FUNKO POP RESOURCES

The resale value of Funko Pops is what attracts many collectors, not necessarily that people are only in it for the money, but it’s nice to know that the ‘collectables’ you purchase could potentially increase in value over the years. If every Pop was available at retail price and half of that on the secondary market then Funko wouldn’t be where it is today.

The vast majority of standard sized ‘common’ Pops are sold in the UK with an RRP of £10, but just because something isn’t stickered, exclusive, or limited, it doesn’t mean that they won’t become very rare. Some great examples are the original Thor, Loki, Iron Man, Riddler, Penguin, Beatles, Michael Jackson, Ursula, Cheshire cat, and many more from various licences. Even if you’re lucky enough to find them for sale you can expect to pay hundreds of pounds for some.

If we could offer any advice it would be to just collect what you love, buying purely for investment is very risky and the market is very unpredictable, we never know what will be vaulted, and we rarely get told the amount that are produced. 

Placing an actual value on old and vaulted Pops can be tough, there are several apps and websites which claim to calculate the value but these can be confusing as the prices can vary massively depending on location. Pop price guide have a great system in place to get an overall estimated value on your entire collection but when it comes to valuing just 1 item for resale we’d recommend using ebay completed sale to see what people have actually sold theirs for, we’ve created a basic search tool that helps you do that.

Funko Pop communities are one of the things that has made Funko as popular as it is today. There’s 100’s of forums and Facebook groups available all around the world. From buy/sell groups to auction or raffle groups, general chat groups and everything in between.

As mentioned above we created one of the UK’s best Facebook community groups back in 2015, we have tens of thousands of active members mainly from the UK, but we also have a lot of international members from all over the world.

If you’re looking to buy rare Pops, sell your collection without paying fees to someone like ebay, have a look at other peoples collections, share your own collection pics, or just have a chat and connect with like minded people then our group is for you..

We also have an auction specific group where you can buy or sell Pops in auction format, great for anyone struggling to place a fixed value on their Pop, or for helping people to find Pops for bargain prices..

• Funko was founded in 1998 as a bobblehead company.
• In 2005 Funko was sold to the current owner, Brian Mariotti.
• Over 100 different licences including Marvel, DC, WWE, Paramount, Dreamworks, Hasbro, WB, Disney, NFL, BBC, Cartoon Network, AMC, Star Wars and lots more.
• Approx 70% of Funko’s revenue comes from Pops alone.
• Funko’s mascot is Freddy Funko who has also been made into lots of different Pop figures. You can always tell a Freddy Funko as he always wears the symbolic crown. These are often produced in very low quantities, sometimes as low as 12.
• The Funko warehouse holds over 1 million figures.
• Funko has 15 other lines of stylised figures… Dorbz, Fabrikations, Vinyl Idolz, Mystery Minis, Mopeez, Hikari, Legacy Figures, Re-action Figures, Pocket pops/keychains, Super Deluxe Figures, Vinyl Vixens, Wacky Wobblers, Vinyl3, Rock Candy, and Pop Soda.
• Funko have also extended their Pop merchandise into T-shirts, bookmarks, pens, water bottles, board games, jigsaw puzzles and more!
• Funko’s slogan – “If it ain’t Funko, it aint fun!”
• Former products include: Spastik Plastik, Blox & Funko Force.
• Pops were originally announced as ‘Funko Force 2.0’. 4 characters were produced (Blue Batman, Black Batman, Batgirl & Green Lantern) in a very limited quantity and packed in a clamshell style case. These currently sell for over £1000 each.
• The most popular pop is Batman.
• One of the rarest and most expensive standard pop is Alex from Clockwork Orange with only 12 commons and 12 chases ever made, both versions sell for thousands of pounds. The rarest set ever made was the black and white Beatles Pops with just 10 sets in existence, all signed by Brian. No sales of these have ever been recorded so the value is unknown.

As collecting habits and tastes change over time nearly all collectors will at some point want to sell some or part of their collection. Below are a few tips to help you get started.

