GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen Banned From eBay for Listing Acquisition-Related Items

He later said he was selling items on the site to help fund the purchase, posting a screenshot of his seller page that included baseball trading cards, video games and other merchandise. If all listed items sold at their top bids, the total would exceed $138,000.

That amount represents a minuscule fraction of the $56 billion deal value. GameStop's current market capitalization stands at about $11 billion. The company has secured a $20 billion financing commitment from TD Bank toward the potential acquisition.

Questions remain about how the remainder of the funding would be secured. Within hours of Cohen's initial post, his account named ryan_5050 received a warning from eBay that he had exceeded the platform's monthly limit for posting items totaling more than $50,000.

Less than 10 hours later, the account was permanently suspended. Cohen shared screenshots of the suspension notice on X and wrote that he was on the phone with customer support. As of Thursday, his seller page still appeared visible on the site although access remained unclear.

A GameStop spokesperson directed Fortune to Cohen's posts on X, saying they speak for themselves. An eBay spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

Investors questioned the latest move by Cohen, whose unsolicited bid surprised many. Michael Burry, who gained fame from "The Big Short," said earlier this week he was selling all his GameStop shares. Burry expressed concern that the deal would significantly increase the company's debt.

Cohen is known for bold business maneuvers. He founded Chewy, which he sold to PetSmart for $3.5 billion. During the meme stock surge of the early 2020s, his firm profited $68 million from a stake in Bed, Bath & Beyond. He first took a position in GameStop in 2020 and became CEO in 2023.

Since then he has closed stores and reduced staff by about 4,500 employees as part of austerity measures. The company's market value has risen from $1.3 billion in 2021 to nearly $11 billion.

" He said eBay is a business that is under-earning and could generate significantly more profit. "GameStop is a good blueprint for that," Cohen stated of the potential turnaround. The company is scheduled to review the offer this week. " — Ryan Cohen on X, May 2026 (Fortune) The suspension occurred after meme stock enthusiasts bid up prices on Cohen's listed items, including old GameStop signs, a mug, carpet squares and a pair of worn Adidas crew socks that reached bids near $14,000.

Each buyer was promised a signed copy of the offer letter sent to eBay's board along with free shipping. The episode highlights the unusual intersection of meme-driven retail investor enthusiasm and traditional corporate acquisition strategy. Cohen's approach has both energized supporters and drawn skepticism from longtime investors concerned about financial risks.