Annual subscriptions coming to an end

[Godolphin]

Very disappointed, not looking out for the loyal collectors.

[nascar246788]

Very disappointed, not looking out for the loyal collectors.

They want the money!! Money grab to me as they are a publicly traded company and they always had past boxes to sell.

[Bendymoose]

Have subscribed to MCC since the first box, thanks for screwing international collectors yet again Funko!

[Marvel_Mama]

Well I am extremely disappointed. I have subscribed to MCC box since day one, I got the Disney box added for a Christmas present. My family anxiously waits for these boxes and make each other wait to open them together, and avoid spoilers online. Its very fun and exciting, keeps our love for Funko and the mystery going. This was the one item we knew we would get and didn't have to fight for. Hey I love pop hunting as well but sometimes it gets old and its nice to not have to scramble for a collectible you want. I can see this as a money saving move for Funko, they don't have to pay shipping for thousands of boxes, just ship to a store and not worry about it. Still doesn't make me happy. You need loyalty to keep this company going as well. My concern is the T-shirts for sure. I'm sure we can find the box but the sizes are going to be limited in what you can find. Here's to change and moving forward. Still sad but I still love my Funko. (tiny tears)

[fakemccoy]

I wouldn't have a problem with this if they were partnering with Diamond/comic book stores/specialty shops. Those stores have a close relationship with their customers and can ensure people get what they want. And lord knows comic book stores could use the extra business. The biggest problem with Walmart/Walgreens/Target and the such is that the store employees have no control over what they receive. It's all a crap shoot and no one you interact with has the power to help you. Even places like ThinkGeek or Gamestop just sorta get what they get.

This whole thing is super disappointing.

[Grend3lPr1me]

Saw my email this morning for LOC going away after March. I am really disappointed. Part of the fun was getting the box in the mail, I would stay away from spoilers as much as possible and enjoy the surprise. Now I will just see what's in the box and decide if I want to go to the store or not. I expect I will be being fewer boxes in the future.

[Soloontherocks]

I'm going to miss the "like Christmas" moments of my kids finding the box delivered and having to wait for all of us to be around so we could open it together. I'll patiently wait to see how the retailer move turns out and optimistically hope that availability/ease of purchasing these will still allow me these moments. At the very least, with having 2 annual subscriptions that I started in the same month, my wife won't see to large charges to the bank account.

[KarateKid]

Honestly I was growing tired of the subs and was slowly phasing out. I went from having 2 subs to Marvel and Disney to 1, etc. However I enjoyed them enough where I was good to keep one sub. It was a nice little moment to get home and see the sub boxes and open them! It's a bummer

[popfanboy]

I'm sad the subscriptions are ending but I'm not mad or disappointed. This is a business move and after all Funko is a business. The sub box hype is dying down and I'm assuming there is a LOT of overstock.

[fakemccoy]

Everything's preordered. They shouldn't have had to make much more than they need. No reason for a massive overstock.

I think they probably decided fulfillment is more trouble than it's worth. Going retail they can fold it in to existing infrastructure.

[Mos_Eisley]

This is worse than the news of ending annual subscriptions. It's hard to really say without knowing the details from the new retailer, but I'll probably have to skip them from here out. I was an annual subscriber from the beginning of all boxes. I'm definitely not interested in going to a store to pick these up, that will make them just like the Gamestop boxes I never buy. It was fun to have these show up and cool knowing they were directly from Funko. I don't care for the part where it says they're going to focus on what they're good at. I'm assuming the artists and designers aren't moonlighting in the shipping or subscription departments, so unless these boxes are changing drastically, they're still going to need the same effort in the design area.

[mactds]

With the fidget spinners, beanies, and plastic cups in recent months, it seems they were having a tough time with the curation idea of a theme and mystery box. Some of the best pop molds have come out of these boxes, but the other filler has just been filler with little passion in curation, so if this helps Funko focus their attention to their core awesomeness, then I like the move.

