Fans of hard-to-find video game titles are turning to Temu to track down the discs, cartridges, and boxed sets many thought had disappeared from store shelves. The platform has become a surprising hub for collectors, anime enthusiasts, and small shop owners looking for niche or legacy games—often buying in bulk.
One Miami-based seller, A2Z Games, has seen this surge firsthand, with orders on Temu quickly matching or outpacing other sales channels over the Fourth of July holiday.
"We did 150 orders in three days—just on Temu," A2Z Games founder Jonathan Blain, 26, said of the launch. "It matched the combined volume of our other major channels for that same period."
Most of those sales were for physical video games—plastic cases, discs, and cartridges in a category many considered obsolete. U.S. sales of physical games have fallen sharply, dropping about 80% since 2008 to under $2 billion a year, according to some industry estimates.
But to A2Z, and its fanbase, physical media still matters.
"Digital's convenient, but you don't really own it," Blain says. "People want something tangible—especially collectors, parents, or anyone with slow internet."
Blain has been a gamer all his life. In 2019, while doing his MBA, he started selling online and later renamed the business A2Z after he graduated in 2020. What began with a few eBay listings grew into a business focused on spotting what many sellers overlooked—buyers who value nostalgia, physical collectibles, and niche franchises. By 2020, he had signed deals with distributors and built a growing product range. Today, A2Z ships more than 500,000 items a year and sells on all major marketplaces, with Temu seeing the fastest growth.
"Temu came out of nowhere," Blain says. "But their team worked directly with us, helped optimize listings, and the results were immediate."
Temu offers bulk order options, fair fees, and tools designed for sellers. This has made it a good match for A2Z's lower-cost, high-volume titles.
"The fandoms on Temu—whether anime lovers or collectors of rich, story-driven games—are loyal to specific franchises and often buy in bulk, typically four to six different units per order," said Blain. "This bulk buying behavior is unique to Temu and helps us optimize our shipping margins and overall profitability."
"These are people who love their franchises. If they're into 'Attack on Titan,' they want the game, the merch, maybe even multiple platform versions. Temu makes that kind of browsing and bundling easy," he said, referring to the hugely popular Japanese manga and anime series that has inspired action titles released for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
The Temu platform's structure has helped A2Z diversify from single-unit buyers to orders from indie retailers or anime-themed shops that discover the brand via Temu. "We started noticing business addresses on labels," Blain said. "That's when we realized this channel could go beyond consumers."
Across the broader industry, A2Z's growth also reflects a subtle but significant trend: the resurgence of physical gaming culture. While digital downloads dominate headlines, millions of players continue to seek out boxed games for their resale value, suitability as gifts, nostalgia, and sense of permanence. Platforms like Temu, which support fandom-based discovery and bulk buying, are helping it easier for fans of all persuasions to find what they need and nurture their passions.
A2Z's 2,000+ SKU catalog includes budget titles, legacy franchises, and hard-to-find third-party games that might not trend—but they sell steadily.
Collectors, in particular, are discerning. "They want the shrink wrap intact, the barcode untampered, the cover art aligned," he said. "For them, it's more than a game—it's a display piece."
Traditionally, the fourth quarter is peak season for physical game sellers. But Temu's promotions and year-round volume have changed that rhythm.
"In just one month on Temu, we sold over 3,300 units," Blain said. "That's not normal for Q3. It's changed how we plan inventory and manage cash flow."
With fewer fees, transparent pricing, and curated campaigns, Temu gives A2Z more margin and predictability. It also means they can test bundles, push overlooked titles, and run campaigns outside of typical retail cycles.
A2Z grows by using both online reach and a real-world warehouse. All products pass through its South Florida warehouse for quality checks before being sent to shipping partners or straight to customers. With more orders from business customers coming in from Temu, Blain is now looking at selling wholesale to small shops across the Americas.
"We believe physical media will continue to thrive, especially among loyal fans and collectors," Blain said. "The nostalgia, the sense of ownership, the ease of use without worrying about storage—those are things digital formats simply can't replicate."
