Job cuts often follow a major accusation, and while sometimes they are immediate, other times they take some time to play out. eBay’s TCGplayer is now facing layoffs after the company made a $295 million acquisition of the online card trading marketplace back in 2022. The eBay job cuts in 2025 will affect 220 workers as a result of the company’s decision to move its operations away from the authentication center in Syracuse, New York, to Louisville, Kentucky.
From early reports, the job cuts will not affect remote Syracuse employees but we do not have a headcount of these remote workers. An official closure date of August 22, 2025, has been set for the transition. eBay’s warehouse layoffs have sparked a storm of outrage as unionized workers claim this is a clear attempt at union busting, relocating jobs to a region where the company will no longer face union demands.
The TCGplayer staff fired in this sudden move claimed that the company has invested in multiple attempts to hold off on setting out the terms of the collective bargaining contract with the workers, who are backed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union. With eBay closing TCGplayer’s Syracuse location, all the claims of unfair labor practices could now go away. eBay has denied all allegations of stalling negotiations.
eBay’s decision to proceed with the TCGplayer authentication center layoffs bring heavy tidings for workers. (Image: Pexels)
eBay TCGplayer Layoffs Announced—Union Accuses Company of Ulterior Motives
eBay acquired TCGplayer for $295 million in 2022, to expand its business further into the game card trading industry, marking it as an “attractive category” to seek growth. By 2023, the workers unionized under CWA Local 1123, but they were met with continued resistance from the e-commerce platform.
Now, the eBay TCGplayer layoffs will remove any concerns around union activity by shifting the business to a location where it can hire freely among non-unionized workers without repercussions. The news came as a surprise to workers who thought eBay was just conducting its regular monthly company meetings. The news of the TCGplayer Authentication Center closure was unexpectedly announced during these discussions.
For its part, eBay has addressed the labor controversy by explaining that the decision to relocate was to gain “access to logistics infrastructure, location, and expertise [it] needs to sustainably serve and invest in the hobby community for years to come.” The company clarified that consolidating operations with its eBay logistics center in Kentucky was an essential business decision and that it will continue to care for its people during the transition. Employees are understandably unconvinced.
eBay Union Busting Accusations Take Center Stage—Negotiations Were Never on the Table
As the first union at eBay, there was no precedent set by other union groups on how to bring the company to the negotiation table. Workers spent over 600 days trying to get the company to lay out a contract. Employees told Spectrum News 1 that many were left in tears following the announcement, and they were escorted out by security personnel with no time to gather their thoughts or belongings. The use of security guards to ward off employees has been discussed as “psychological warfare” by Zach Freeman, a member of TCGunion-CWA Local 1123.
This is not the first time eBay has been accused of union busting. Back in 2023, the union filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over claims that the company had unfairly fired an employee for union activities. The charge also mentioned that the company was illegally surveying pro-union employees and threatening workers who had similar beliefs. Employees claimed they were targeted for union clothing and workers were forced to attend captive audience meetings that aimed to discourage them from pursuing union representation.
“Not only are eBay and TCGplayer violating labor law, the company is undermining its workers’ rights to union representation, fair wages, dignity on the job and the ability to support their families. TCGPlayer needs to stop these attacks and commit to bargaining a contract in good faith.”
—Sara Steffens, CWA National Secretary-Treasurer on the LRB filing
eBay Warehouse Layoffs Spark Outrage but Little Can Be Done
Employees staunchly believed that the company wanted to remain a union-free corporation and as such, making the necessary job cuts in 2025 was not a difficult decision for eBay. Workers also pointed out that the minimum wage in Kentucky was half the rate in New York, which meant a win for eBay all around. Free from contract negotiations and supported by lower pay, the company could stand to gain from the move, despite the temporary economic impact of shifting operations.
eBay’s Syracuse closure is being met with continued resistance, but it is unlikely that worker protests will be able to keep operations open locally. The unfair labor practices charges filed with the NLRB could offer hope, and workers are still organizing rallies to keep our attention on the matter. Online, there is considerable chatter about eBay’s labor controversy, with some customers vowing to close their eBay accounts. However, TCGplayer is one of the most important platforms for hobby card traders, so it is unlikely that the business will be largely impacted by the negative attention.
Union busting is largely frowned upon, but it is a common practice at organizations that want to remain free from the shackles of collective bargaining rights for workers. From Amazon to Trader Joe’s, many organizations have previously faced such accusations. While the NLRB addresses some of these claims, companies are often able to get away with such practices. These next 60 days will be difficult for the employees affected by the eBay TCGplayer layoffs.
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