[Libertyroxx]

This really hits where it hurts. I have a hard time racking down exclusives especially since I work so much. One of the brightest spots of joy was coming home after a long day and seeing one of these sub boxes waiting for me. I've done MCC, SB, and DT since they were first offered and some of my favorite Pops and Funko items for each franchise have come in these boxes.

No clue who the "exclusive retailer" is. I was thinking Disney Store since they own Marvel and Star Wars but that wouldn't make sense with the DC box. Who knows. Either way it just took one of the easiest and most fun parts of being a Funko fan and just made it way more difficult. Flippers are probably dancing right now, yet another thing to hold ransom.

[Chase Variant]

Everything's preordered. They shouldn't have had to make much more than they need. No reason for a massive overstock.

They have the annual subscription numbers, but the bimonthly numbers are going to vary. Unless they lock in orders 4-6 months out or make things super-limited with insta-sellouts, there's going to be overstock.

[Infinity]

Well.. if that enables other countries to have the boxes through some sellers I'm glad ! Because we really can't collect anything unless we pay an enormous amount of money on ebay ( not everybody is honest unfortunately). So I hope it will be easier for everybody to get them.

[nascar246788]

Well I am extremely disappointed. I have subscribed to MCC box since day one, I got the Disney box added for a Christmas present. My family anxiously waits for these boxes and make each other wait to open them together, and avoid spoilers online. Its very fun and exciting, keeps our love for Funko and the mystery going. This was the one item we knew we would get and didn't have to fight for. Hey I love pop hunting as well but sometimes it gets old and its nice to not have to scramble for a collectible you want. I can see this as a money saving move for Funko, they don't have to pay shipping for thousands of boxes, just ship to a store and not worry about it. Still doesn't make me happy. You need loyalty to keep this company going as well. My concern is the T-shirts for sure. I'm sure we can find the box but the sizes are going to be limited in what you can find. Here's to change and moving forward. Still sad but I still love my Funko. (tiny tears)

Yeah I am in the same boat. I had disney treasures given to me this year as a christmas present. I was a pioneer member. I was excited to get this year at half the cost as my mom and wife split the cost as one of my christmas presents. Ugh

[nascar246788]

This really hits where it hurts. I have a hard time racking down exclusives especially since I work so much. One of the brightest spots of joy was coming home after a long day and seeing one of these sub boxes waiting for me. I've done MCC, SB, and DT since they were first offered and some of my favorite Pops and Funko items for each franchise have come in these boxes.

No clue who the "exclusive retailer" is. I was thinking Disney Store since they own Marvel and Star Wars but that wouldn't make sense with the DC box. Who knows. Either way it just took one of the easiest and most fun parts of being a Funko fan and just made it way more difficult. Flippers are probably dancing right now, yet another thing to hold ransom.

I am in the same boat. I work a 9 to 5 kind of job and I can't get out to go on hunts. Flippers or collectors that have more freedom get to them first. I am quite frustrated about this.

[nascar246788]

Very disappointed, not looking out for the loyal collectors.

Yeah I feel this is them operating as a publicly traded company and not trying to please the loyal collectors.

[nascar246788]

Got an email from Funko saying they're ending the Smuggler's Bounty service in September, and the subscription is ending now. All boxes between now and September will have to be ordered individually as they're announced, and it's not guaranteed everyone who orders them will get them (for month-to-month subs. Yearly subbers are still guaranteed their boxes).

This is a real bummer. Love my bi-monthly surprise showing up in the mail. The email seems to say the boxes will continue through a retail partner, but no real details on how that might work.

Does anyone know if they're ending all their sub boxes (Marvel, DC, etc.) or just Star Wars?

For disney treasures and marvel collector corps we got same notice. The only difference is there is only one box left that we are guaranteed. Adventures for Disney and Infinity Wars for marvel.

[Libertyroxx]

Very disappointed, not looking out for the loyal collectors.

Yeah I feel this is them operating as a publicly traded company and not trying to please the loyal collectors.

This is something I was discussing with some friends. The end of subscription boxes and a distinct lack of rides and ridez being announced kind of smacks of a board telling them to shift focus away from things that aren't as profitable. I won't pretend to know their minds, but it does make sense from a board of directors point of view even if it's not something I would personally want.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[HockeyDad]

Everything's preordered. They shouldn't have had to make much more than they need. No reason for a massive overstock.

