Funko figures...worth waiting for?

[Gingerbread]

I don't have any of the Funkos. Well, I have one bighead Twi, and that's about it.

The problem I have is money. They cost money, which I don't tend to have much of. So I've  decided I'll wait and buy them secondhand in a couple years time. People get bored with collecting stuff all the time, and MLP is ridiculously popular right now, so I figure there will be a glut of secondhand MLP rattling about on eBay in the not too distant future.

Will this happen? Or are Funkos always going to be ridiculous sort-after and I may as well resign myself to the fact that unless I win the Lotto I'm never going to get them all?

[CupidStrikes]

Oh absolutely. Though, I don't know what the situation in the UK will be, given they're a bit of a pain to get hold of here and how many places charge so much for them (I've seen the regular ones for sale priced around £60) so I don't know if they'll end up as cheap as in the US where they're around £10-15. I have seen some for around a tenner on Amazon UK (and Amazon US will ship here for about £5ish and their courier sorts out import VAT so no handling fees), and you can get them from Mareplay for £20 (he also said he doesn't sell the ones with extremely bad flaws, too, which is reassuring).

But...yes, they will absolutely be available much cheaper second-hand in the future once MLP falls out of being the big thing properly.

[Rainbowrific Renia]

Whenever a new wave of Funko vinyls are put up for pre-sale on Hot Topic's site, I buy all the new ones at once. Usually it's because they do their Hot Cash sales around that time, so, for instance, while the new Rarity, Daring Do and Discord would've cost well over $60 together, I got them for $30 + free shipping to the store using a code for $30 off $60. I have yet to regret doing this, because it seems like I'm saving money in the long run. I've gotten all the new Funko releases from this year that way.

Even now, though, the Funko vinyls are popping up all over the place. Hot Topic isn't the only place selling them and some places have them cheaper than others.

The glitter variants, on the other hand, are something best gotten after waiting a few months unless you get lucky and find one in-store or you get it as part of your pre-purchase. People will put them for crazy high prices online, but after a while they'll go down as they get easier to find. Bon Bon and Spitfire are the only exceptions to this, since they were never Hot Topic exclusives like all the others.

If you're talking about the Funko POP! (big head) figures, those are always cheap and hardly ever go up in price. Getting them for less than $10 each isn't unheard of.

Of course, I'm only speaking for how they sell here in the United States. I'm not sure how available they are in other countries, unfortunately. I'm also on a budget with ponies, since I don't like spending a ton, and I own all of the vinyls so far and all but one of the glitters. It's all about looking for the best prices and taking advantage of sales, discounts, etc.

Now I will say this: If you're just now starting to collect them, I'd get them one at a time and start with the older ponies first. Unless you get lucky and someone is selling a lot of them for a low price, getting them individually would be best. You can probably find all of the Funko figures from last year at pretty cheap prices, and then the same will be said for the ones from this year, but next year. The regular vinyls are very common over here, so they aren't terribly sought after...those would be the glitter variants.

Either way, good luck! Funko collecting can be a whole lot of fun!

[hathorcat]

I completely agree, although the lack of releases in the UK may mean most of the second hand market is US ebay. Take G3 as a case in point - a lot of the ponies which sell for $3-5 loose now were super expensive when they first showed up on shelves and for the couple of years thereafter. Ponies like Anchors Away used to push up the $75 now she is a $10-15 pony. And with G4 I do think in the future that could be even worse. No matter which way you look at it, G4 has become a fad - something which some people have got into because its cool and trendy and popular. When that fad disappears and you are left with core collectors or fans, then second hand markets are going to be awash with people selling the things they collected. How long thats going to be (probably after the end of G4) is a bit of a wild guess however.

[TornadoTwist]

I wait before they hit Archonia. I can get them there for around 16 euro's each.

[Sprinklecupcake]

Im also stingy and wait until theres hotcash, so I get 1/2 off the Funkos as just two in a preorder is about $30 and theres a $15 off $30 Hotcash code every time they do the Hotcash. Sometimes they are BOGO 50% so I can buy even more stuff along with Hotcash!

I still see plenty of the first releases online (rainbow dash, muffin, dr, flutters, pinkie pie, etc) as well as in TRU so theres no rush on these guys except probably discord who is sold out last I remember. Buuut im sure they will make plenty more of him! Theres still plenty of G1 ponies on ebay, so I can imagine in the future the funkos being very easy to fibd secondhand.

The minis are cheaper, take up less space, and IMO more high quality than the larger sized ones. I actually might just buy the minis from now on.

[Gingerbread]

Thanks for all your opinions! I think waiting is the way to go, unless I find one sillycheap now. Much as I love them, I love the brushables more, plus the brushables are slightly easier to get hold of.

[Galactica]

I've seen REALLY cheap Funkos from the first wave on ebay, from people who no longer want theirs, so I agree waiting is a good idea.