TCG Player, now owned by eBay, is trying to unionize again

Workers at TCGplayer, the popular marketplace for Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Workers at TCGplayer, the popular marketplace for Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are trying to unite again. Workers there would have created the first union after eBay acquired TCGplayer last summer. Before filing to the National Labor Relations Board, workers submitted the petition to management on Wednesday morning.

TCGplayer workers had previously attempted to unionize with Service Employees International Union, (SEIU) in March 2020. The petition was later withdrawn several days prior to the vote. This time, they’re trying with Communications Workers of America, which has partnered with tabletop and card game retailers Noble Knight Games and Card Kingdom, and a growing number of video game studios in other unionization efforts.

It will have more than 285 non-managerial employees in the authentication center. This includes jobs such as shipping, sorting and quality research. These people will touch every card that comes through TCGplayer.

Polygon reached out to TCGplayer, eBay and other interested parties for comments.

“The eBay acquisition was a fire under a lot of people,” inventory specialist Lindsey Gancasz told Polygon. “It encouraged a lot of people to start thinking about unionization. The last union efforts didn’t succeed, but people have still been focused on creating a better workplace for everyone. I love — and I know a lot of my coworkers love — the place we work. We want it to remain a great place to work despite all the unknowns. With the union, we can get those conditions in writing and advocate for ourselves.”

CWA provided assistance after workers organized again in 2022. They’re looking to secure better pay and benefits that can’t be arbitrarily taken away; increased transparency over hiring and promotions; and, in general, have a say in how they’re compensated and treated for their labor. Pay hasn’t kept up with inflation, workers said, and they want management to acknowledge how it’s impacted the people that keep things running.

“Unions are important in every industry,” shipper generalist Jennifer Bonham told Polygon. “It’s the workers on the ground level that are responsible for a company functioning. It’s humane for us to have a seat at the table and determine what conditions, what compensation, what benefits we have.”

TCGplayer was a major marketplace for trading card cards since its inception. As trading card interest soared, TCGplayer’s business expanded exponentially. TCGplayer founder and CEO Chedy Hampson announced in a news release in 2021 that it raised $35 million in funding with “triple digital growth” over the previous year. Ebay purchased TCGplayer in October 2022, which was once an opponent, for $295million. TCGplayer currently employs over 600 workers in its business. The storefront is still an independent entity. TCGplayer’s office is in Syracuse, New York.

Over the years cards have seen a rise in their value. Many wanted to capitalize on this popularity. After being overwhelmed with card submissions, Professional Sports Authenticator, a card grading company had to suspend its services in 2021. While card values are down since the peak of the pandemic in 1918, some cards continue to fetch top-dollar.

Since TCGplayer was founded in 1998, it has authenticated more than 115 million trading cards — 32 million in 2021 alone — on top of everything else the company does and sells. The authentication center employs 280 employees who process every card. There is also a lot of physical stress from the repetitive work involved in packing and shipping thousands.

“We are experts in our field,” Gancasz said. “We go through specialist training to do what we do. This involves specialist training and a great deal of knowledge. We know our jobs best, and we want to be heard and be part of the decisions that are made.”