It is with a heavy weight of frustration that I am announcing the indefinite cessation of all selling and trading on Pop Price Guide. We have always wanted nothing but the safest environment for our members, but we have been hit with an onslaught of individuals scamming members of our community. We’ve gone through methods to ban/block these members, but more spring up, or they find ways back in. That’s the unfortunate reality when it comes to online trading, particularly in a blind environment such as this where there is no true validation of identity. Even more unfortunate is that this has always been a problem in the Funko community, even more so lately. This brings me to a brief rant. While I want to go all “out of bubblegum” on these scammers for taking advantage of people, I have to also say that some of this could have been avoided if some common sense was executed by the victim.
There have been cases where sales were done, and items were paid for using Friends & Family on PayPal. Come on, people…this offers you NO protection in the event you get screwed. None whatsoever. A simple rule – if they’re not a friend or family member, DON’T PAY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. If they want you to pay the fee, that’s a decision for you to make whether it’s worth a couple of extra bucks or to back out of the deal. Honest sellers will either let you pay the Goods & Service fees or take on the fee themselves (it is a part of doing business after all). If a seller demands you pay Friends & Family, run. Don’t even bother with them. Some of the scammers showed obvious signs of illicit activity. Refusal to send additional pictures, offering “too good” of a trade, not providing a physical address (PO Boxes are a no-no, people!). If you’re trying to do a deal and the other party doesn’t offer transparency…RUN.
What I’ve just said takes nothing away from the accountability the scammers should have for their actions. It’s atrocious that some people are so lacking life skills that they have to fuck someone over for a toy. That being said, as long as we don’t have a secure way of transaction verification, our Marketplace is going to be closed. This includes buying/selling/trading in the Forums. We don’t want anyone getting screwed over, and if we can’t protect people, we don’t want the risk to be out there. That being said, the Marketplace is sure to come back in one way or another…there’s just a lot of work to do to make it feasible.
I apologize to all of you good traders who are affected by this. Trust me, it’s painful to shut down an area of the site in this way.
I was about to ask to trade a Homer Simpson, and then the site was down. I had no idea why, now I see.
I’m not that mad I’m happy you guys finally thinking of with a way to secure the site and make it more functional and easier and FYI we should have an app where we can scan the pops instead of having to type them in and search so we can put them our collection thanks agin and how this will be up and running better than ever soon ..
I don’t mind searching the pop since I jumped on early lol
What I DO miss is the overview page where it showed you not only your want/have set but also the total number in the set as a whole, made it easier to track if new pops were added in the middle of the numbering (Marvel)
I really appreciate your concern for the good members of this community. It only takes a few people to ruin things for the majority.
I look forward to the return of trading one day.
I think I can speak on behalf of most of the members and say thanks and keep up with the fantastic work. This site rocks!
I agree 100% I am a noob to the pop collecting community and this site has been most help to me and is amazing thank you and keep
I’ve been building a case file to hand over to the authorities on one of the scammers, letsgochamp, also know as Kyle Brandon Blanchette from Avon Florida. If anyone has been scammed, feel free to reach out to me with the details. Only do so if you don’t mind being contacted by local authorities though. The officer I spoke with said testimonies will need to be taken from each individual as well.
Sorry this asshat took advantage of so many people.
hey neomatrixgod i was scammed by him recently if you need anything feel free to contact me
Hey I got scammed by same people he and his girlfriend
Neomatrixgod,
I also got duped by Letsgochamp but he went by the name : Bryan Marshall Blanchette from Avon Park, Florida.
I’ve texted him on his cell that if doesn’t follow through that he’s committing mail/wire fraud.
Just private message me and I am more than willing to help with your case with the info I have of him.
I’m sticking with eBay on any future purchases of htf funko pop. This experience on here already put a sour taste in my mouth on any future sales/trades.
I can sleep better knowing the seller on eBay is legit and have that added protection.
He’s all over fb groups I’ll put a word out
I commend you for making this difficult decision and putting us first. I have been thinking of purchasing an item here because I felt it was the safest place to do so and I’m relieved to know that you are being vigilant. It’s unfortunate that there are so many out there getting away with scamming others.
