PSA acquires eBay Vault, eBay acquires Goldin Auctions

Some hobby heavyweights are teaming up ... for good.

eBay announced on Wednesday that "a series of transactions" are in place that include the sale of Goldin from Collectors to eBay, and the sale of the eBay Vault to PSA.

"The differentiated and complementary strengths of the respective companies will support more streamlined buying, selling, grading and storage experiences for all who participate in the trading card hobby in the United States," read the company's announcement. "These deals represent a compelling opportunity to accelerate innovation in the industry and enable game-changing benefits for collectors. Together, eBay and PSA will offer a full, seamless, customer-centric product experience for the collecting community that will be unveiled over the coming months."

Each company's CEO offered their thoughts with the moves.

"eBay is relentlessly focused on providing the best inventory and the highest level of trust for our global community," said eBay's Jamie Iannone. "The deals announced today further our mission of reinventing the future of e-commerce for enthusiasts, and we are excited to partner with PSA to offer a simpler, more personalized experience for passionate collectors. PSA is a premier player in trading cards and collectibles with unmatched capabilities, and our shared expertise will inspire even more people to sell, shop and collect with confidence."

"This will benefit the hobby above all else, which is the primary goal of this innovative partnership between eBay and PSA," said Collectors' Nat Turner. "We will drastically improve the collector experience by creating a seamless, end-to-end journey. No matter an individual collector’s goals, this partnership will make collecting safer, easier and more fun. We’re excited to combine the scale and trust across eBay's global marketplace with PSA's authentication and grading expertise."

"We see so much opportunity ahead with eBay, and I am incredibly excited for this new chapter for the Goldin brand," said Ken Goldin, Founder and CEO of Goldin. "This deal will enhance and expand our reach as we continue to do what we do best – source incredible collector’s items – and connect with millions of enthusiasts around the world. I am looking forward to an amazing future with eBay."

Among the plans are a streamlined process where PSA "will introduce a new service offering to allow customers to list and sell trading cards on eBay at the time a card is graded, accelerating time-to-market and quality of listing. Existing options for grading and sale will remain available." And Goldin's presence with eBay "will enhance existing marketplace offerings by expanding the range of inventory available to customers and opening up an expansive new audience for Goldin sellers."

The eBay Vault will have "no immediate changes to the services provided for a period of time post-closing" and afr that "PSA will fold its existing vault services along with eBay’s vault program, into a newly branded offering with further details coming, including integrated selling and grading services."

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