TCGplayer, the leading technology platform for the collectibles industry and operator of the largest online marketplace for trading card games, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which TCGplayer will acquire ChannelFireball and BinderPOS, uniting the most iconic brands in the trading card game (TCG) industry.
Launched in 2009, ChannelFireball established itself as the premier content provider and events coordinator for the TCG industry, providing professional strategy advice to millions of TCG collectors, hobbyists, fans and players, and hosting large-scale competitive tournaments around the world. In 2020, ChannelFireball merged with BinderPOS — a leading inventory management and point-of-sale (POS) solution for hobby stores — to create CFB Group. Today, hundreds of retailers around the world rely on BinderPOS as an inventory management solution, which processes approximately $200 million of gross merchandise value (GMV) on an annual basis.
“Together with ChannelFireball and BinderPOS, we will deepen the connection between collectors and retailers via online and physical store channels, accelerating a strategy that has been front and center to us since our founding,” said Chedy Hampson, Founder and CEO of TCGplayer. “For the first time ever, TCGplayer will provide a comprehensive POS solution that seamlessly connects a hobby store’s inventory to the TCGplayer Marketplace while also enabling the sale of any collectible on their store’s shelves — including comic books, sports cards and board games. As a combined entity, we will also merge the industry’s best content with the world’s largest marketplace for TCGs. By bringing together our world-class expertise, infrastructure and scale in this way, we expect to deliver value to our community in new and exciting ways.”
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Hampson continued, “As a combined company, we will work together to advance TCGplayer’s Purpose — connecting hobbyists to communities to relentlessly improve the exchange of things and thoughts that fuel their passions. This Purpose is core to both companies and critical to creating a shared organization with a common goal of empowering sellers and delighting hobbyists across the collectibles universe. We have long admired the ChannelFireball and BinderPOS team and look forward to welcoming this talented group of professionals to TCGplayer. I am confident that through this combination, we will create enhanced opportunities for team members, hobbyists, sellers and all our shared partners.”
“By combining with TCGplayer, ChannelFireball and BinderPOS will enhance our ability to serve the TCG community, joining a team with a shared vision, culture and complementary strengths,” said Jon Saso, President of CFB Group. “The ChannelFireball and BinderPOS team should be incredibly proud of what we have accomplished and excited for the opportunities ahead of us as we join with TCGplayer. I look forward to working with the TCGplayer team as we bring our companies together.”
“This transaction marks an exciting milestone for ChannelFireball and BinderPOS,” said Josh Grant, CEO of CFB Group. “Joining forces with TCGplayer will position us to deepen our commitment to local game stores, expand the platform’s reach, and create a larger and more diversified company with a shared TCG legacy. Together, we will have a larger and more meaningful impact on our community, and I look forward to seeing all that we accomplish as part of the TCGplayer team.”
Under the terms of the agreement, TCGplayer will acquire CFB Group’s BinderPOS, its ChannelFireball content arm, the ChannelFireball Marketplace and its ChannelFireball Events operating segment. The combination will deepen the value TCGplayer, ChannelFireball and BinderPOS will be able to offer hobbyists, retailers and collectors, allowing the combined company to unite and integrate its complementary features for the benefit of the collectibles industry. Additionally, the transaction will accelerate TCGplayer’s vertical expansion strategy, taking the Company beyond its core trading card game business and into new hobby collectible categories like comic books and sports cards.
Compelling Strategic Benefits
As a result of this transaction, the combined company expects to:
- Deliver collectibles-focused SaaS solutions that empower retailers in-store and online. Retailers will gain access to a comprehensive POS solution that facilitates the sale of any collectible on a store’s shelves while directly connecting a store’s inventory to the TCGplayer Marketplace. Over the long-term, as the TCGplayer Marketplace expands into new verticals like sports cards and comic books, the Company expects to scale the BinderPOS offering to enable a seamless inventory and pricing sync between a retailer’s in-store and online inventory.
- Unite the most influential content brands in the industry. By connecting TCGplayer’s industry-leading pricing data and the industry’s best content writers from ChannelFireball’s content arm and TCGplayer Infinite, the combined company will offer more diverse content, including data-driven insights, and content for the casual hobbyist, professional player or avid collector.
- Enhance the collectibles customer experience with unrivaled subscriber rewards. This transaction will create a one-stop-shop for hobbyists across the collectibles ecosystem, providing customers access to the largest selection of TCG products and content while extending the power of TCGplayer’s industry-leading authentication and fulfillment services to a broader section of the market. As a result, the companies will create unrivaled value for subscribers, delivering on the full potential of both organizations.
The transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks and TCGplayer will provide an update on the combined entity’s go-forward corporate structure as integration plans are implemented. During this time, the TCGplayer, ChannelFireball and Binder POS teams will ensure all new and existing users experience no platform or service disruptions.
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