Thank you!
a shame – it is so sad to see and hear about these type of incidents – thank you for protecting the good guys.
I fail to see the reason why trading has to be shut down for the whole community because some were scammed.
The number of positive trades out weigh the negative ones.
Don’t punish the majority for the stupidity of the few.
Lastly I dont see a point to the site if you can not buy, sell or trade on it. The market value generated by the sites trading and buying stands for nothing on other sites such as Ebay or Amazon, which I am sure everyone knows sell the figures way above the market value. I am sure I saved a ton of money by making trades for figures over buying them on other sites.
PS. This is a rant from a member of this community that valued this website for being AWESOME, and is truly truly upset with this course of action that affects all of us.
It isnt gone for good, just has to be suspended while a more solid way forward is developed.
I agree! This is complete Bull Shit to shut down buy/sell/trading for the majority! I don’t need to be baby sat. Very angry at the decision to shut down buy/sell/trading
Completely agree with your post. I feel like what’s the use of the site anyway now. Guess I’ll be finding some other way of tracking my Pops.
I agree, if the people would just take a few precautions this would not of happened. I’ve had nothing but positive trades, and met some really cool people in the process.
I’m bummed that a few scammers, and a few people not using their brain has ruined this site for everyone else. I just want to trade not sell on eBay, & pay flipper prices. Now I’m screwed. Guess I’ll have to photograph all the ones I want to trade & post on IG & FB. This really bummed my day out! ?
I’d like to follow you on instagram–hope that doesn’t sound odd! I’m also a pop collector from Michigan! Seems we are few and far between. nicolefaith80 is my username on there! Have a great nite!
Do what you have to do. I really don’t get why people need to scan others. It’s a collector item. And most aren’t worth all that much. I have never traded before or bought from someone here but you need to protect yourself.
Always a few bad eggs that spoil it for the bunch. Too all those members that did honest business. Thank you. Too all the scammers and thieves, “may all your pops be paint flawed, box damaged, counterfeit commons”
That really sucks. I have only had 1 or 2 minor issues, all my other transactions were solid. Thanks for all your continued hard work..
Now that the market place is gone does that mean you can now start focusing on a mobile app with a barcode scanner? 😛
A barcode scanner will not happen. Different vendors use different UPCS and unless they release the software to each system (which won’t happen), a barcode won’t be successful. This also costs serious funds and this is a free website.
sorry to see it go I not been a collector long and it was a good resource and I hope see if back some day! Maybe do away with trades and sales only! Then paypal protects people… maybe an idea!
sad. i joined here yesterday JUST so i could trade/sell. It took hours to list all my collection etc and now i have to do it all again elsewhere.
Its great that you are trying to protect your community but maybe instead of shutting it down you could educate people on ways to sell instead?
Couldn’t agree more with “Tommie’s” comment.
This is sad 🙁 I trade a bunch (never buy or sell). With mini’s you end up with a lot of the same ones. Maybe there is a way to set up a small third party way through the sight to sell/trade items over a certain value. That way if its a scam the money or item can be returned.
Had a good laugh at, “may all your pops be paint flawed, box damaged, counterfeit commons.” I respect the decision to take Marketplace down, as I can tell you are upset that it had to come to this. Like Sadsak, some people have invested a lot of time into updating their collections, and that’s a real shame.
I think there are some good ideas here, if you’re interested in bringing it back. You could provide some tips and red flags for collectors who aren’t wise to the Internet’s bullshit yet – like why you shouldn’t do family and friends on PayPal. Idk, these trades and transactions will take place regardless; you could be the one to facilitate them while offering advice to prevent scams. Maybe have a list of proven scammers with some examples of how they went down. I’m sure I’m not saying anything you haven’t considered – just want to see the Marketplace come back.
I only did 2 transactions on here but both were great.
