This section helps our Volunteer Squad keep the database clean and consistent! It pertains to members who have Creator access and above. If you're interested in getting involved, read more about joining the Squad here. We'd love to have you aboard!


We love seeing the work of the many talented customizers in the Funko collector community and welcome the addition of Custom POPs to hobbyDB!


If you create custom POPs and would like to add your work to hobbyDB, please contact us via the green Contact button above so we can get you set up!


This article lists important rules and policies for custom POPs on hobbyDB. Please read the entire page before adding any custom POPs to the database. Any member who repeatedly violates these rules may be removed from the Squad or have their roles restricted.



TABLE OF CONTENTS




Custom Batman Carl and Robin Russell by Jun Go


Rules for Adding Custom POPs


The process for adding a custom POP is essentially the same as adding standard items to the database, but with a few additional (and important!) rules:

  1. The Brand should always be the Customizer, not Funko. (See our current list of POP! Customizers here.) Do not add Funko or POP! Vinyl to any of the Subject fields.
  2. Add "POP! Customs" as the series. Do not add any official Funko series.

  3. Customs should not have the retailer of the original base Pop listed as a Related Subject.

  4. Set the Production Status to "Custom".

  5. Do not include the original production POP's UPC or reference number.

  6. The custom should be a Variant of the original item if the customization is primarily a paint job or the addition of minor accessories. If the form of the figure has been significantly modified or scratch-built, it should be entered as a standalone item.

  7. Customs should not be Subvariants, although in many cases it makes sense to make them Variants (see above).

  8. External links and references to social media accounts must follow the rules for External Links.

  9. Please also review our general guidelines for Customs before adding any custom POPs to the database.



Customs Are Listed Separately


As mentioned above, custom POPs are often Variants of an official production POP. In these cases, the Variant Group and individual items will display a link to see the related customs, like the Bob (in Scrubs) Pop:

    


This Variant Group view is new as of December 2022 and allows for customs to be shown on Pop Price Guide as well as hobbyDB.



Official Archives for Customizers


If you are a customizer and would like hobbyDB to host an Official Archive of your work, we would love to help you set that up! An Official Archive is a great way to showcase your work and share it with the community. To qualify for an Official Archive as a customizer you must have at least 15 of your customs listed on hobbyDB, and that must represent at least 50% of your body of work. If you have 25 or more customs in the database we'll also promote you on our blog and/or social media!


Read more about Official Archives and contact us if you'd like to get the ball rolling! 



Estimated Values and Price Points for Custom POPs


To prevent issues with conflicts of interest, customizers may not add Member Estimates to their own items. This also applies to individuals who are directly associated with the customizer, such as family members, anyone who might financially benefit from the sale of the customizer's work, or someone considering buying or reselling the item. 


Sales on the hobbyDB/PPG Marketplace are automatically added to the Price Guide! Read our Introduction to Selling to learn how. Customizers who add their own work to the database as a Volunteer Squad member receive a discount on fees—you only pay 3% of the transaction total to hobbyDB (plus PayPal's fee). 


If you have an Official Archive (see above) you can add Retail Prices to the Price Guide to show what your past work has sold for on other platforms. If you add Retail Prices to your customs you must be able to provide documentation of the sale if requested.


Retail Prices may not be added for customs by a customizer who does not yet have an Official Archive on hobbyDB.


Sales of customs through any of our supported Price Sources may be added to the Price Guide without restriction as long as the sales meet our Price Point Quality Standards.



Customs on PPG


In August 2020 we asked the Pop Price Guide community if they wanted customs to be listed among official Funko items and the consensus was no, due to the potential for confusion between what was an official Funko release vs. a custom. From that time to December 2022 we only showed custom POPs in the full hobbyDB view and not on PPG, however in December 2022 we released an update to the site that more clearly separates customs from official releases (see Customs Are Listed Separately above), and with that change we again show customs on PPG.


There was previously a rule that customs could only be added to the database while in the hobbyDB view and not in the PPG view, but that rule is no longer needed—customs can now be added whether you are on hobbyDB or PPG.


With all that said, it is still extremely important to follow all of the rules for custom Pops listed above, especially setting the proper Brand, Series, and Production Status.