While the vendor hall is a great place to buy games, there is another place within Gen Con where thousands of games and other items can be purchased. This is the Gen Con consignment store.
The consignment store is a place to buy items that other people attending Gen Con have offered to sell – items they’ve consigned. The consignment store contains a plethora of new and mostly used items ranging from board games to collectable cards to gaming miniatures to toys and other various things. Like going to a garage sale, there are often great deals to be found, especially on older games. Within this article, I cover the details that make the consignment store unique and mention a little about both the buying and selling aspects. This is intended as a high-level overview as part of my series on Ten Things for Newbies to Know About Gen Con.
The When and Where of the Gen Con Consignment Store
The consignment store is located in the same area as the Gen Con auction; however, it generally has its own entrance. To purchase in the store, you simply need to have a Gen Con badge. I mention this because to purchase in the auction, which is next to the consignment store, you must also purchase a bidder card. The auction is a topic for a future post.
The last couple of years the consignment store has been located on the second floor of the Marriott – the regular Marriott, not the JW Marriott. You can get to there by crossing the walkway near the food court on the north side of the convention center. Once entering the Marriott, proceed forward, take a left, then take a right. This will put you at the entrance to the Marriott Ballrooms 5-6. If you keep going straight, you’ll end up at the rooms where most of the Writers Symposium sessions are located, but that’s also a topic for another post.
Gen Con Newbie Tips: Be aware that the Marriott and the JW Marriott are two different hotels next to each other. Also, when looking at the Gen Con map of the area (like the image below) be aware that North is down (at the bottom).
When you get to the consignment store, be aware that there might be a line. Like the vendor hall, people will arrive early to get to be one of the first into the store area. Additionally, the number of people in the store is limited to avoid it being too crowded.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: The line for the consignment store will be longest first thing in the morning. The line can also be long around the time the vendor hall closes. The Saturday morning line tends to be the longest because that is when the best deals can be found.
Consignment store line at 9:35 am on Saturday August 2, 2025
Bags are not allowed in the consignment store. As such, if you have a bag or backpack, you will need to check it at the entrance. This is a free service. You give them your bag and they will give you a token. You return the token to get your bag back after you’re done shopping and have paid for your items.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: If you don’t have a bag, you will often be able to get into the consignment store quicker. If the bag slots are full, then people with bags will have to wait until a slot open before they can check their bag and enter. Those without bags won’t have to wait for this. As such, not bringing a bag, or leaving it with a friend or family member not entering could save you some time when the store is busy.
The posted hours of the consignment store for 2026 follow. Note these are subject to change:
- Thursday from 10 am to 10 pm
- Friday from 9 am to 10 pm
- Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm
They stop entry 15 minutes before closing time and they try to get people out quickly once it does close. Note that the consignment store is not open on Sunday. On Saturday, they close promptly at 7:00 pm because they need to close out all sales before they can start the Gen Con charity auction that is scheduled for 7:00.
Consignment Store Pricing
Sellers set the price for the items they place in the consignment store up to a maximum price of $100. As a buyer, you’ll find a tag on each game or other item that lists three days: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each day will have a price listed. In some cases all three prices might all be the same, however, in most cases, it is more likely the price will go down each day in hopes the product will be sold. For example, I have a game worth $50 on resell markets that I’ll list for $30 on Thursday (which is a great deal). I’ll list a Friday price of $20, then I’ll do a Saturday price of $10, which is basically giving the game away. As a buyer, you can choose to buy at the current day’s price, or you can take a chance and wait to see if it is still there the next day. This daily price dropping is why there is generally a long line before the store opens each day.
For my listing, all the prices are really good, so it is very possible it will sell on Friday. Some sellers list a high price on Thursday hoping it will still sell but then include more reasonable prices on Friday and Saturday. As a buyer, if it seems like a good price, then you are best to not wait because there is a good chance others will agree it is a good price and buy it without waiting.
Gen Con Newbie Tip: If a price seems good on a product in the consignment store, it is best to not wait for the next day in hopes of getting it at the lower price. While you might be able to get it, someone else is likely to get it before you!
Gen Con Newbie Tip: The consignment store is an area open to the Gen Con auction as well. As such, you can hear and see what is happening in the auction. If you have a bidder card, you can actually bid on an auction item while shopping. You might have to make some noise to be seen, but if you wave your bidder card high, they will happily take your bid!
NOTE: It has been posted that there is a buyer’s premium if you pay by credit card of 3%. This is to cover processing costs. Also note that starting this year sales tax will be added to items purchased in the consignment store. The current rate on general merchandise is 7%.
How the Gen Con Consignment Store Works for Sellers
Anyone attending Gen Con can sell items in the consignment store; however, you must register the items in advance. Additionally, you need to drop off the items on Wednesday or early Thursday, which will generally require waiting in a line with others dropping off items.
You register items to be sold at https://www.bigmalletauctions.com. Not all items registered will be approved. Submitted items need to fit within the theme of Gen Con, gaming, and such. For this year (2026) you have until July 26th to register items for the consignment store. (Note that auction registration ends a week earlier on July 19th). It is worth repeating: You must register items by July 26th if you want them considered for inclusion in the consignment store. You cannot simply bring items to sell that are not pre-registered.
It is beyond the scope of this post to get into all of the details of submitting and the approval process. It is, however, a relatively easy process. There is an online form to fill out for each item. This includes what the item is, a description, and pricing for each of the three days as well as a few other basic pieces of information. From the website you will print a ‘sales store tag’ with this information that you will attach to the item. This is what buyers will see to know how much the item is.
The fee for selling in the store is $1 per item plus 10% of the final sell price. When you drop items off, you will be charged $2 per item rather than just the $1. The extra dollar will be returned when the item sells. If the item doesn’t sell, then you forfeit the added dollar to Gen Con. As an example, if a person sells a game for $10, Gen Con will make $2 (the $1 tag fee plus 10% of $10) and the seller will get $8.
It is important to note that the Gen Con fees go towards supporting the Gen Con charity partners. This year they are Immigrant Welcome Center and Super Heroines, Etc. (SHE).
Sellers can pick up payment for their items as well as retrieve any unsold items on Sunday. Sellers also have the option of donating any unsold items and having a check mailed if they don’t want to take the time on Sunday to collect.
Final Thoughts on the Gen Con Consignment Store
Like the other posts in this series, this post is just a high-level view of the consignment store. Like many other things mentioned regarding Gen Con, doing a walkthrough of the consignment store should be a part of your overall Gen Con experience. Doing this on Thursday will give you an idea of the vastness of items being offered up for sale. Going back on Saturday afternoon will give you an idea of the scope of items actually sold. Not everything sells, but quite a bit does. Most of what is left at the end are things that were overpriced even on Saturday. For the most part, when the consignment store ends, you can be assured that thousands of games and other items will be going to new homes.
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