I agree with the common sence rant, it is easy to be ripped off but only if you make it easy. I Have stole & ripped many people & companies off in the past (not anymore,retired) and I’m sorry to say but most the time people make it way to easy because most people don’t think and are blinded by good deals, flashy talk… Blah blah you get the idea, people are morons. I feel bad for the people who got ripped off here, more so because you let it happen & didn’t realize it till it was to late. I hope everyone who was scammed learned from this, as someone stated already it happens all the time with anything & everything so always think & “Trust No One”
Now I’ll give my 2cents on maybe a idea to improve sell/trading. How about the Sell/Buy/Trade sections of forum be locked to everyone unless you have been personally approved by a Mod, have been a member for 6months with at least 50 posts or just a certain number of posts in forum. A simple idea 🙂 sure people can still scam but they would have extra time & work to put in if they do & for little scams it’s not worth it. Not to say there won’t be those who try but no matter what you do there will always be those trying to rip off others, even EBay still has people ripping off people there so there’s no way to get rid of them just have to be smart enough to spot them.
That’s actually a great idea. Apart from the 6 months, since that takes ages, which I’d say 3, heck even 1 or 2 months perhaps. And the 50 posts thing could work, but there would, like you said, easily be taken abuse of. All together, those 3 things combined, so the approval from an admin, the membership duration and the post stuff would force scammers do put in more effort, which is less likely to attract scammers, since after all scammers want ez money or item without putting in barely any to none effort. But then again, the people who want to abuse the rules and scam will always be there and find ways around those rules or take advantage of the naivety of others.
Sorry to hear about that. It’s happening everywhere. I belong to several groups on Facebook and the admins have been posting a lot of scammer alerts lately. I just try to keep my own active list and play it smart.
Wow I’m so sorry to hear that. I was a victim of a fake hello kitty. Luckily we live in Hawaii and it’s a small island. I still believe this person is selling fakes and bootlegs. However it’s hard to prove.
I’m truly bummed. I’ve done a ton of trades on here & I was fortunate enough to only dealt with the good members. I really appreciate all the people who run this site do. I just wanted to say thanks. Also thank you to everyone who dealt straight with me & the other members. It’s a dam shame it had to come to this.
It’s a shame. Scams could be very easily avoid, if people just took time to think about it. There’s really only a couple things you need to do
1. Pay as goods and services
2. For trades, have both parties pay each other the value of the trade, as good and services. (basically buying pops from each other, at an agreed upon value) .
There are probably little kids who might be goin on this site. And I’m the last person who should be saying this being that a curse alot. But remain professional … You should edit your post and take your f bomb out of it … For kids n families sake. I also share in the frustration. I just don’t want to see anything happen to you guys from your sponsors of what ever for you guys posting things with curse words in it. My sincere apologies to all those who got beat. But dudes right. Common sense goes a long way. You dont pay for things you haven’t received yet. You should be able to see red flags from miles away .
Ugh this is why I’ll only ever trade in person. I’ve personally bought from two members on here and only one was a little slow to ship. Other than that no issues, its all about protecting yourself.
I think a good way to improve the site would be a better version of feedback or a rating system for members
for example when a good transaction happans the buyer could give the seller a thumbs up or some type of feedback to help warn or promote a seller
kind of what it’s like on ebay
i know there is still some risk to this but it would give more people a reason to be honest and help first time buyers trust others
And perhaps an implemented Ebay alike buyer/seller system like the star sellers which could show a star at their name or something which shows that someone is trustworthy.
Yes, like eBay, have a rating system. That way you can see right on their profile ratings & comments. Plus, people just need to use their brains a bit!
I agree with the idea of Mod approved trading forum. Not sure on a time limit, but an approval process would be good. It is sad a couple bad apples spoiled the bunch. It’ll happen on any site I suppose where it isn’t private. Thanks for the continued work.
I’m in a Facebook page that’s run very well, absolutely no way send money FnF, easy Pm system to keep track of the people you do trades/sales with. After all transactions there’s a feedback post that’s tallied up every day. Before you do a transaction you look the person up on the feedback post. If they don’t have any feedback, for trades you simply have them ship FIRST. There was a few people that came on he page and tried scamming people out of their money but they used good n services and got their money back. Pretty simple—–DONT USE FRIENDS N FAMILY UNLESS THEY ARE FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!! The only way it’s going to work here at PPG is to do it that way with a feedback pinned post and simple RULES/SUGGESTIONS ON SELLING/TRADING. I haven’t once bought or traded anything on PPG but only because it’s lacking those things. The page I go on is ran beautifully, with 20k members. I’ve sold/traded at least 60-75 pops in the last month
Gotjojo,
What Facebook group I would like to join so that I can continue making fair and honest trades with other like minded people.
just curious, what site do you use? I’ve been using eBay lately and I just can’t anymore. the prices are absurd!