They have the annual subscription numbers, but the bimonthly numbers are going to vary. Unless they lock in orders 4-6 months out or make things super-limited with insta-sellouts, there's going to be overstock.

Reducing the quantity would be an easier fix ... like you said ... make them more limited. You gotta think there's been so much overstock it's just easier to let the retail chains buy, distribute, and deal with the overstock rather than Funko themselves. If I'm Funko, I'm not happy that I have to hold on to all of the old boxes (until I send them off-shore to sell). It's probably much easier just to sell them to retail for "not full price" and always sell out to them and let the retail store take care of the rest.

Most likely Disney is Hot Topic considering they messed up and posted them by mistake before

[Chase Variant]

Very disappointed, not looking out for the loyal collectors.

Yeah I feel this is them operating as a publicly traded company and not trying to please the loyal collectors.

This is something I was discussing with some friends. The end of subscription boxes and a distinct lack of rides and ridez being announced kind of smacks of a board telling them to shift focus away from things that aren't as profitable. I won't pretend to know their minds[url][/url], but it does make sense from a board of directors point of view even if it's not something I would personally want.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The “lack of Rides” is perception and demonstrably wrong.

As for the rest, I completely disagree. If you aren’t paying attention to what’s happening with LootCrate, it’s clear that the subscription box fad is dying down.

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-lootcrate-struggles-20170630-htmlstory.html

Funko is looking out for its customers by not tying itself to a dying model.

[BenLo]

I'm going to miss my sub boxes every other month, but I won't miss some of those fillers. I really liked the shirts when it came with one.

[Sonic77]

I'm going to miss my sub boxes every other month, but I won't miss some of those fillers. I really liked the shirts when it came with one.

Agreed going to miss the shirts, fillers, and the box deliveries. No more surprises

[BenLo]

I'm going to miss my sub boxes every other month, but I won't miss some of those fillers. I really liked the shirts when it came with one.

Agreed going to miss the shirts, fillers, and the box deliveries. No more surprises

Who knows. Maybe we're stressing out over nothing. Maybe whatever Funko's plans are will be even better.

[davemoseley]

I've been reading and rereading the emails and I'm still hugely confused as to whether I'm automatically getting charged and shipped the next boxes, or if I need to assume that everything that isn't already assembling (the Feb MCC box) should be bought manually. I was a Founder for Collector Corps, Smuggler's Bounty and Disney Treasures and everything's still set for auto-renew - can someone explain exactly which boxes I need to be ordering now?

[Chase Variant]

I'm going to miss my sub boxes every other month, but I won't miss some of those fillers. I really liked the shirts when it came with one.

Agreed going to miss the shirts, fillers, and the box deliveries. No more surprises

Who knows. Maybe we're stressing out over nothing. Maybe whatever Funko's plans are will be even better.

That’s the thing. The only real downside with a shift to retail is geographic availability (and possibly loss of shirts), but if they go with someone like Hot Topic or GameStop (or even Walmart), those stores have been able to ship out of some of their mystery boxes. And despite concerns, I don’t see widespread reselling of the retail boxes. If we’re able to get them shipped and combine them with other items, we even might be able to get free shipping out of it.

[Angel 9708]

Very disappointed, not looking out for the loyal collectors.

That's exactly how I feel. We were with them since the beginning of subs. Even through the not so good boxes and the mcc exclusives year 1 box. What to do now?

[chincoteague1]

I've been reading and rereading the emails and I'm still hugely confused as to whether I'm automatically getting charged and shipped the next boxes, or if I need to assume that everything that isn't already assembling (the Feb MCC box) should be bought manually. I was a Founder for Collector Corps, Smuggler's Bounty and Disney Treasures and everything's still set for auto-renew - can someone explain exactly which boxes I need to be ordering now?

Well I just ordered my next Disney Treasures "Adventures" Box. It was pretty easy. I went into my account and went to "Order Past Boxes" and when I went there up popped the Adventures Box and I was able to order it. I hope this helps you. I was a subscription holder from the beginning so my auto renew was off as of today.

