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Funko pops to pitch 30M of inventory into a landfill!
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Started by Robot Man,

90 posts in this topic

GeeksAreMyPeeps

GeeksAreMyPeeps

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On 3/6/2023 at 2:54 AM, Domo Arigato said:

 

Sometime around 1999-2000, I went into a stationery/gift store in my neighborhood looking for a copy of Baseball Weekly for my fantasy baseball league. There was a woman in front of me inquiring about when the new Beanie Babies were going to be released. All I could do is shake my head. I had seen what happened with the comic market a few years before, and baseball cards a few years before that. I knew the crash was coming, but also knew those collecting them weren't going to listen.

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Krydel4

Krydel4

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Posted (edited)

I work in the Toy industry so I can maybe give a little perspective here. Toy manufactures, not just Funko, are notorious for 1 to 1 ratio of character or item production regardless of the character or item they are producing. Funko is particularly bad for this. When the Moon Knight Funkos came to my store (and this happens 100% of the time and again not just with Funko) we received 30 Moon Knights, 30 Mr.Knights, 30 Arthur Harrow, 30 Layla and 30 Konshuu. Anyone want to take a guess what sold out and what we have excess of stock? I've had the discussion with vendors from Mattel, Hasbro etc. about why this happens and it all comes back to the economies of scale argument. It's cheaper to do the full run than try to scale it by say doing the main hero/villain figures at a 2 to 1 ratio ie. 20 He-Man and Skelator figures to 10 Trapjaw and Ram Man's. Anyone want to buy 30 Boastful Loki?

Edited by Krydel4
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lou_fine

lou_fine

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On 3/5/2023 at 7:49 PM, mattn792 said:

Exactly.  How many folks would drive out and buy as much as they can carry?  Plenty.  Hell, Mile High might buy all of them at once for all we know.

Well, that certainly wasn't the case with the Edgar Church Mile High Collection of comic books since apparently all of the stores refused to go out to the house and it was finally down to some hippie kid apparently working part-time at a LCS who finally did decide to go out there.  doh!  :takeit: 

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Dark Knight

Dark Knight

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Posted
On 3/6/2023 at 7:33 PM, Jaylam said:

I heard a story where Topps loaded a barge with unsold Baseball cards in the early 50’s and had them hauled out and dumped in the Atlantic Ocean. Is this true or another one of those “urban legends”?

It's true. That series holds one of the holy grails for baseball cards - 1952 Mantle!

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theCapraAegagrus

theCapraAegagrus

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On 3/4/2023 at 2:41 PM, COI said:

Restaurant chains dump unfathomable amounts of perfectly edible food every day instead of giving it away to people who could use a meal. This is nothing new, although the environmental impact is obviously worse.

Sadly, it's to avoid being sued more than any other reason, or so I've been told.

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FoggyNelson

FoggyNelson

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On 3/6/2023 at 8:14 PM, GeeksAreMyPeeps said:

Assuming Funko Pops aren't recyclable, they're all going to end up in a landfill eventually, whether they're sold now or not. The bigger question is why they're overproducing so many. If they want them to be collectable, they should only produce a small percentage over initial orders.

They could probably be crushed real easily to save on landfill space

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Bronty

Bronty

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On 3/15/2023 at 9:26 AM, FoggyNelson said:

I honestly would not take a funky pop for free, the space it takes up in my house, even our basement would not be worth it, I think they look dumb

I am in the same boat; not my cup of tea.   However, if someone likes the way they look I guess they are a cheap decoration for the $15 or whatever.

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F For Fake

F For Fake

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I have a handful of these things, I think they're cute. What I like about them is that it's a uniform toy line, where every piece is done in a single style and scale. The other thing I like is the breadth of licenses. There has never been another toyline in history that crossed over so many different properties.

Now, that being said, I'd never pay more than retail for one, which is usually about $10, and sometimes less.

I have maybe a dozen or so. My wife has several more. She has all of the British royal family, and some others like the Hamilton musical, etc. I think with a lot of these, it's just the sheer surprise of "oh, they made a toy out of THIS?"

So, yeah, I can see the appeal at $10. They're cute and don't take up much space. I open them up, I throw away the box, which I assume instantly destroys the value, and that's fine. For me it's just another knicknack, and definitely not an investment.

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NP_Gresham

NP_Gresham

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On 3/4/2023 at 2:56 PM, Domo Arigato said:

E.T. is the one most often mentioned......but they dumped others as well.during the 1983 video game crash.(12 truckloads of leftover inventory).

It appears the smart thing to do, is dump these Funko Pops into a landfill.....let them ferment for a few decades......and then sell them.

Alamogordo.thumb.jpg.09cb8daf7005433f7113b9dc13d9dd75.jpg

 

Maybe there is a market for excavated "pet rocks":idea:

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NP_Gresham

NP_Gresham

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On 3/6/2023 at 7:33 PM, Jaylam said:

I heard a story where Topps loaded a barge with unsold Baseball cards in the early 50’s and had them hauled out and dumped in the Atlantic Ocean. Is this true or another one of those “urban legends”?

That was the "story".

In actuality it was probably a few of the 'wise guys'.

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the blob

the blob

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On 3/3/2023 at 10:32 PM, Robot Man said:

Just think what incredible PR Funko could get by donating these to children’s hospitals, homeless kids or other under privlaged children? Instead of clogging up a landfill with unsustainable trash?

Hopefully, somebody wakes up and does the right thing. 

they are not toys. they just sit there on a shelf. poor and sick kids have no interest in clutter. these are not action figures.

 

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the blob

the blob

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On 3/6/2023 at 8:13 PM, GeeksAreMyPeeps said:

Sometime around 1999-2000, I went into a stationery/gift store in my neighborhood looking for a copy of Baseball Weekly for my fantasy baseball league. There was a woman in front of me inquiring about when the new Beanie Babies were going to be released. All I could do is shake my head. I had seen what happened with the comic market a few years before, and baseball cards a few years before that. I knew the crash was coming, but also knew those collecting them weren't going to listen.

I thought they were just some $8 stupidity to clutter the shelves, some were touted as valuable?

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