I bought two Funko Pop figures and three premium hard-plastic protectors from the Funko Shop last week. UPS delivered everything on Wednesday. I noticed immediately that the box arrived damaged. I opened it and discovered the two boxed figures were damaged, too.
Both figures are limited edition figures. The Black Adam figure is only available through the Funko shop. The Peacemaker figure is a limited edition from the 2022 Funko Wondrous Virtual Con.
The three premium hard-plastic protectors were perfectly fine. It’s a shame Funko didn’t just put the two limited edition figures in two of the three premium protectors I purchased. They even sort of imply they will do exactly this if you buy a protector with the figure.
I submitted a help ticket to Funko customer service. I got an automated response telling me they answer tickets in the order they’re received, and that it normally takes “two to three days” for them to respond.
Not to brag, but I once worked in a distribution center
I think the damage happened at the UPS distribution center. If you have never set foot in a modern distribution center, there are miles of automated conveyer belts throughout them. The corrugated shipping box Funko now uses is extremely cheap and flimsy. My semi-educated guess is my corrugated shipping box got sandwiched between two other boxes on the final gravity conveyor between the final sorter and the trailer.
The final gravity conveyor between the final sorter and the trailer is the only point in the process that boxes make contact with other boxes. Computers control the other conveyor systems in a distribution center. One thing they do is ensure there’s always space between boxes.
Funko didn’t always use cheap, flimsy boxes. The cardboard they used before was thick and more durable. They were so nice, I would keep them and use them to ship out stuff I sold on eBay. I would never ship out something using the type of box Funko now uses.
In conclusion
I think it’s bad when a publicly traded company like Funko takes less care shipping items than a random eBay seller does. EBay sellers have to worry about receiving negative feedback. That’s something Funko never has to worry about.
I also think taking days for customer service to respond to a customer is terrible customer service. If Funko cannot respond to a customer within 24 hours, they need to hire more customer service agents. Funko seems to have forgotten that it makes and sells collectibles aimed at adults. In other words, they make and sell stuff nobody actually needs. It’s not like Funko is making patented cancer medication. If Funko continues to treat customers poorly, people will just stop buying their stuff.
Update
I heard from Funko customer service yesterday. They are sending me two replacement figures. I was told I can keep the figures I have. They said they normally send replacement boxes, but because of a warehouse move, that’s not an option this time.