[Chase Variant]

I've been reading and rereading the emails and I'm still hugely confused as to whether I'm automatically getting charged and shipped the next boxes, or if I need to assume that everything that isn't already assembling (the Feb MCC box) should be bought manually. I was a Founder for Collector Corps, Smuggler's Bounty and Disney Treasures and everything's still set for auto-renew - can someone explain exactly which boxes I need to be ordering now?

If you have the annual subscription, you’ll get all the boxes up until the subscription end date and won’t need to order anything.

[Angel 9708]

I wonder what direction they will go in now? I liked the ability to buy a year in advance and not have to worry about if I'm going to be able to buy it before it sells out. It gave me piece of mind. If it goes to retail stores it's gonna be crazy, it's already hard to get most exclusives in stores. Just hoping for some kind of answer.

[davemoseley]

I've been reading and rereading the emails and I'm still hugely confused as to whether I'm automatically getting charged and shipped the next boxes, or if I need to assume that everything that isn't already assembling (the Feb MCC box) should be bought manually. I was a Founder for Collector Corps, Smuggler's Bounty and Disney Treasures and everything's still set for auto-renew - can someone explain exactly which boxes I need to be ordering now?

If you have the annual subscription, you’ll get all the boxes up until the subscription end date and won’t need to order anything.

So since MCC began in April and I've received 3 full years of boxes as of Feb (including the Animal Instincts box), my sub should be considered 'expired' and I need to buy the Infinity War box seperately?

Since Disney's first box was April also, same story for them, as technically my first 'year' is complete and I won't be getting charged for a second year? Has every subscription moved to "auto-renew off" or just the annuals? (This is a lot more confusing because all my subs still show as "active")

Smuggler's Bounty, my sub runs until September's box and is due to renew in November (which it won't, I know, because they're moving to retail as soon as the September box closes), so do I need to do anything or can this one just coast along?

What's really tripping me up is for Disney and MCC where it says "Annual Subscribers not renewing will receive the current Adventures collectibles box" in bold. So I don't want to order a box manually only to find that I'm already guaranteed a box.

[Chase Variant]

So since MCC began in April and I've received 3 full years of boxes as of Feb (including the Animal Instincts box), my sub should be considered 'expired' and I need to buy the Infinity War box seperately?

Since Disney's first box was April also, same story for them, as technically my first 'year' is complete and I won't be getting charged for a second year? Has every subscription moved to "auto-renew off" or just the annuals? (This is a lot more confusing because all my subs still show as "active")

Smuggler's Bounty, my sub runs until September's box and is due to renew in November (which it won't, I know, because they're moving to retail as soon as the September box closes), so do I need to do anything or can this one just coast along?

What's really tripping me up is for Disney and MCC where it says "Annual Subscribers not renewing will receive the current Adventures collectibles box" in bold. So I don't want to order a box manually only to find that I'm already guaranteed a box.

Yeah, I see what you are saying. As far as bi-monthly subscribers go, it is showing that we have no active subscriptions. Since you are on the cusp with Marvel and Disney, I’m not sure what they would do.

[davemoseley]

Yeah, I see what you are saying. As far as bi-monthly subscribers go, it is showing that we have no active subscriptions. Since you are on the cusp with Marvel and Disney, I’m not sure what they would do.

I think I'll just wait a day and see what happens with the auto-renew function... because strangely, mine are all still on.

[dork_knight]

Seems a lot of folks are disappointed about this. Really hoping Funko has a better plan for their customers. It was a little tactful that they officially announced it, then started bombarding us with all the new stuff. Clever. Clever :P

[chincoteague1]

I've been reading and rereading the emails and I'm still hugely confused as to whether I'm automatically getting charged and shipped the next boxes, or if I need to assume that everything that isn't already assembling (the Feb MCC box) should be bought manually. I was a Founder for Collector Corps, Smuggler's Bounty and Disney Treasures and everything's still set for auto-renew - can someone explain exactly which boxes I need to be ordering now?

