Another year of San Diego Comic-Con has begun and Funko collectors are anxiously awaiting the SDCC Exclusive Drop. SDCC has always been known as a huge dropping day for Funko pops. New York Comic Con, of course, comes in a close second! For days now, Funko has shown off on their social media accounts all the exclusives they will have to offer and how many of each they will have. The less made, the harder it is to get, and the more valuable it will be for collectors. Along with SDCC exclusives, Funko is hosting Funko Fun Days down near the convention for the lucky Funatics who could get tickets. At this event, Funko usually give out more Funko pops and prototypes. This year will be the first year that Fun Days will be live-streamed for the world to see. Even Conan O’Brien gets his own special version of pops every time he makes his yearly trek to San Diego. SDCC Funko Exclusives are a big deal folks!
The easiest ways to get the pops is to be there at SDCC. But unless you got tickets months ago and you won the convention lottery, you are probably in the same boat as everyone else. You will have to be fast and ready to go. Some of the most serious collectors even take Thursday and Friday off to be on their A-Game. So as an avid Funko collector myself, I’ve put together my list of tricks to get the pops you want!
Do Your Homework
Funko has been releasing pictures for WEEKS telling everyone exactly what will be available. Not everything is being released exclusively at San Diego Comic Con! Retailers like Game Stop, Hot Topic, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walgreens, FYE, and Walmart are all known to get their own SDCC exclusives. By doing your homework in advance, you are saving yourself time and energy. Figure out where your favorites are being released so you know where to do. At first, aim to try and do online release first. This will mess with your sleep schedule but if you miss the online release, you can then head to the store. Here is a current version of where Funko Fans think the exclusives will be released:
Source: Funko Pop Nerds YouTube
Pre-Order
Items always go up the week before the SDCC for pre-order at various vendors. If you can catch them while they are available, DO IT! This saves you a lot of time and energy down the line!
Follow The Right People
Social Media is crawling with Funko collectors! People are always looking to sell, buy, or just want to show off their collection. There are even certain accounts on social media that you can follow who track when items go live! If you have your notifications turned on when an item goes live, they will post and alert you on where to find it online. One of my personal favorites is funkofinderz on Instagram!
Get in Line
90% of pop finding luck is going out there and trying to find it “in the wild”. Sometimes it sucks. I admit that I hate being outside Target at 5am but when you want a giant Thanos you do what you have to. SDCC pops usually drop at retailers the day that SDCC starts. So if the online release doesn’t work, plan on getting in line EARLY! In the Bay Area, California, Funatics are known for getting in line at malls as early as 5AM to get pops. Most retailers also have specific rules on how many you can purchase that way it’s fair for everyone, so be prepared.
Keep Your Cool
The reality is that vendors only get a certain amount of pops and there is no guarantee EVER! There are some horrible people called Flippers who buy out vendors just to put them on eBay for three times the price. Sometimes the vendor runs out as you’re next in line to purchase or even worse it’s super damaged. It sucks, but there is no excuse for being rude and mean. I’ve been in plenty of situations where things didn’t work out for me. But I’ve had wonderful situations where the people I meet in line end up helping me out days later with the pop I needed. Be good to the fellow Funko collectors around you never know who will help you out.
It’s Okay!
Sometimes, you aren’t lucky and you don’t catch that ONE pop you wanted. There are other ways to get pops than through vendors. Ebay is always one option to go for SDCC exclusives. In my experience, most of the pops are being sold way over their value, but it’s truly up to the buyer on how much they want that pop! There are also a variety of wonderful facebook boards where you can sell or trade your pops like Funko Trading by PopVinyls.com. Make sure you read all the rules on the boards BEFORE you post because each group is different!
We hope your SDCC Exclusive Funko Hunt is successful this year! Let us know what you are searching for this week in the comments and make sure you share your Funko hunting experiences with us on social media!
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