Funko is crystal clear about the odds.
Inside each Funko Soda, there's a one in six chance of a chase. For collectors, there's no greater thrill than opening a single can to find that rare figure. Sometimes you get on that hot streak. Other times, you strike out. That’s the soda game. Those are the odds. One in six, right?
Not always.
You can be at a much greater disadvantage than you think, when buying sealed cans on the secondary market.
Tons of Funko Sodas are advertised as a “Sealed: Chance for Chase.” They’re priced about 2-3x that of an opened common, but still much less than a confirmed chase. It's a tempting gamble, but not always a fair one.
There are multiple ways for a seller to cheat you out of your money. This can happen at pretty much every place you can think of: eBay, Mercari, Whatnot, Amazon, and even local toy stores and game shops. With sodas growing in popularity and the rising value of chase figures, there is and will continue to be people who try scam or beat the system. The bottom line?
There might be no chance of a chase!
Here’s what you need to understand and consider when buying sealed cans:
1. Weighing Cans
The use of scales is not new to “blind box” collectors. Variations in weight can exist for different figures, which could tell you what’s inside the package before you open it. This is a hotly debated topic amongst collectors and both sides have valid arguments. This article won’t dive into whether weighing is fair or moral, but you do need to know it exists in regards to Funko Sodas.
The common and chase versions of a particular soda MAY weigh different amounts, especially if it they have the following variations:
- Flocked
- Glow in the Dark
- Metallic
- Alternative Sculpts
While the difference may only be a few grams, it can be enough for the seller to determine whether they’ve found a common or chase.
This can occur for sodas for sale online, but also in-store. Someone could carry a pocket scale into a shop, weigh the sodas on the shelf, then buy one or all of the chases. The twenty sodas you find on the shelf could all be commons if someone got to them before you. Even if a store policy forbids weighing, it may be done stealthily if the location is busy or understaffed.
There is good news, however. Weighing is not foolproof. The effectiveness of weighing largely depends on the figure itself. Let’s take Huckleberry Hound for example. The common and chase are the exact same figure, just a different color. You're not going to be able to tell the difference based upon weight.
Further, there’s a number of inconsistences that come directly from Funko. Slight differences in the plastic seals, bubble-wrap, figure defects, or even a missing pog can throw off the weights and make it harder to identify a chase with 100% certainty. You might find a seller who weighed their can and is legitimately trying to scam you, but inadvertently sells you the chase anyway!
I did some testing of my own. I weighed six sealed sodas of the same figure and they all gave different results. When I opened them, I found some commons had weighed more than the chase, and some weighed less. It really depends on the figure.
FYI: my weighing was done for research purposes only, as I never sell sealed cans! I sell all my figures opened, so that you can see the SPD Soda Kit that you get free with every purchase.
2. Case Manipulation
Funko Sodas are commonly sold in cases of six.
MOST of the time, these cases hold five commons and one chase. Therefore, for example, it’s possible for a seller to obtain a case, open the cans one by one, and find the chase on say, the second try. This results in the four remaining cans being (almost) guaranteed to be a common, despite being untouched and sealed. The seller can then post on eBay “sealed cans: chance of chase,” when it’s very likely a zero chance.
What can you do about this? Not too much, but it should be a huge red flag if someone is selling sealed cans of a soda that's sold in cases. But don't be afraid to message the seller. Ask “where they got these cans” or even “did these come from a case where the chase was found.” There’s no guarantee they’d respond or even give you an honest answer, but if you get a shady vibe, it’s best to avoid.
There are exceptions to this. Some sodas are Funko or Convention exclusives. Cans are sold to the public with a limit of one or two, so it’s much less likely a reseller is using this “case elimination trick.” I would be more inclined to buy a sealed can for one of these sodas, but still keep in mind the weight aspect.
3. Resealing or Peeking
The most dastardly of the scams so far. A seller could literally open the can, determine if it’s a common, then use a particular method to reseal the can and claim it’s factory sealed. They could even slice the plastic just enough to remove the bottom lid and look at the pog.
It’s not always easy to determine if this happened or not. There is a LOT of variance in the factory-sealing process. Even cans that come directly from Funko and honest resellers have suspicious looking seals yet weren't tampered with and contain chases.
Can you avoid this? To some degree. Avoid buying from listings that have stock photos. Make sure you get pictures of the can itself, on all sides, or buy from reputable stores online.
Conclusion
While there are many honest and reputable sellers in the Funko Soda community, it’s always best to consider the possibility of a scam. Consider each soda figure individually and ask yourself: could the chase version weigh differently, could these cans come from a sealed case where the chase was already found, is it possible that the seal was tampered with, and is the seller reputable?
Don’t forget, even if a Soda can passes ALL that criteria, you STILL have to get lucky and beat the 1:6 odds. Sometimes, it may be more cost effective to just buy an opened, confirmed chase!
Lastly, there may be concern whether this article “gives ideas” to scammers or creates new ones. I don’t see it that way, as these scams already exist and aren’t too hard to figure out for someone who is motivated to cheat others. I feel it’s more important to make honest buyers aware, so that they hunt safely.
Good luck out there!