GameStop CEO proposes $55.5bn takeover of eBay

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Known more widely for their unusual stock price in modern times, GameStop has seen a steady decline as the go-to retail space for US gamers. In what feels like an attempt to stay relevant to the uninformed onlooker, the company's CEO Ryan Cohen has sent an unsolicited offer to buy eBay, with him intending to serve as the CEO of the to-be combined company should it be accepted.

You can find the letter detailing his plans below.

Proposal Letter said:
Dear Chairman:

GameStop Corp. (“GameStop”) is proposing to acquire all common stock of eBay Inc. (“eBay”) at $125.00 per share. We have accumulated a 5% economic stake in eBay through derivatives and beneficial ownership of common stock and are filing a Schedule 13D and HSR notification tomorrow.

Our offer is $125.00 per share, comprising 50% cash and 50% GameStop common stock, with full shareholder election rights as to consideration type and pro-rata allocation. That represents a 46% premium to eBay’s unaffected closing price on February 4, 2026, the day GameStop started accumulating its position in eBay, a 27% premium to the 30-day VWAP, and a 36% premium to the 90-day VWAP. Aggregate undiluted equity value is approximately $55.5 billion. The transaction is conditioned on customary closing conditions.

eBay spent $2.4 billion on Sales & Marketing in fiscal 2025 and added one million net active buyers (134M to 135M). We will take $2 billion of annualized costs out within twelve months of close: $1.2 billion from Sales & Marketing, $300 million from Product Development, and $500 million from General & Administrative. Since 2021, GameStop has gone from a $381 million net loss to $418 million of net income, with SG&A down ~$800 million (47%).

On cost reductions alone, eBay’s diluted GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations would increase from $4.26 to $7.79 in year one. GameStop’s ~1,600 US locations give eBay a national network for authentication, intake, fulfillment, and live commerce.

GameStop had ~$9.4 billion in cash and liquid investments as of January 31, 2026. The cash consideration will be funded from cash and liquid investments on GameStop’s balance sheet and third-party equity and debt financing, which will be fully committed at execution of definitive documentation. A highly-confident letter from TD Securities for up to $20 billion is attached.

Our Board unanimously supports this proposal.

Following close, I will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company. I will receive no salary, no cash bonuses, and no golden parachute – I will be compensated solely based on the performance of the combined company.

Ryan Cohen
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
GameStop Corp.

At the time of writing there has been no public comment on the proposal from eBay.

:arrow: Source
 
Gamestop, go home your drunk.
Leave Ebay alone and go make your own Ebay that no doubt will be horrible and we'll just ignore it.
That or make a good one of your own and learn from your mistakes and issues to make a good one but nah that be silly.

Gamestop could make a better brick and mortar shops if they tried.
They kind of monopolize the space and they still can't do better?
I wouldnt trust them cause of that but I guess they are good at staying alive if not a bit creepy the way they do everything else.
 
it's probably our fault they are so rich now because of ridiculous prices like THIS here! (btw eb games is gs here)
They aren't rich, their market cap is $11B, only about a quarter the size of eBay at $42B, and that's after artificially boosting it with several rounds of store closures and layoffs. This buyout would be severely over-leveraged if it happens, meaning whoever is financing it behind the scenes would end up owning the merged companies in their entirety after any small mistake. The bank backing it is located in Canada, but if I had to venture a guess, the origin of the money is once again Saudi Arabia.
 
Well eBay certainly is one of the best ways to buy games. But it's not the cheapest way to get games. If you want to get games for free all that you have to do is this message has been removed by the moderation staff.
Ah, yes. The old “epic games” and “extract them from firmware of retro consoles” methods!
 
you know what sucks about ebay, not only do they double tax but they also charge fees on top of tax. ebay's going to take a huge dive some day.
Sellers can't give negative feedback to sh*tbag buyers who deserve it and if they [buyers] want to return it, they will by making up fake excuses. I sell on eBay and while it's very rare, when it happens it's very annoying and frustrating.

Now, I've set "Buyer pays return" (unless the item is falsely advertised, which I don't do). Friggin' eBay has had years to fix all this bs.
 
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This is worse than people realize.

Once this acquisition is finalized, Collectr is going to buy GameStop. Collectr is owned by PSA! It's a cascade effect to monopolize the used game market, and we CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!
 
This is worse than people realize.

Once this acquisition is finalized, Collectr is going to buy GameStop. Collectr is owned by PSA! It's a cascade effect to monopolize the used game market, and we CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!
Very few systems where the used games market isn't fucked already, but if the Trump economy has taught us anything, it's that it can always get worse. Can't believe how lucky I was to focus on building my collection between 2014 and 2018.
 
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Sellers can't give negative feedback to sh*tbag buyers who deserve it and if they [buyers] want to return it, they will by making up fake excuses. I sell on eBay and while it's very rare, when it happens it's very annoying and frustrating.

Now, I've set "Buyer pays return" (unless the item is falsely advertised, which I don't do). Friggin' eBay has had years to fix all this bs.
I bet you if gamestop buys ebay, we will see higher fees amongst other problems. It will be the beginning of the end of ebay.
 
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Very few systems where the used games market isn't fucked already, but if the Trump economy has taught us anything, it's that it can always get worse. Can't believe how lucky I was to focus on building my collection between 2014 and 2018.
The last 6 years I've been building up a mighty N64 and SNES collection of games I had as a teen, and also games I always wanted. There's very few I need now, and they're all the expensive ones. Luckily Uniracers plummeted in price and I snagged a "like new" copy for just $20 last year. I still need a copy of Kirby's Dreamland 3 for SNES, but scalpers and collectors are being dickheads about it for some reason. It's a very common SNES game, and a first-party one at that. I don't get why it costs so much.
 
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