This is a Member Guest Blog Post from PopaTop22. He would probably admit himself that he spends too much time with Funko Pops but that allowed him to formulate opinions on how to get around the ever increasing flood of fakes.

As Funko Pop collecting continues to grow, so does the market for counterfeit figures. While some replicas are easy to spot, others can closely mimic the originals, making it essential for collectors to know what to look for. Here are the top tells of a replica Funko Pop and why using a reputable grading company like PSA is crucial for ensuring authenticity and preserving value.

Top Signs of a Replica Funko Pop

1. Box Quality and Print

Authentic Funko Pop boxes have clean, vibrant printing with no blurring or color inconsistencies. Check for:

• Misspelled words on the packaging.
• Incorrect fonts or logo designs.
• Lower-quality cardboard or uneven folds.

Here are some examples  –

Check out the Pop’s PPG Database Item page to see if one of the volunteers has already added Fake photos and other fake related info!

2. Sticker Authentication

Special edition or exclusive Pops often have stickers on the box (e.g., Comic-Con exclusives). Fake stickers may look off due to poor alignment, color mismatches, or incorrect wording.

3. Paint and Mold Details

Examine the Pop itself:

• Authentic figures have precise paint jobs and clean edges. Replicas often have sloppy or inconsistent paint applications.
• Check for rough or uneven molds, as counterfeits often lack the fine detail of genuine items.

4. Bottom of the Box and Figure

Look for the Funko copyright information and serial numbers:

• Legitimate Pops have crisp, consistent stamps or prints.
• Counterfeits may have missing, misspelled, or low-quality markings.

5. Price Too Good to Be True

If a rare Funko Pop is priced significantly below market value, it’s a red flag. Always cross-check prices with PPG before making a purchase (if Price Points are not recent check also with other sources).

The Role of PSA in Funko Pop Collecting

Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is a trusted name in the collectibles industry, providing authentication and grading services for Funko Pops. Here’s why using PSA can elevate your collecting experience:

1. Ensured Authenticity

PSA’s experts meticulously inspect each Funko Pop to confirm its legitimacy, protecting collectors from unwittingly buying replicas.

2. Condition Verification

PSA grades Pops based on box condition, figure integrity, and overall presentation, giving collectors confidence in their purchase.

3. Value Protection

A PSA-graded Funko Pop adds credibility and transparency to its market value. Graded figures are easier to resell and often fetch higher prices due to their certified condition and authenticity.

4. Long-Term Preservation

PSA encapsulates graded Funko Pops in tamper-proof cases, ensuring long-term protection from damage or wear.

Why Authenticity Matters

Counterfeit Funko Pops devalue the collectible market and can leave collectors feeling cheated. By educating yourself on spotting fakes and using a reputable grading company like PSA, you can build a collection that holds its value and reflects your passion for authentic collectibles.

Invest in your collection’s future by ensuring every piece is genuine and graded — it’s a decision you won’t regret.

And if you can help by adding Fake photos to PPG reach out the team here!

The post Spotting a Replica Funko Pop: Tips for Collectors and the Role of PSA in Authenticating Your Collection appeared first on Pop Price Guide.

That includes more than 7,000 Funko collectibles added to PPG within the last year!

We have tons of new and fun features planned for the coming year, all designed to maximize your Funko collecting experience.

And you can play a part in the excitement as a member of the PPG Squad and / or as an investor in our latest round of PPG Crowdfunding.

Even More Comprehensive Funko Coverage

Our mission since Day One has always been to provide the most complete Funko database and price guide possible.

In addition to newly released and announced items arriving earlier in the guide, we’ll be expanding our database even further with more Sticker Variants, Autographed items, and lots more Prototypes. And Customs! And you can not look at any of these if you do not want to…

P.S. – there are some pretty neat Custom Pop!s out there from some extremely talented artists. We recommend giving them a look. Stay tuned for more!

You will find us also adding more background info, for example data-driven articles such as the Top-10 Most Valuable SDCC Pop!s and others from some of the best collectors out there, such as Javier Serrano’s the History of the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. More about this here and contact us if you are a writer and have a story to tell!

All the Price Points!

An expanded price guide doesn’t end when we simply add new items to the database.

Last year we were able to provide some diversity in the guide by incorporating price points from the likes of Mercari, many new auction houses, and our first very select Whatnot vendor. In 2023, we’ll be adding new Funko Specialist Auction House prices (PPG has some plans here as do some of the bigger Collectible Auction Houses) and more properly vetted Whatnot sources.

Also, keep an eye out for –

• How do values for Loose items in near mint/ mint condition sound?
• We’re also planning to create a new button that will allow you to update your collection value in real-time (would you want that?).

Find more about PPG’s role in reporting what currently feels like ever-increasing Estimated Values here.