Please let me know the name of that site ty.
So I’ve been collecting one thing or another since I was a small kid in the 80s and then around 2003 maybe 2004 I found online trading forums and it was the greatest thing to ever happen to my collections… So even though I’ve never traded on here I get why people are bummed and I hope trading and selling and buying eventually returns here in a safer way… I mentioned it before in the forums there are steps and processes that are widely used on other various collecting forums that could maybe help here if buying, trading and selling is going to be part of this site which is a great site by the way.. I’ve been a mod on a collecting forum running the basketball section of a sports collectibles forum that dealt with buying, trading and selling as well as just general discussion about the sport and hobby… So I know being a mod can be tough and thanks for how you guys are looking out for the members
Thanks for having our backs 🙂
This is a sad state of affairs, I’ve done a lot of trades on here. I got two of my “grails” and several minis I needed through the marketplace, and never had a bad experience.
I’m not sure what platform this website is built on, but there’s always the possibility of doing some sort of Facebook connect plug-in for user verification. I also trade in some of the Facebook groups and it seems to help. They still get some scammers but it’s much easier to ban the riff raff. There may be some way to only allow people that have had a Facebook page for 2+ years or something, which is what I think they do with some of those groups.
I’m not sure if you guys need any help to rebuild the trading areas, but if I can help you guys in any way please don’t hesitate to email me. You guys have done amazing work to build what’s here and I really like this site, but the trading room makes it stand out. If I can be of service to you guys in any way and “give back” somehow, please let me know. Thanks for the continued great work!
PatientX are you from Kansas city?? If so that’s awesome! Me too, I haven’t met to many other collectors in the area so it’s pretty cool to know the ppg founder is from here! Go royals! And sorry about this hard decision you had to make! But we all understand why!
Yep, I am! Lifelong resident to the area (KC Metro & Lawrence). And yes, go Royals! About time we can say that and know they might actually win. 🙂
We live in a sad and pathetic world dont we?
I agree 100% I am a noob to the pop collecting community and this site has been most help to me and is amazing and it is awesome to see someone who has genuine concern for their members safety and security and is willing to make the sacrifice of a good thing that people with no morals take advantage of and make it better, safer and more secure for the majority of us who are good honest people with a passion for Pop to enjoy. I am majoring in computer programming and Information Technology so I know how much time, effort, and dedication it takes to keep a good site or program up and running smoothly so if I can be of any help please don’t hesitate to ask I am actually looking to get some experience. Thank you for everything and all the awesome hard work and dedication!
I’m in a lot of the FB sell/trade pages, but to be honest, PPG’s marketplace was a lot more convenient for me. I’ve traded my duplicates for pops and minis that I would probably have never gotten without trading, and I got one of my grails. I hope it comes back better than ever.
Maybe they should have to send in legit pics of their pops and peeps from pop price guide search for pics of that pop and every other pops every week to put in the data base to keep it updated so less scammers can get by and they will not be entered into the selling until they have a legit pic so if they are selling that pop you guys go through pics to make sure its not a fake and i have other methods that might also work!
this is a very huge mistake. PPG is the best place to find well the best deals on Pop figures. you can’t just shut down one of the biggest parts of your site. most
sellers are honest and there are ways to not be scammed. I was lookin to contact sellers instead of going on terrible eBay prices but I guess that is the only option now. bring it back
I just want to say I have bought my entire pop collection through various means online. I live in the middle of the Nevada desert and we don’t have a mail delivery system. All 200 people in this town and 250 in the town a half hour away have to drive to pick up their mail from our local post office, and assuming somebody with a po box is a scammer is total BS and I have had many fights with people over this very thing and i had people cancel sales for which I have searched out and rightly paid for in full over shipping to a PO Box. We have maybe 8 businesses in town and none of them are well known or part of a chain. Not one out of my 200 pops was bought locally. I used PayPal to pay for most items. But please be smart. I try to deal with people who are realistic when it comes to sales and prices. Ask lots of questions?
