is selling is certainty. Packs come in different rarities, denoted in colors such as silver and gold. The cheapest Power Pack is $25, whereas the rarest packs cost $2,500. Expensive packs hold the best cards, but there’s no guarantee that a Power Pack will contain a good card. There’s only a chance at a better card.
Like the physical packs, digital Power Packs allot a random assortment of cards to the user. These digital cards correspond to real-world cards held by PSA, the grading service that has teamed up with GameStop. Once a player opens a pack online, they can sell or continue storing the cards inside a digital vault. If a card is sold, ownership transfers to the purchaser — without neccesarily shipping the item to them. It’s kind of like owning stocks — except that by some (potentially dubious) measures, the value of Pokémon cards outperforms the current stock market.
Another selling point for Power Packs is convenience. Users have the option to either sell cards to other people or to sell them back to GameStop for 90% of their estimated value. This buyback program offers less than a user could get from the wider marketplace, but it’s also instant. In doing so, users avoid the hassle of writing a listing, taking pictures of the card, and doing marketing to find a buyer. Power Pack owners also don’t have to worry about the time-consuming process of having their cards verified or graded, as every card has already been evaluated by PSA.
