Annual subscriptions coming to an end

[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.

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 was confused. I went ahead and ordered it manually to be safe even though I am an annual. If I get an extra, I am willing to sale to somebody at cost as if they bought it from funko.

[Chase Variant]

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.

[The Head]

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.

While everything you are saying is true, the reality is that public companies are typically under much more financial pressure vs. private companies (unless the company is owned by private equity) . Publics have to report earnings much more frequently (quarterly instead of annually) so they have to adjust more quickly and can't really carry expenses for too long if they are not driving profit. Privates in most cases can wait it out longer and carry some extra costs to see if the strategy works.

Therefore, while I do agree the writing was on the wall regarding subs, going public very possibly (perhaps likely) accelerated the decision and/or execution of the change.

[Krazydave2000]

I hate this been venting all day. Bad move Funko :/
Now local flippers will be at HT at 5am waiting to buy all of them up. Horrible horrible move Funko.

[Eman185]

Like everyone else, I'm super bummed that Funko is ending their sub box. I still remember getting the first MCC box with the Hulkbuster. I will definitely miss these and can only hope that the future retail version can live up to it's predecessor.

[Shinfo13]

Really conflicted about all of this and some things obviously remain unclear such as who these retail partners are (Gonna say HT and Disney Store more than likely) and if the box contents will be affected. I wonder if Funko will provide the Pop and leave the rest of the items up to the retail partners so they don't have to handle assembly and curating all the other stuff for each theme.

The move is bound to anger alot of people cuz now they'll have to go out and hunt for them, but at the same time we won't have to worry about deadlines to order by or getting boxes because we didn't turn off the sub for a theme we don't like. And while flippers will no doubt welcome this at first, I think they'll learn its a big gamble as only a few boxes have ever been so hyped they actually sell out while others just sit forever.

[FunkoMeansFun]

I wonder why they decided to stop them. Love getting them each month .

[Thrillofthehunt]

Bummed since I was really liking my disney treasure subscription, never felt like i was getting filler. all good things must come to end i guess, funko decided they're not in the sub box business anymore. We will have to wait and see how it affects the experience, i'm sure it will be different since funko will not be controlling every decisio

[binarykaos]

This one shocked me a bit with the transition...I get that the business is continually changing, I just will miss that random box showing up to my door each month depending on the box.

[carlcarlson1]

Managing all those subscriptions with people complaining about box damage and whatnot, sounds like a lot of hassle for Funko. I bet their customer service people are happy af.

[jkcohen626]

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.

Exactly. If you pay attention, they have been frantic since about August, when the first change occurred (the exclusion of the comic books). Since then they have been throwing stuff against the wall to see what would stick and it seems like nothing did, so they are trying a huge new idea.

I'm also seeing a lot of major assumptions. For example people are assuming that they won't be available online when there is not one clue that they won't. People are also already complaining about Flippers, which makes no sense to me because flippers can already get access to the boxes.

[pampam]

I’m gonna be bummed about the Disney sub box the most. If it does so happen to be readily available at the Disney store that would be fine too.

[jkcohen626]

Overall, I seem to not be nearly as furious as many people. It's an interesting move, but some sort of big change was predictable after they ended the annual subs. I really don't understand why people are so upset at this. We already knew that the annual subs were ending, now the only difference is that instead of going to collectorcorps.com you go to hottopic.com or gamestop.com. Speaking of websites, why are people so suddenly certain that the boxes will now be in store only? What's suddenly so wrong about ordering them from the online versions?

I do still have two major questions from Funko:

1. Funko has been able to keep prices low and the quality high by offering it direct to consumers. When a retailer is also involved, could we see a quality drop to meet the price, a fare hike to meet the quality and/or a bit of both?

2. Will the boxes be exclusive to specific retailers (ie MCC is at Hot Topic, LOC is at Gamestop) or will it shift around (ie June is at Hot Topic, August is at Gamestop)

[sdcccrasher]

I wonder why they decided to stop them. Love getting them each month .

Me too. I'm going to continue to buy them (Disney Treasures) and see how it all turns out. I hope they will still include Park themes.