To PatientX and the Volunteers of the site. I get shutting down the trade sections of the site due to scammers. Poppriceguide isn’t set up like an ebay or amazon to deal with the possible legal ramifications of the patrons being ripped off. I think most do or should understand the tough situation you are all put into.
However I will say this:
Poppriceguide has been increasing in size and activity since day one. Not only is it a great resource but it’s also a pillar in supporting the continuing trend of collecting Pops. If people lose interest in trading them then the Pops industry would be hurt by it as well. Some steps probably should have been completed when the site was first created but I’m guessing you didn’t imagine it would grow like this.
Get some user agreement documentation out there. You need to have some legal release of responsibility to protect the site and those that work on it. You provide an outlet but are not part of the transactions between two individual parties. Look at craigslist and reddit or facebook, those sites don’t offer transactions between parties yet their platform is used to conduct just that all the time. They’re not worried about the ramifications because they’ve protected themselves and put the responsibility upon those involved in the transaction.
Another possibility is to provide a consignment service or transaction oversight. Either can be handled in house or outsourced to a 3rd party. Granted there are pros and cons to both options but if you were so inclined in doing so it would be possible to grow your site as a business. Of course these services would be a premium and require a fee by the parties involved say 5% instead of 10% like ebay.
In the end you have to do what you feel is in your best interest but there are other solutions to the issue. The easiest would be to protect yourself with that iron clad user agreement as its been demonstrated by many other sites before you. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing the site continue to grow.
Charge members a one year fee.
I am a bit sad to see it go as I live on an island and getting exclusives involves a 3 hour drive hoping to find something or paying crazy prices, but I understand why you needed to do it. I really enjoy this site for the announcements as well as the price guide and look forward to seeing the market return some day. Thank you for looking out for us and running a great site.
As an honest collector/trader/seller I am sad to see the marketplace go. It really can be a good place to sell off some of your collection when money is low or space is running out. I recently sold my most prized Star Wars POP!s on here. Original Greedo, Original Han Solo, and Holo Darth Vader. The same member bought all three. I was asking an obscene amount for Greedo to keep only the serious buyers interested. Once I found out that he wanted all 3, I knocked 50% off of Greedo. Sent all 3 in hard Pop protectors to guarantee safe travel and added Signature Confirmation at my own expense. Also covered shipping and PP fees. That’s how you do it and I was happy to do it, after all it was a $575 transaction. A big one. It can be done on here, it has been done one here, it can be done on here again. Once there is a solid vetting process to weed out and eliminate the destructive dark side of this sector of the hobby. The point is, this market place is supposed to be special because it is fan to fan. Not scam the fan. You had to shut that shit down. Bravo! I am confident that an eventual reboot will only strengthen the community here.
3more cents…
– I like the idea of an ebay style feedback score system, but 3 strikes and your out.
– I think you could bring back selling/trading by having sellers/traders apply for it. You look at what they sold/traded in the past and look at any member feedback the DO HAVE in the forum, if that exists. Then either approve or deny.
– I would have gladly have given 5% of the sale stated above to ppg. That would have been $28.75 right there. You guys need to get compensated for making the LEGIT connection. People may disagree because “profit is bad”, but in this area, you may as well consider me a bona fide Ferengi, reciting all 285 rules of acquisition. The central theme being OPPORTUNITY!
I agree 120%. Especially since you’re a Ferengi!
For trading is really hard to control scammers, for selling ebay.
So sad! I was so looking for a mad hatter vaulted and now I don’t even know where to look for one, the ones in ebay are just too over priced… I’m sad.
Althought I understand and stand by you on your decision, buyers were being a little too naive, and putting the market down unfortunately may not save them forever.
Hope the market, or maybe just a way to make things better for us (to know who has the item so we can try to ask for an ebay link or anything) will get back soon.
Best regards!
You had to do what needed to be done..to protect all of us from scammers ..I am a member of a pop collectors group on facebook..we have had members get suckered by scammers and we post warnings all the time giving the names and possible aliases if possible, so I and other members of my group..stand behind your decision and will cheer the day you bring back the marketplace stronger and safer for all of us collector’s and lovers of pops.
