The GameStop stapler that smashed a Switch 2 screen on launch day is being auctioned off for charity, and bidding has already broken $100,000

Nintendo Switch 2 console and staple, bundled for GameStop charity auction — (Image credit: GameStop)

You will recall that there was a bit of a fuss a month or so ago when an undoubtedly-harried GameStop employee stapled some customer receipts directly to Nintendo Switch 2 boxes—and through the boxes, and into the Switch 2 units themselves. It was all quickly resolved, without lawsuits or fistfights, and with the ugliness now behind it GameStop is looking to make some proverbial lemonade by auctioning off the Switch 2 killer for charity.

No, no, not the employee, the stapler—along with the Switch 2 console that got stapled (now fully refurbished), the staple-perforated box it came in, and even the actual staple that did the damage, "carefully extracted and preserved."

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Funds raised by the eBay auction are set to go to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and as bidding began to take off—the first bid came in at $9,999—Cohen, who seems to know a thing or two about promotion, said he'd include his underwear if the auction reached six figures. And so it is that his Fruit of the Looms were added to the package, because the $100,000 mark was surpassed just a few hours later.

That, naturally, necessitated a new promise.

If this reaches seven figures I will fly the winner to Miami, take them to McDonald's for lunch and personally deliver my preowned underwear — (Image credit: Ryan Cohen (Twitter))

Bidding currently stands at more than $111,000, and will likely be higher by the time you read this. Will this infamous stapler (and all the rest of it) actually draw that kind of coin when the auction is over? eBay terms and conditions notwithstanding, it's easy enough to just ghost a winning auction, and if there's one thing I've learned from being online for pretty much my entire life it's that not everyone is operating in good faith.

But the other thing I've learned is that some people online have too much money and not enough impulse control, so who knows? I'm not super excited about living in a world where some people can blow a milly-plus on a Switch 2 and a stapler and other people don't have access to basic health care, but at least the money in this case is going to a good cause. It's a small consolation but I take what I can get.

The GameStop Staplegate Charity Auction, as it's formally known, runs until July 16.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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