Whatnot Partnership With PSA Now Includes Funko Pops!

Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and fast-growing livestream online marketplace Whatnot have expanded their strategic partnership to offer authentication and grading services for the popular Funko Pops! collectibles.

What you need to know: Funko Pop! is a line of vinyl figurines created by the company Funko. These figures are stylized representations of popular culture characters from franchises such as movies, television shows, video games, and comic books.

They have become very popular due to their unique design, affordability, and collectibility. Funko Pop! figures are known for their large heads, small bodies, and playful design, which make them appealing to fans of all ages.

Collectors who buy Pops! on the Whatnot marketplace can now have them authenticated and graded by PSA in just a few steps, all before the Pop! is shipped to the collector.

Increasing demand for collectible items across categories and a growing interest in live shopping on trusted marketplaces have led to this partnership expansion.

In 2022, PSA and Whatnot launched their initial collaboration, providing authentication and grading services for trading cards. The expansion into Pops! reflects customer enthusiasm for PSA’s services and the explosive popularity of Whatnot.

Over the past few years, Whatnot has captured the excitement of the live shopping experience, building a welcoming community of like-minded people to share their passion.

What they said: “Collectors are always looking for new ways to get their hands on desirable items. Whatnot enables everyone to shop for and bid on collectible items with an incredible live auction experience, all from the comfort of their homes,” said PSA president Ryan Hoge.

“With Pops! often selling for thousands on the secondary market, offering our authentication and grading services for them is a true value-add for any collector.”

“By expanding our partnership with PSA, Pops! buyers have peace of mind that the items they are getting are real and authentic which is incredibly important,” said Whatnot CEO and co-founder Grant Lafontaine.

“Interest in live shopping and collecting continue to grow and with Whatnot and PSA, buyers can seamlessly have their Pops! and trading cards authenticated and graded right when they purchase their product.”

Of note: Last year, PSA added authentication and grading of Pops!, bringing its industry-leading services to collectible toys. Since then, PSA has received thousands of direct submissions from collectors and sellers.

When sellers option to add PSA’s services to their Pops! on the Whatnot marketplace, their collectibles will automatically be authenticated, graded and encapsulated before being to the buyer.

This streamlined and secure process provides a piece of mind to both parties in a transaction, leading to higher customer satisfaction and retention for Whatnot.