[dcooperfl]

I have mixed feelings on this news. On one hand, I like not having to buy and wait. This new way I can cherry pick what I want and not really worry about it. Assuming it goes to retailers and they go a different format. On the other hand I really did like getting those boxes in the mail and opening them with my kids.

[nascar246788]

Really conflicted about all of this and some things obviously remain unclear such as who these retail partners are (Gonna say HT and Disney Store more than likely) and if the box contents will be affected. I wonder if Funko will provide the Pop and leave the rest of the items up to the retail partners so they don't have to handle assembly and curating all the other stuff for each theme.

The move is bound to anger alot of people cuz now they'll have to go out and hunt for them, but at the same time we won't have to worry about deadlines to order by or getting boxes because we didn't turn off the sub for a theme we don't like. And while flippers will no doubt welcome this at first, I think they'll learn its a big gamble as only a few boxes have ever been so hyped they actually sell out while others just sit forever.

I just hope whatever retailer they choose allows us to purchase online. If not, I am going to be even more p***. I asked for Disney Treasures for Christmas. I could have asked for other things.

[mattbs]

Just more writing on the wall what Funko/Sucko thinks of collectors... we had had 12 days of flipper Christmas, 10" hulks never recalled but left on shelves to sell broken, keep putting exclusives in Walmart and Target knowing employees and flippers are going to just put on eBay before a collector/fan even sees it on a shelf, eBay always has a ton of POP figures online for sale before the release dates (and not just presale items but in hand pops), sub boxes no longer sent to those who have been loyal to the company and now going to a "retailer" so flippers can buy everything before collectors and fans see them on shelves.... I hear beanie babies footsteps...

And the timing just so happens to be at the same time as toyfair... So we pi ss everyone off but then we show them a bunch of bright lights and they forget why they are mad at us... ie look at all the new pops and products we have coming out. Also a Friday so stock prices might not drop at this announcement because everyone likes the new items coming out more and 2 days for everyone to forget.

[HaloHawk87]

I'm not at all surprised this is happening. If anything I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Like mentioned before, the sub box model is a fad that's dying fast, and it's a good business decision for Funko to pull out before it's too late. The extremely poor quality of boxes in the past year didn't help either. I assumed sales were suffering, likely resulting in them losing money. I'm surprised they're gonna try to keep it going at a retailer, but I think it's a forgone conclusion that they'll completely fade away after a few months. I don't think flippers will be a problem, because I just don't see these selling well at all, tbh. I could see flippers take a chance on the first one, but they'll stay away when they realize they can't get rid of their pile of boxes. Most people will only want the Pop, especially casual buyers, but won't want to pay $25 to get it. It's better for Funko to focus on selling products individually.

[Chase Variant]

I hate this been venting all day. Bad move Funko :/
Now local flippers will be at HT at 5am waiting to buy all of them up. Horrible horrible move Funko.

Not really. I’m sure something on the level of the Maleficent Dragon or the Eric and Ariel 2-packs might get flipped, but they are flipped now. Most other things have remained readily available to the point that they get deeply discounted twice yearly or given away free.

[sdcccrasher]

Maybe Disney Treasures will be sold through the Disney Stores.

[mel]

I can see why Funko did this, it eliminates the risk on their end. The retail partners will have to buy these boxes from them and then the retailer is stuck with the leftover boxes and Funko got paid for all of them. It sucks personally for us to not have that box delivery to look forward to each month, but if not enough of us were ordering them and Funko is left with a bunch of boxes each month, that sucks for them. Change is hard. I had unsubbed from everything but Disney Treasures and I'm sure I will seek that out when it becomes a retail thing (likely at Disney Store).

[OffTheCHENG]

Super bummed my Smuggler's Bounty Sub will come to an end. That's one of the few times a year where I know i can pay a flat out fee and not worry about pops coming in every 2 months.

[nascar246788]

:idea: Maybe Disney Treasures will be sold through the Disney Stores.

I hope not because it will make it harder for me to get. I gave up other possible Christmas presents for this box.

