YouTuber Lee 'Leonhart' Steinfeld Tests GameStop's Pokémon Card Trade-In: Walks Away With $157 For $328 Haul

May 21, 202420:42 UTC

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YouTuber Lee "Leonhart" Steinfeld decided to find out how GameStop‘s GME new Pokémon collectibles program works.

What Happened: Leonhart — touted as the ultimate Pokemon cards unboxing channel on YouTube — visited one of the few test sites for GameStop’s new program near Dallas.

Arriving early in the morning, he handed over a selection of his Pokémon cards, including a Miriam trainer and a full art Squirtle from the Scarlet and Violet set, Kotaku reported. He wanted to see how the store would appraise them and what they would offer.

"These are cool," the GameStop employee said as he examined the PSA graded cards in their acrylic cases. The employee admitted he wasn't familiar with the grading process, asking: "So how does this whole grading thing work?"

GameStop announced the trade-in program earlier in the month, rolling it out quickly without extensive training for employees.

To appraise the cards, employees scan codes on the graded cases, which pull up images and potential values. However, they must also follow an eleven-point checklist to verify authenticity and detect fraud.

Why It Matters: In the video, the GameStop employee ended up calling a supervisor for guidance. He examined the cards, held them up to the light, and checked for tampering, but the process seemed subjective.

"It looks purely vibes-based," Steinfeld noted.

Before visiting, Steinfeld estimated the value of his cards using recent eBay Inc EBAY listings. The offers from GameStop varied widely; he received $157 for cards he believed were worth $328, about 50% of their estimated value.

While this might not seem great, it’s better than trading in games—GameStop only offers $20 cash for a $70 new game like Stellar Blade.

Selling graded cards to GameStop might seem odd, especially when platforms like eBay or Meta Platforms Inc’s META Facebook often yield better prices. See video below:

Image created using photos from Shutterstock.