GameStop CEO Auctions Rare Gaming Collectibles to Help Fund Wild eBay Buyout Attempt
The gaming and collectibles world just got a strange and fascinating twist. GameStop is making a move to acquire eBay, and while the deal is still up in the air, the campaign behind it is already turning heads.
At the center of it all is CEO Ryan Cohen, who’s taken an unexpected route to help push the idea forward by auctioning off pieces from his own collection of gaming memorabilia.
This isn’t just a business play happening behind closed doors. It’s unfolding in real time, and fans of retro games, collectibles, and oddball gaming history are getting a front-row seat.
On May 6th, Cohen dropped a post on X that instantly grabbed attention: “I’m selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay,” along with a link to his personal seller page.
It’s exactly the kind of tongue-in-cheek move that feels half serious, half performance art, and completely on brand for someone who’s already made headlines for auctioning off bizarre items in the past.
This time around, though, the stakes are much higher. Cohen listed over 30 items, ranging from legitimate gaming collectibles to items that feel more like inside jokes. Each listing also includes a copy of his letter addressed to eBay’s board, making sure every bidder knows this is tied directly to GameStop’s acquisition attempt.
Things got even weirder less than a day later. Cohen claimed he was temporarily banned from eBay, sharing what appeared to be a message stating his account activity was “putting the eBay community at risk.”
That didn’t last long. At the time of writing, his account appears to be back online, with all 36 listings active and attracting serious attention from bidders.
And honestly, some of this stuff is pretty awesome.
Among the standout items is a nearly life-size Master Chief statue from Halo, which has already climbed to $13,766 after more than 100 bids. There’s also a large Sam Fisher statue from Splinter Cell and a Vault Boy figure from Fallout.
For retro enthusiasts, there are boxed classics from the Nintendo Entertainment System era, including copies of Super Mario Bros. 2, Yoshi’s Cookie, and Metroid.
A lot of these listings already have well over 100 bids, and there’s still time left in the auction. So yeah, collectors are clearly paying attention. But Cohen didn’t stop at traditional collectibles. Some listings lean fully into the absurd.
If you’ve ever wanted to own a literal piece of GameStop, you can bid on a square of store carpet that’s already pushing close to $1,000. There are also authentic GameStop store signs salvaged from closed locations, plus merch like hats and mousepads, and even socks made the cut.
It’s a mix of genuinely cool gaming artifacts and items that feel like they exist purely because Cohen thought it would be funny. Somehow, that combination is working.
The bigger picture here is still uncertain. GameStop’s bid to acquire eBay hasn’t been approved, and the board still needs to make a decision. If it goes through, it could shift the collectibles market in a major way, especially in areas like trading cards and gaming memorabilia.
For now, though, this auction stunt has already done what it needed to do. It’s pulled attention, sparked conversation, and turned a corporate acquisition attempt into something fans can actually engage with.
Whether or not Cohen ends up owning eBay, he’s already managed to turn the situation into one of the most entertaining stories in gaming and collectibles right now.