When Jonathan Blain launched his first Temu storefront over Fourth of July weekend, he didn't expect to match three years of growth in three days. But that's exactly what happened when anime fans and retro game collectors discovered A2Z Games's catalog of hard-to-find physical titles.

"We did 150 orders in three days just on Temu," said Blain, 26, who founded the Miami-based gaming retailer in 2020. "It matched the combined volume of our other major channels for that same period."

The orders revealed something Blain hadn't seen on other platforms: customers buying four to six games at once, often multiple versions of the same title across different consoles. These weren't casual shoppers—they were collectors building libraries around specific fandoms.

The Fandom Factor

"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," Blain explained. "This bulk buying behavior is unique to Temu and helps us optimize our shipping margins and overall profitability."

Take "Attack on Titan" fans for example: they'll buy the game for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, plus related merchandise, all in one order, he said. Temu's browsing and bundling features make this kind of completionist shopping intuitive.

Platforms like Temu, which support fandom-based discovery and bulk buying, are making it easier for fans to find what they need. For A2Z Games, which specializes in budget titles, legacy franchises, and third-party games that major retailers ignore, this behavior transformed the business model. The company's 2,000+ SKU catalog found its perfect audience through Temu's lower fees, transparent pricing, and curated campaigns.

Physical Games Find New Audience

The global retro gaming market reached $4.38 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $6.1 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research. A2Z's experience echoes this, and has found its niche of retro collectors wanting everything else around the game itself too.

Their customers are exacting: they want shrink wrap intact, barcodes untampered, cover art perfectly aligned. "For them, it's more than a game—it's a display piece.

"Digital's convenient, but you don't really own it," Blain said. "People want something tangible."

Perhaps most surprising was who was buying. "We started noticing business addresses on labels," Blain said. "That's when we realized this channel could go beyond consumers."

These weren't stores looking for the latest blockbusters. They were specialty retailers catering to specific fandoms, using A2Z as their source for hard-to-find titles. Temu's platform, with its bulk purchasing options and competitive fees, made these B2B transactions seamless.

Breaking the Holiday Cycle

Blain, a lifelong gamer, started selling online in 2019 during his MBA. What began with eBay listings evolved into distributor deals by 2020. Today, A2Z ships more than 500,000 items annually across major marketplaces, with Temu showing the fastest growth and changing the company's entire business rhythm.

Traditionally, physical game sellers live or die by Q4 holiday sales. “But 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."

The platform's fee structure allows A2Z to test bundles, promote overlooked titles, and run campaigns year-round. More importantly, it connected them with customers they never knew existed.

"Temu came out of nowhere," Blain said. "But their team worked directly with us, helped optimize listings, and the results were immediate."

Expanding Beyond Retail

All products pass through A2Z's South Florida warehouse for quality checks before shipping. With more business customers discovering the brand through Temu, Blain is now exploring wholesale opportunities to small shops across the Americas.

"We're seeing steady streams of both collectors and commercial buyers discovering us through Temu," Blain said. Physical games aren't a dying format, they're a misunderstood market finally finding its home through the right channels.

"We believe physical media will continue to thrive, especially among loyal fans and collectors," he added. "The nostalgia, the sense of ownership, the ease of use without worrying about storage. Those are things digital formats simply can't replicate."