This is the debut of our new series highlighting the great collectors, unique retailers and people of interest from across the world and FunkoVerse.

Our first visit brings us to Italy and Affari da Nerd, led by Funko enthusiast Luca Piva. Luca founded Affari da Nerd, or Nerd Business, in 2017 and has since developed into an authority on all things Funko with more than 23,000 members. 

Click the logo to visit the Affari da Nerd site!

Luca and Affari da Nerd share with us some thoughts about the Funko market in Italy, its exclusives and biggest events, as well as how their community of collectors has grown.

Over to you, Affari da Nerd!

Italian Funko Pop! Collecting: Birth and Development

– Birth in Italy: although the Funko Pop! was born in 2010, the figurines began to spread rapidly in Italy between 2015 and 2016. This is because the Funko company was virtually unknown in Europe until then, except by niche collectors.

Also thanks to the work of Affari da Nerd, which brought to Italy guides, reviews, and advice on Funko products, a community of passionate collectors was created, which gradually grew over the years, having the Telegram channel affaridanerdFUNKO as a reference point.

– Since there was no Funko Europe store until recently, the first official Italian retailers were essentially the big chains, also known internationally. The most important ones in the periods 2016-2020 were Pop in a Box, Amazon, Gamestop and EMP.

– Funko exclusives today are mostly sold directly by Funko Europe itself, although occasionally we find Pop!s with Amazon or Gamestop exclusive stickers. Other Italian stores that collaborate closely with Funko (Such as Multiplayer.com) can sometimes get exclusives; they are however valid only for the Italian market (excluding Funko Europe, which sells Europe-wide, so it might still have that product in its store).

– The most important fairs in Italy where you can find exclusive Funko products are definitely the fairs that have Funko Europe’s official booth. These include: Lucca Comics and Games-which has had a dedicated booth since 2020; Napoli Comicon; Milano Games Week; and Romics.

This is where all the latest Funko products are sold (including exclusives with the fair’s stamp). During these fairs, however, it is possible to find private vendors who specialize in selling Funko Pop!s. They mostly hold old and/or rare pieces with stamps, thus sold at higher prices.

– ADN Funko Community: the themed channel ( and community) was started by Alessandra, a doll collecting enthusiast since childhood, who found in the Funko Pop! product a passion in 2015, later turned into a real job.

In January 2019, in fact, the Affari da Nerd project already started in 2017 together with Luca-expanded by opening a Telegram channel entirely dedicated to the world of Funko Pop!: Affari da Nerd FUNKO. On it mainly we report discounted Funko Pop! products and promotions from official Italian Funko retailer stores.

In addition to that, it talks about news, Funko announcements, guides and insights for collectors. The Nerd Business community of Funko collectors is currently the largest in Italy and boasts over 23,000 members.

*Photos courtesy of Affari de Nerd

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