Price Patrol and PPG Squad

Our PPG Squad are also getting some spiffy new tools to keep prices even more up-to-date.

Our team has developed new features to allow our hobbyDB Squad Curators to amend Subject Pages (where you’ll find your favorite franchises, characters, designer, series, etc.) and items much easier.

Have you flagged an item that we need to tend to? Our expanded team and features have us aiming for close to a 1-2 day turn-around when it comes to resolving Flags. And thus ensuring an ever more accurate guide (thanks to everybody that cares and flags – there are a lot of you!).

The Price Patrol is our newest tool that allocates certain Funko POPs to our most experienced Squad Members. They then “patrol” a specific area of the Price Guide that matches their expertise. They check Price Points for quality, flagging and removing any that don’t meet our quality standards, and adding new Price Points to each item so the Estimated Values in their section of the Price Guide stay up to date.

Stop Fakes!

We’re always looking for the best ways to combat fake items and prices from finding their way into the guide. In the coming year, you’ll find hundreds of new images (such as the one of Captain Rex below) depicting fake items on PPG to help you delineate between fake and authentic Funko items.

Top Grades?

We believe Graded items will play a major role in the future of collecting Funko Pop! figures (here is more on that). In addition to lots more Graded items in the guide, we’ll also be adding Estimated Values for Graded items and the ability to add Population reports.

Check out our recent partnership with the grading service PSA by clicking here.

Lots More to Come!

You can also factor in faster site speed, more PPG Marketplace tools, allowing you to add barcodes to your POPs and have the App find them (maybe put the barcode on the protector if you want to have it graded, LOL), and more improvements for the PPG mobile experience.

Plus, if time allows us, more currencies for collectors around the world (you can find our complete Roadmap here).

Hey, maybe we finally get to do PPGcon!  You can see why we’re truly excited about what lies ahead in 2023.

Get Involved

We could not do any of this besides our valiant Squad Members.  Thanks, Gals and Guys!

And we want you to be a part of it!  Follow this link to see how you can become an owner (and investor) today via our latest round of PPG Crowdfunding. Want to bring your expertise to the guide? Give our PPG Squad a look here!

As always, we’re open to questions, concerns, and kudos by messaging us at support@hobbydb.com!

The post Pop Price Guide Road Map to Success in 2023 appeared first on Pop Price Guide.

After investigating (and many, many discussions in the Squad Facebook Group and with others in the wider Funkosphere), we believe that there is also something new. With an influx of new collectors in the space, we’ve noticed new buyers appearing on the scene who are willing to make purchases at a multiple of the current PPG Estimated Values. This has led to lots of confusion and we thought it would be good to explain what our role is when it comes to this current trend.

Over the last few years, we experienced similar sea level changes in other collectible segments such as sneakers, video games, and trading cards (and in NFTs, but we’re going to leave that one for now ). For Hot Wheels, we saw price influxes for Datsun and Gasser models, while increases for video games and trading cards were up to 80x during their peaks.

New Price Records every month

And it has happened before. From Tulips to Beanie Babies (here is an article on that).

Longaberger Baskets, Franklin Mint Plates, and David Winter Cottages
all skyrocketed in value in their days

Longaberger sold more than $1 billion in baskets in 2000 and created this headquarters!

A lavish (or wacky) Head Office tells a lot of the story!

Our money is on this theory – as some of those segments that were on a high have started to see prices trending down, collectors (and new folks that are better described as investors than collectors) are trying to put their money into new segments and these guys often have an understanding and appreciation of grading.

Funko grading really only started with PSA joining the market a few months back and we estimate that less than 3,000 graded have been graded so far. The idea here is to buy the very best ungraded POPs, and have them graded, which then ultimately experience big value increases (see our post about Ms. Marvel where the first Graded 10 copy commanded a 15x increase over the ungraded Estimated Value).

So we’ve been asked a lot, where does PPG come in?

PPG’s role is one of a reporter, i.e. figuring out if the transaction actually happened. The Squad and our team are working super hard on that.

Once we can confirm the authenticity of a transaction, our role is not to make value judgments or question the buyer’s motives.

For those of you who are new to PPG, or who would like a quick refresher about how the price guide works and what kinds of price sources we include, we encourage you to read this quick article Types of Price Points and Price Sources.

What is the outlook for this segment then?  There are two possibilities here.

1. This is a fluke and Estimated Values will come down again. There are only 5 to 10 buyers that believe prices will continue to go up.  OR
2. This is the new normal and prices will remain at a much higher level with many more new and old buyers thinking this is here to stay.

We think we will find out when 10,000 more Pop!s have been graded and offered for sale.  In the meantime we will be doing our job, adding every qualifying Price Point (read all about that here) and showing you all the data that we have to help you make your own conclusions.

The post Big Funko Price Increases – a Fad or the New Reality? And What is PPG’s Role? appeared first on Pop Price Guide.