It’s easy to trade funko pops with others; however, you must be aware of the risks and learn how to do it safely.
Our guide explains what you need to know to trade funko pops, the average trade-in value of funkos and why someone would trade their funko collection.
Let’s start with the basics:
Can You Trade Funko Pops?
You can trade funko pops in exchange for other funkos or collectibles. Typically, a funko pop trade is when talk parties agree to exchange a funko pop. It’s even one-for-one and often negotiated ahead of time.
By participating in a trade, you are looking to gain a collectible value equal to or better than what you have; however, sometimes, you could trade for something with less value.
Trading funko pops isn’t always about the value it’s worth; it can also be about how the collectible makes you feel when obtaining it for the first time.
Why Exchange a Funko Pop Online
As a collector, highly desirable and rare collectibles are sometimes challenging because they’re with other collectors. However, opening yourself up to being willing to trade your grail funko pops introduces you to other collectors willing to trade theirs.
In other words, a common reason a collector would be willing to trade their funko pop is that it allows them to find an equally rare or better collectible.
Here are a few other reasons why you may want to trade your funkos:
- Have a chance to get a new or different funko you haven’t had before and want now.
- To get a collectible for someone else you couldn’t buy directly.
- Avoid using cash or investing more into the hobby but to still enjoy it.
Sometimes it’s as simple as not wanting to add more cash into their collection but looking to increase the value of their collection.
When To Trade In Funko Pops
Deciding on when you should trade in a funko pop depends on what you are willing to let go of and what you want in return. When trading a collectible, you are focusing on risk and reward. Start by asking yourself a few questions:
- Will you regret or miss the funko pop you are trading?
- Do you have a duplicate or another funko pop?
- Why would what you get to be better or equal to what you have?
When trading funko pops, it’s less risky to exchange a collectible that you have a less sentimental attachment or emotional connection to for years.
Additionally, it’s better to trade collectibles you no longer want or need due to circumstances. You’ll want to weigh the risk by determining how much better or worse you’ll feel after completing the trade.
While you may not get the equal or better collectible in terms of monetary value, you’ll still get a highly desirable collectible and something you want.
What Are The Risks Associated With Exchanging Funko Pops
Trading funko pops can be risky if you do not take the proper precautions and do it correctly. List all the risks you need to be aware of before engaging in trading funko pops.
1. Switching Real Funko Pops for Fake Funko Pops
A collector who makes trades online must check the photographs in detail before they agree to make the trade final.
However, after reviewing the photos, the exchanger can sometimes send a fake funko pop. To avoid this, you want to ask for the ability to return the item if there’s damage or it doesn’t meet expectations.
Some collectors who have been trading online for a while are willing to go that extra mile to ensure both parties are happy with their trade.
2. Funko Pops Do Not Get Shipped
Collectors who make trades online must ship their funko pops and ‘trust’ the other exchanger will also ship what they agree on sending.
However, sometimes those exchanges go wrong because one exchanger does not ship the original collectible.
It’s frustrating to deal with these situations because there’s no actual protection, and you may not get the original collectible back.
3. Get a Lower Value Funko Than The Originally Request
You may ask for a funko pop trade, and the exchanger sends you a different funko than your original request. It’s not often that this happens, but scammers take photos of the original funko pop and send you something different.
You could agree to exchange an exclusive funko pop, and they send you a familiar funko pop of the same character.
Even though they are technically the same characters, different collectibles still have drastically different values. Or worse, they send you the same character but a different year.
For example, a Naruto Shippuden Metallic Gaara Hot Topic Exclusive Funko Pop goes for around $26, and instead, the seller sends you a Naruto Shippuden Garra Common Funko Pop.
How to Exchange Funko Pops Online
Trading funko pops can be a great way to get highly-desirable funko pops. However, learning how to trade funko pops starts with understanding how vouchers work and finding an online community you can trust.
What’s a Funko Pop Voucher?
It’s when multiple individuals share their experiences when dealing with a buyer. If you can hear from multiple sources that someone is not a scammer and trustworthy, it becomes easier to make a trade between both parties.
Look for at least five voucher individuals who can confirm that they’ve had a good experience dealing with them.
Then, all you need to do to find vouchers is to post a thread within the community asking if anyone can ‘vouch’ for the individual before you trade with them.
Some communities keep lists of individuals who are already safe to trade with and have a history within the group. It’s best to trade with people with a track record, which requires asking around to determine if that track record is positive or negative. Start by private messaging individuals to find out more information.
Where to Exchange Funko Pops
The most popular places to trade in funko pops is the following:
- Facebook Groups
- Twitter or Instagram
- Discord
Although, most collectors go to GameStop to trade in their funko pops.
Can You Trade In Funko Pops at Gamestop
You can trade funko pops at Gamestop for cash or in-store credit. The amount will vary depending on which funko pop you are trying to trade. It’s essential to research the value of your funko pop using the funko app, so you can know how much it’s worth and get the most in negotiations.
Funko Pop Trade in Value Gamestop
When trading in funko pops at Gamestop, you can expect to earn less when trading in for cash than when you take an in-store credit. Typically, Gamestop and local shops will give you 35% to 42% of the item’s worth. Subtract an additional 5% to 7% when customers trade for cash.
For example, if a funko pop’s retail value is $35, you’ll get $12.25 of in-store credit or $10.50.
Of course, as a collector, you know you can earn more by selling a funko pop through a third-party website like Mercari or eBay when choosing the cash option. However, some collectors prefer in-store credit and are happy with those numbers.
What’s the Average Funko Pop Trade-in Value
Here’s a chart of the average funko pop trade-in value you may receive. Of course, it’s subjective to change depending on which collectibles you bring and the store you visit in person.
Low end
- Funko Pop Price = $35
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- $12.25 in-store credit
- $10.50 in cash
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- Funko Pop Price = $25
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- $8.75 in-store credit
- $7.50 in cash
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- Funko Pop Price = $15
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- $5.25 in-store credit
- $4.50 in cash
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High end
- Funko Pop Price = $35
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- $14.70 in-store credit
- $12.25 in cash
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-
- Funko Pop Price = $25
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- $10.50 in-store credit
- $8.75 in cash
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- Funko Pop Price = $15
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- $6.30 in-store credit
- $5.25 in cash
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-
However, when you make trades outside of Gamestop with others, you can use the retail or sold eBay price as the end value and trade at those values.
For example, you may have bought that original funko pop at $25; however, it sells on eBay for $55, and now you can trade for another funko pop worth $55.
If you’ve enjoyed reading about how to trade funko pops online, you may also like:
- How To Open A Funko Pop Store
- 3 Reasons Why Retailers Restock Funko Pops
- How to Organize Funko Pops (7 Ways)
