Like the market for used vehicles, prices for Funko Pops are getting a little ridiculous. The latest example of that, is a collector who recently traded six of the bobble-headed figurines for a pair of 2023 Cadillac Escalades.
Junot Ignacio is the collector behind the deal, and this isn’t even the first time he has traded Funko Pops in order to fund a new vehicle purchase, reports Gizmodo. A controversial figure within the collector community, his 9-to-5 job sees him operate a limousine service.
In December 2022, he claimed to have spent the proceeds from the sale of some figurines to buy a GMC Yukon that was worth an estimated $70,000. Then, in late January, he posted to Instagram that he was looking to sell six figurines in exchange for either $240,000 or a pair of diesel Escalades, prices for which start at more than $80,000.
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So incentivized was he to make the trade, that he offered a $40,000 reward to anyone who could help him find a buyer for all six figurines. A week later, he said he would be saying goodbye to the Funko Pops.
In February, Ignacio posted a photo of he and another man posing between two black Cadillac Escalades, holding a case containing the six Funko Pop bobble heads. If you’re wondering why anyone would make that trade, it is partially due to inflation that Ignacio himself caused.
While the vast majority of Funko Pops are worthless at this point, there is a community of collectors that covets the rarer figurines. And few Funko Pops are rarer than the so-called Venom Freddy.
Just 24 of these toys were ever produced for the 2019 Comic-Con show in San Diego, and they combine the Marvel character Venom with Freddy, Funko Pop’s own mascot. Ignacio decided to try and collect as many of the toys as he could, and eventually got his hands on 18 of them.
While impressive, his ability to corner the market drew criticism, because it allowed him to pretty control the prices of the bobble head. According to another collector who spoke to Gizmodo, before Ignacio starting collecting Venom Freddies, they traded for around $5,000 to $8,000. After he hoarded them, though, he was able to trade them for between $25,000 to $30,000. By the time of Cadillac trade, he was asking for $40,000 each. Although some find Ignacio’s market tactics distasteful, others are simply impressed by his hustle.