I do hope we get the market back real soon and make it mandatory and known that you MUST pay via paypal service and goods. If anyone asks for friends and family, then ditch the deal no matter how good it is. I honestly don’t like trading, because it is too sketch and I value pops and minis greatly so I avoid that problem and stick to something that is somewhat or if not fool proof.
If the marketplace gets brought back and with similar mandatory rules/guidelines, then it is all your fault for being a sucker and I wish you the best of luck in the rest of the deals you will face in life like buying cars or other goods. There’s scammers everywhere. Be smart with your belongings. Always have a back-up plan. Like if I were to really trade, I would have them send me the amount my pop or mini would cost on ebay with a credit card via paypal service and goods. So if I do end up getting ripped I can at least still buy back my lost pop without truly losing.
Whichever decision you make though as site admin, I am pretty sure we will all understand. Last thing anyone wants is to be ripped off and as site admin, it must be tough to see other collectors and fans being scammed on YOUR site that YOU created just for us. I would do the same if in your shoes.
Hey all, like a few people on here I’m new to the pop community. Caught the bug when I was bored walking around cons while my gf cosplayed and had all the fun lol. Anywho, why not use a video confirmation of the item? I know it maybe a bit off, but if these people have these items, I don’t see how a 15-30 second video could hurt that shows any issues or whatnot of the item.
Love the go all “out of bubblegum” reference!! So would the late RRPiper!
I was so close to pulling the trigger on a trade with 2 different users that have been revealed to be scammers. As much as it sucks that the Marketplace had to go, it will all benefit us much more going forward, as it will clear out the dopes that think they can “scam” (aka commit fraud) on us.
So as a newbie to collecting Funko, it hurts to hear this news, but much better than possibly losing a valuable Funko over some loser in his parents’ basement that thinks stealing is a smart career choice.
I’m new to the community, it’s just sad that people take advantage. Tale as old as time. Thanks for taking steps to prevent scammers.
I don’t know about everywhere else, but I live in a rural community where everyone has a PO Box only. I have a physical address, but mail is not delivered here. I don’t think it is fair to tell people to never trade with someone who uses a PO Box. I have never used this site for trading, but I would hate to be discriminated against because my mailing address is a post office box. Use common sense obviously when trading with anyone, but I don’t think a PO Box address alone should be a deal breaker.
Wow
I hear and understand the folks saying that maybe the people that got scammed should’ve had more sense/protected themselves better, but on the other side of it just because I leave my car door unlocked doesn’t mean it’s ok to steal my car and that I am at fault for the burglary. Yes I should have locked the door but with that logic then just strike out all laws concerning theft. A scam is still a scam and blaming the victim just helps keep scammers in business. Educating the community on trade security is the best option but even implementing something like that is a chore and still not foolproof.
For those that were asking about the FB trading group, it’s Funko Pop Buy/Sell/Trade; it’s currently the largest and most user-friendly group and the admins work really hard to keep it that way. Good luck to everyone on future trading and sales.
I think this was a great move! i encountered a scammer once. But like stated we have to be smarter as well. never pay with family and friends unless its a family or friend. Im sure the site will bring back the buy sell and trade better than ever. as long as we all can help find a way to make it safer and secure! happy hunting guys! check out my youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xR0u6ZOj_jlKMzlwPdhxA
I do some awesome unboxings of some of the rarest most expensive DC pops out there!
So how does it determine the value if no one is selling?
The values are determined by eBay sales.
I was just trying to trade for one of my Sherlock pops…
after everything I have seen about people cheating on the person,I think its good to shut it down
Maybe create a way users can link ebay sell lists. That way people can still sell through the site through the safety of ebay
Preach! Great post, so sorry it had to be made.
Maybe only allow sales? No more trades?
Since there is protection for the buyer/seller in that case.
Trades allow no protection…
It’s a great community, seems a shame that we have allowed scammers to bully us into submission this way.
I think PPG is fantastic site for the simple fact that it is FREE to use. I use it on a daily basis. I’m sad to see the selling/trading feature go as I’ve always managed to protect myself against scams. So, for those of you slamming PPG and saying how they should do this and do that you need to back off. If you can’t protect yourself from internet scammers then you have no business selling and trading. Way to go PPG for making this site so easy to track my POPs!