eBay Buying TCGplayer for $295 Million

<p><strong><span class&equals;"legendSpanClass"><span class&equals;"xn-location">SAN JOSE and <&sol;span><span class&equals;"xn-location">SYRACUSE&comma; NY <&sol;span><&sol;span><&sol;strong>&&num;8212&semi; eBay Inc&period; has agreed to acquire Syracuse-based TCGplayer in a deal worth up to &dollar;295 million&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Trading cards are an attractive category&comma; which has seen substantial growth&period; TCGplayer is a leading technology platform for the collectibles industry&comma; and will continue to operate autonomously as one of the largest online marketplaces for trading card games&period; This acquisition complements eBay&&num;8217&semi;s focus category strategy and furthers the company&&num;8217&semi;s commitment to trading card enthusiasts – providing eBay with strategic omnichannel capabilities like order fulfillment and cart optimization&comma; maintaining its position as a desirable platform for trading card sellers&comma; and enhancing the overall experience for all customers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;eBay continues to build on our 26 years of experience in trading cards&comma; powering local hobby stores and Main Street retailers to deliver an online destination that collectors love&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said <span class&equals;"xn-person">Dawn Block<&sol;span>&comma; VP of Collectibles at eBay&period; &&num;8220&semi;eBay has always fueled our customers&&num;8217&semi; passion in this space and facilitated connections between buyers and sellers&comma; and with TCGplayer&comma; we can enhance the customer experience across categories&comma; forge even more relationships&comma; and cater to enthusiasts around the world&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;This new chapter allows us to continue operating independently within eBay&comma; while also benefiting from their decades of industry experience and resources to deepen the connection between hobbyists and their communities&comma;&&num;8221&semi; said Chedy Hampson&comma; Founder and CEO of TCGplayer&period; &&num;8220&semi;With eBay&&num;8217&semi;s support&comma; we will advance our Purpose&comma; and expand our tools and services to improve the collecting experience online and in your favorite local hobby store&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>TCGplayer has grown from its initial roots working with <span class&equals;"xn-location">Syracuse<&sol;span>-based hobby stores into an expansive ecommerce platform&period; The Company develops applications&comma; inventory management tools and hardware like robotic sorting machines that are revolutionizing the collectibles industry&comma; connecting thousands of hobby stores and online sellers with customers and collectors around the globe&period; TCGplayer has made strategic investments in its team&comma; technology and products&comma; and growing demand in a strong hobby collectible industry&period; Today&comma; TCGplayer employs more than 600 team members&comma; serving millions of hobbyist buyers&comma; and tens of thousands of online sellers and brick-and-mortar retailers through the TCGplayer Marketplace and its Authentication Center&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Over the past two years&comma; eBay has introduced significant products and enhancements that are important for buyers and sellers in the trading cards and collectibles category&period; With recent launches like eBay vault&comma; the company is delivering a more seamless experience – offering benefits like instant transfer&comma; authentication&comma; insurance&comma; affordable shipping and a tax-free storage location – and giving collectors peace of mind and unprecedented control over their assets&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;