[Angel 9708]

I'm confused about annual subs. Are we guaranteed the next box up until the date it says or only until it sells out?

[Jalapenopete]

[quote="jkcohen626"]Overall, I seem to not be nearly as furious as many people. It's an interesting move, but some sort of big change was predictable after they ended the annual subs. I really don't understand why people are so upset at this. We already knew that the annual subs were ending, now the only difference is that instead of going to collectorcorps.com you go to hottopic.com or gamestop.com. Speaking of websites, why are people so suddenly certain that the boxes will now be in store only? What's suddenly so wrong about ordering them from the online versions?

I do still have two major questions from Funko:

1. Funko has been able to keep prices low and the quality high by offering it direct to consumers. When a retailer is also involved, could we see a quality drop to meet the price, a fare hike to meet the quality and/or a bit of both?

2. Will the boxes be exclusive to specific retailers (ie MCC is at Hot Topic, LOC is at Gamestop) or will it shift around (ie June is at Hot Topic, August is at Gamestop)[/quote
]


I had the same question u had on number two, i read the posts, u mentioned all the main stores, i remeber hot topic this past year accidently sold the box and then pulled back because they had them for cheaper and folks who bought them through the funko site paid more..

One benefit I guess we aren't paying for shipping

It be cool to see all stores sell them hey more money for corporate funko and more happy funatics

[Njtree_82]

So my first actual boxes was The Avengers Hulkbuster and the Ant Man as I pick them up from New York Comic Con at the Funko Booth when they were first really starting off. After getting those home and actually opening up and looking at them I thought it was really really cool.

I immediately signed up for the yearly subscription for the Smugglers bounty. So my subscription should be good on till September for the last box of the Smugglers bounty?

I really like getting the trophies and also that one time when it was backed up and I got the free Jawa pop in the mail from Funko as a gift.

But same I just ordered Adventure Disney box and hoping I can get that.

[muscleheadfunkopop]

Totally bummed out that the monthly subscription boxes will be ending. But all good things have to come to an end sometime. It was cool knowing that I was going to have a particular box on a certain date, but now with retailers...i wonder how the releases are going to be. Some retailers never, never, NEVER release things by the street date....unless it's star wars. And how is it going to go with the shirts in the boxes...#GONE? Sucked that the Kylo & Hulk box only went up to XL. Not much more to say...hopefully I will be able to get a box and hopefully with the correct shirt size.

[JessFunko]

I’m upset by this news & will unlikely keep purchasing them because of this. Very sad. Make subscription quota low for Funko & ship the rest to retail, FINE. but for the people that don’t mind paying in advance, never complain about shipping etc why does the ease of committing to Funko in this way now have to be dissolved? Honestly breaks my heart. I had all the subscriptions & will miss them dearly. RIP

[skillawashere]

Like some, I have conflicting feelings about this. I definitely don’t need additional stuff to hunt and track down, but on the other hand, the quality of most of the boxes have gone down. I am thinking too much stock was laying around. I pour a 40 oz on the MCC sub box; I’ll miss you my friend.

[JorEl15]

This is unfortunate and I hope their retailer partners don’t screw up the boxes

[swind15]

Ordered the Marvel and Disney boxes. It’s sad that these are going to end being shipped directly to us.

[dcooperfl]

I hate this been venting all day. Bad move Funko :/
Now local flippers will be at HT at 5am waiting to buy all of them up. Horrible horrible move Funko.

I hear ya, but there wasn’t really a box they released that was flippable per se. Also, all of these retailers that have any type of Funko box, the box itself sits in the shelf and ultimately goes to clearance.

[dcooperfl]

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.

While everything you are saying is true, the reality is that public companies are typically under much more financial pressure vs. private companies (unless the company is owned by private equity) . Publics have to report earnings much more frequently (quarterly instead of annually) so they have to adjust more quickly and can't really carry expenses for too long if they are not driving profit. Privates in most cases can wait it out longer and carry some extra costs to see if the strategy works.

Therefore, while I do agree the writing was on the wall regarding subs, going public very possibly (perhaps likely) accelerated the decision and/or execution of the change.

