Well hey, what do you think about them buying eBay? eBay seems to think a lot of the value is in verification - grading cards, authenticating watches, shoes, handbags. GameStop has a similar business in collectibles and could provide eBay with a physical footprint that would let a lot of that verification happen easier, in-store.
I honestly don't know anything about ebay these days to comment on them but many many people have tried to make a business of providing a storefront for ebay in the past and they've basically all failed so I don't think that bodes well for the main offering Gamestop has.
Also Gamestops verification business is not done in stores AFAIK. I'm pretty sure they've just partnered with PSA to allow you to drop off cards at stores but they are sent away to be authenticated. The stores don't really add any value for most people in this transaction and add a potential downside in that there are multiple reports of Gamestop store employees stealing cards handed over for grading.
Training retail employees to be proper verifiers seems like a huge risk and a huge cost since you need to train them up on how to handle everything where with centralised grading locations you can have specialists(think antiques roadshow).
The verification stuff is minimal. That's not where eBay makes it's bulk of money but it's a reasonable growth area. There's a huge opportunity though for eBay or someone to tie several loose ends and concepts together and have a serious competitor to Amazon.