• First and foremost you need to know how much your Pops are worth. As detailed in our guide above there’s several ways of making sure you know the value of your Pops.
• The next thing you need to consider before even listing your Pops for sale is packaging. A lot of Pop collectors will have boxes lying around the house but in our experience we’ve found it’s much easier packaging with brand new materials. These are relatively inexpensive and make the chore of selling much easier. You will need boxes, bubble wrap and parcel tape. Below are links to the best quality and value for money recommendations which are used by many people who trade in Pops.

Boxes: click here to browse current availability (12x9x6 fit 2/3 pops perfectly and these still go as a small parcel. 9x6x6 is perfect for one pop with plenty room for bubble wrap)

• Now you have your prices and your pops are ready to be packaged and sent to their new homes, you need to decide where to sell your Pops. The obvious choice is eBay as it’s a huge marketplace with lots of buyers however, you will be hit with 10% eBay fees and 4% PayPal fees for any items you sell. The cheaper option is to list within a Facebook community group where there are thousands of active buyers and you will only pay the 4% PayPal fees.
• Next up before you list your items for sale is to calculate the postage costs. You can get a quote from Royal Mail here. If you have lots of low value Pops it’s often a good idea to bundle them up, with the right packaging materials you can post 3 pops for the price of 1. Some couriers offer good deals too, but we find that they often treat parcels a bit rougher and we see a lot more damaged Pops.
• The most important step of all is creating an informative and accurate sales post. If your Pop is flawed in any way, it’s always worth being honest up front. It may decrease the value slightly but it will stop complaints from buyers. Always include close up and detailed photos.
• Once your Pop sells whether it be through Facebook or eBay, always make sure you are payed via PayPal Goods and Services (not Family & Friends). PayPal protect both the buyer and the seller against fraud.
• Time to pack and post your pop. Pops should be wrapped in at least two layers of bubble wrap and any void spaces within the box should also be filled (not too tightly). We normally use, bubble wrap, newspaper, old wrapping paper, or packing peanuts. Always write your sender house number and postcode in small writing on the side or reverse of the parcel.
• When you take your pop to the post office, always make sure you use a ‘signed for’ service. 1st or 2nd class standard post will cover you for a cheap pop. If selling something more expensive you can use a special delivery service for a few pounds more. The cashier will provide you with a receipt which will include the tracking number. Most buyers appreciate seeing this once the item is sent. Always make sure you keep this as it’s proof of delivery and will also cover you for any possible losses.

One of the most common questions we see within the community is “Where can i buy….”, obviously the answer varies depending on which Pop you’re looking to purchase.

For single common Pops it’s better to buy from either a local shop, or a large retailer like Amazon or PIAB. Independent retailers and private sellers often have to pay full postage costs which are usually £4-5, adding 50% onto the price. Larger companies usually have better postage contracts so can soak up the costs and offer free delivery.

If you’re looking for rare or vaulted Pops then Facebook groups and ebay are the best 2 marketplaces. With ebay caution is needed because there a lot of fakes on there, just bear in mind that if a price looks to good to be true then it probably is, and generally avoid under priced pops being shipped from China.

Always make sure you research fully before committing to any expensive purchase, make sure that the buyer has a good reputation and knows how to package properly. Also make sure that you’re shown lots of pictures, damage to boxes can change the value dramatically.

You can use our ebay search tool to get a rough estimate of what other people have paid for the same Pop.

Finally when buying from outside of Europe you need to consider import costs. VAT, duty, and fees. Currently if you import any item that has a marked value of £15 or more than you” have to pay 20% of the total cost (including shipping), plus an £8 fee to the royal mail. If its a larger item delivered by Parcelforce then the fee goes up to £12. For example if your item is £14 plus £10 postage there’ll be no import fees to pay, but if the item was £16 plus £8 postage then you would have to pay £4.80, plus £8 RM fee.

One of the main international sellers for Pops is Popcultcha, they offer a lot of exclusives and first to market items at retail prices, they’re based in Australia so import fees are potentially payable on any order more than 1 single Pop.