Funko Pop Values in Australia: Exclusives, Vaulted Pops, Chase and Fakes

MV Guides · Funko Pop

Most Funko Pops sell for about what they cost new. A few sell for many times that. The difference is nearly always one of a handful of things printed on the box, plus the condition of the box itself.

1. Know your Pop: the number and the line

Every Pop has a number on the box, usually top right, and belongs to a line like Pop! Marvel, Pop! Television or Pop! Rocks. The same character can have several different Pops, so the number and the line are how buyers tell them apart. Put both in your listing.

2. Stickers: exclusives and conventions

A sticker on the front of the box can change the value a lot:

• Store exclusives, made only for one retailer. In Australia you'll see EB Games and Zing exclusives, alongside overseas ones like Hot Topic, Target and the Funko Shop.
• Convention exclusives from San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con and others. These are often made in small numbers, and the convention versions sell for more than the "Shared" sticker versions released through shops.
• Special finishes: glow in the dark, flocked (fuzzy), metallic, diamond and chrome. These usually have their own sticker too.

3. Chase and vaulted Pops

• Chase: a rarer version of a Pop, packed randomly in with the normal ones. It has a "Chase" sticker and usually a different paint job or finish, and it's worth more than the common version.
• Vaulted: Funko "vaults" (retires) Pops, which means no more are made. Once the shop stock sells out, prices for popular vaulted Pops tend to climb.

4. The box is half the value

Pop collectors care about the box nearly as much as the figure. A box with sharp corners, no creases, a clear window and no sun fading is "mint", and sells for more. Check for:

• Dented or soft corners, creases and tears.
• Scratches or dents in the plastic window.
• Sun fading, which happens fast on a sunny Aussie shelf.
• Stickers peeling or price tags stuck on the box.

Keep Pops you care about in soft plastic protectors, and your best ones in hard acrylic cases. A Pop out of the box ("loose") is worth much less than the same Pop boxed.

5. Spotting fakes

• Fake stickers are the most common trick: a convention or chase sticker stuck on an ordinary Pop. Compare the sticker with confirmed genuine ones of the same Pop: size, font, colours and position.
• Bootleg Pops: blurry box printing, spelling mistakes, missing licence and copyright text on the box, sloppy paint, and a figure that looks slightly off compared with official photos.
• A rare Pop for a common price, or "brand new" stock of a long-vaulted grail, is a warning sign.

6. Signed Pops

A signature only adds value if it can be proven. On MVCollect, a signed Pop needs a certificate from PSA, JSA or Beckett (BAS) to be listed.

7. Price it from real sales

Look up what the same Pop number, with the same sticker, actually sold for, and ignore asking prices. Many sales are overseas in US dollars, so convert to Aussie dollars before comparing. MVCollect's Market Value guide shows real sold prices under Funko Pop as sales come in.

8. Post it so the box arrives mint

Put the Pop in a protector, wrap it in bubble wrap, and post it in a sturdy box with padding all round. Never send a Pop in just a satchel, because the box gets crushed. On MVCollect, Pop postage is worked out for you, with a separate rate for larger Pops.