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How 3 Rare Funko Pops Drops Ended in Frustration

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Susana Rocha | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 1:59 PM ET

Funko Pop collecting can be both thrilling and frustrating. One collector shares how technical glitches and bot invasions turned their midlife crisis hobby into a weekly disappointment.

When Your Midlife Crisis Comes in Vinyl

At 35, Eric Switzer didn’t turn to motorcycles or martial arts to cope with the existential dread of getting old. Eric thought it would be a good idea to turn toward collecting Funko Pops to help heal the pain. What began as a quirky distraction quickly evolved into a full-blown obsession. Like many collectors, Eric discovered that the world of Funko isn’t just about buying plastic figurines with oversized heads and vacant stares. It’s a complex ecosystem of store drops, convention exclusives, and even NFT redemptions.

Recently, Funko Pop introduced Limited Edition (LE) Pops with printed piece counts on the box, adding a layer of exclusivity and collector prestige. These LE Pops are mostly sold through Funko’s website, and while they’re designed to reignite excitement, they have been anything but thrilling. For three consecutive Fridays, he’s tried and failed to secure one of these coveted collectibles.

Three Drops, Three Frustrations

Image of Phantasm Funko Pop, Courtesy of Funko Pop

The first disappointment came with the September 5 release of Spider-Car from Across the Spiderverse. With 5,000 units available, it wasn’t ultra-rare, but it sold out instantly. Eric was logged in early, payment ready, and still lost out, likely to bots, judging by the flood of eBay listings that followed moments later.

Next came Big Boy, the burger mascot, in a 1,200-piece drop. This release was supposed to be gated by Fan Rewards points, earned through purchases on Funko’s site. But when the drop went live, points weren’t required until it was too late. Big Boy vanished in seconds, and although Funko refunded the points, the damage was done.

The final blow was Phantasm, a 3,500-count Pop from Mask of the Phantasm, one of Eric’s favorite Batman films. He was ready with his points, but the site refused to accept them. After ten minutes of error messages, Funko pulled the listing and tweeted a new drop time-one Eric missed entirely.

These weren’t just technical hiccups. They were missed opportunities that turned anticipation into frustration. Eric isn’t claiming entitlement, but when you show up on time, points in hand, and still walk empty-handed week after week, it stings.

If Funko Pop wants its LE Pops to retain value and earn collector trust, it needs to fix its rollout strategy. Bots, broken reward systems, and poor communication are eroding the joy of collecting. For Eric Switzer, what started as a lighthearted midlife distraction has become a weekly exercise in disappointment.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out Total Apex Gaming for more Funko Pop merchandise drops and gaming news! And make sure to check out Total Apex Entertainment for more celebrity gossip and news.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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