If you have the annual subscription, you’ll get all the boxes up until the subscription end date and won’t need to order anything.

So since MCC began in April and I've received 3 full years of boxes as of Feb (including the Animal Instincts box), my sub should be considered 'expired' and I need to buy the Infinity War box seperately?

Since Disney's first box was April also, same story for them, as technically my first 'year' is complete and I won't be getting charged for a second year? Has every subscription moved to "auto-renew off" or just the annuals? (This is a lot more confusing because all my subs still show as "active")

Smuggler's Bounty, my sub runs until September's box and is due to renew in November (which it won't, I know, because they're moving to retail as soon as the September box closes), so do I need to do anything or can this one just coast along?

What's really tripping me up is for Disney and MCC where it says "Annual Subscribers not renewing will receive the current Adventures collectibles box" in bold. So I don't want to order a box manually only to find that I'm already guaranteed a box.

That was a confusing line. I took that to mean if you were an annual subscriber, but not from the first box, you would automatically receive the Adventures box and then they would refund the balance on what you paid (whenever you paid it).

[cheekylyssa]

I don’t understand why so many are blaming the fact that Funko went public. Funko is a business - the facts are that each month each of the subs had multiple boxes left over. Sometimes up to five or six months worth. That’s not profitable. Add to that cost the box assembly and rising shipping costs. Then look at the “nerdy” subscription box game - Lootcrate is struggling and NerdBlock imploded. This is just making tough - and smart - business decisions that they would have been thinking about long before going public. I will miss my subscriptions, for sure, but the writing had been on the wall for a long time now.

[jonathan197628]

Doesn't this mean that this forum about powered by funko has to be closed down or will it stay up even if the boxes are purchased in the stores. I don't remember any forums about mystery boxes for gamestop.

[Nooklin]

I don’t understand why so many are blaming the fact that Funko went public. Funko is a business - the facts are that each month each of the subs had multiple boxes left over. Sometimes up to five or six months worth. That’s not profitable. Add to that cost the box assembly and rising shipping costs. Then look at the “nerdy” subscription box game - Lootcrate is struggling and NerdBlock imploded. This is just making tough - and smart - business decisions that they would have been thinking about long before going public. I will miss my subscriptions, for sure, but the writing had been on the wall for a long time now.

I also had those other sub boxes. Nerd block charged $30 for $20 (sometimes) worth of goods and Lootcrate often sent a box full of clearance items or other things that I'm not into. Neither of them were specific enough. Smuggler's Bounty solved that issue. I wanted Funko brand merch and Star Wars themed merch. It was the one exclusive I didn't have to worry about. It was low stress and I looked forward to getting the patches and pins with the pops each month. Like Ron Popeil says, I could "set it and forget it!"

But now your are telling me that Target, Walmart, WG, or GameStop may get control over my box!? If they are in a Target store, we will never get them since the employees steal all of the exclusives. How did Target online just do with flocked Bugs? How is Gamestop's pre-order consistency? How about Walmart's quality shipping?

I will admit that Target online is an improvement, if we consider Bugs an outlier, but are we ready to put our eggs in this basket? Walgreens has also been much better lately. In all honesty I hope WG gets my box. Possibly B&N or Gamestop because at least they are used to preorders. Since Funko has a vested interest in Toys R Us, then the boxes should be handled there.

In reality though, it just sounds like something else I will miss out on.

[nascar246788]

I've been reading and rereading the emails and I'm still hugely confused as to whether I'm automatically getting charged and shipped the next boxes, or if I need to assume that everything that isn't already assembling (the Feb MCC box) should be bought manually. I was a Founder for Collector Corps, Smuggler's Bounty and Disney Treasures and everything's still set for auto-renew - can someone explain exactly which boxes I need to be ordering now?

If you have the annual subscription, you’ll get all the boxes up until the subscription end date and won’t need to order anything.

Well I guess that means two adventures boxes for me. If I do, I will gladly sell at cost to anyone that wants the other. I didn't want to take chance of misinterpreting email and missing out because they hadn't charged me yet.