While I agree with you that a public company has to answer to shareholder, the private company still needs to be profitable. Now, a private company gets the freedom to pursue the art and stick with it longer to prove its value and hope the consumers come along. In this case I think Funko gets the best of both works. They get to focus on the art and create the content for the boxes and the retailers are the ones buying to take the chance. If they were poor performing for Funko then their (Funko’s) product team should get a nice cheer for the transition.

[treswright]

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.

There have been a few Rides announced, but no Ridez since November of last year. No news, no announcements, no leaked lists, nothing. Maybe they're just taking a breather for some reason, but like Brian I can't help but wonder if this is because of them going public and having to cut back or eliminate the less-profitable products. In fact after I heard the news that they were going public I told a lot of Funatics I was worried Ridez would get the axe because they were never very profitable (they were mostly made in small numbers and even then languished on shelves or in the Funko Shop). From the business side I've been through this twice before (working for a design company that went public) and my experience has been that company conversations quickly change from creative endeavors to quarterly profits. Funko has always been fan-based, but that may very well be changing now. I mean I don't think they are snubbing fans per se, but they are trying to strike a balance between fan satisfaction and shareholder profits. So like in this case subs aren't going away, but the business model for them is changing.

[The Head]

...my experience has been that company conversations quickly change from creative endeavors to quarterly profits.

This is what I feel like people upset at the suggestion that these decisions are due to them going public doesn't understand. Yes, they were always a for profit company, but you have much more leeway as a private company, especially if you're not owned by private equity. You can be patient because your investment horizon is typically much longer.

Also, as I mentioned before, maybe the decision wasn't made because they went public, but being public accelerated the decision.

[Pkdiablo77]

Still cant get over how they cancelled my
Feb box saying sold out when I paid for it on Jan 12th. Like really? Fk them.

[emcee]

Still cant get over how they cancelled my
Feb box saying sold out when I paid for it on Jan 12th. Like really? Fk them.

[Vypinoy]

I can see why Funko did this, it eliminates the risk on their end. The retail partners will have to buy these boxes from them and then the retailer is stuck with the leftover boxes and Funko got paid for all of them. It sucks personally for us to not have that box delivery to look forward to each month, but if not enough of us were ordering them and Funko is left with a bunch of boxes each month, that sucks for them. Change is hard. I had unsubbed from everything but Disney Treasures and I'm sure I will seek that out when it becomes a retail thing (likely at Disney Store).

Sounds about right. Its like car dealerships... they only have so long to get rid of them til the dealership themselves will own the cars.

[sdcccrasher]

I can see why Funko did this, it eliminates the risk on their end. The retail partners will have to buy these boxes from them and then the retailer is stuck with the leftover boxes and Funko got paid for all of them. It sucks personally for us to not have that box delivery to look forward to each month, but if not enough of us were ordering them and Funko is left with a bunch of boxes each month, that sucks for them. Change is hard. I had unsubbed from everything but Disney Treasures and I'm sure I will seek that out when it becomes a retail thing (likely at Disney Store).

I hope it will be through the Disney Stores.

[nascar246788]

I can see why Funko did this, it eliminates the risk on their end. The retail partners will have to buy these boxes from them and then the retailer is stuck with the leftover boxes and Funko got paid for all of them. It sucks personally for us to not have that box delivery to look forward to each month, but if not enough of us were ordering them and Funko is left with a bunch of boxes each month, that sucks for them. Change is hard. I had unsubbed from everything but Disney Treasures and I'm sure I will seek that out when it becomes a retail thing (likely at Disney Store).

I hope it will be through the Disney Stores.

I only hope that will be every disney store and not the parks only. I have enjoyed all of it as a Disney funatic who along with my wife has been to Disneyland 80+ times since May of 2014, but if it gets sold at disneyland disney stores, I will be sad as I can't just pop up there on a random weekday being in San Diego. Their online is crap because of the way they do it. Their shop parks app pulls from park/downtown disney ineventory, no dedicated inventory.

I just hope whatever store they go with, collectors that have a 9 to 5 job with little flexibility don't have to go on the hunt like the last few years with all the sub boxes.