JERSEY CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and leading livestream shopping platform Whatnot announce an expanded strategic partnership to offer authentication and grading services for the massively popular Funko Pops!. Individuals who buy Pops! through Whatnot can now have them authenticated and graded by PSA with just a few taps, all before the Pop! is shipped to the collector. The new offering is announced as global demand for collectible items across categories and enthusiasm for live shopping continues to grow.
In 2022, PSA and Whatnot announced the initial launch of their partnership to provide authentication and grading services for trading cards bought on the live shopping platform. The expansion into Pops! is reflective of customer enthusiasm for PSA’s services and the explosive popularity of Whatnot. Over the last several years, Whatnot has captured the excitement of the live shopping experience while focusing on community to create a welcoming space for like-minded people to share their passions.
“Collectors are always looking for new ways to get their hands on desirable items. Whatnot enables everyone to shop for and bid on collectible items with an incredible live auction experience all from the comfort of their homes,” said PSA president Ryan Hoge. “With Pops! often selling for thousands on the secondary market, offering our authentication and grading services for them is a true value-add for any collector.”
“By expanding our partnership with PSA, Pops! buyers have peace of mind that the items they are getting are real and authentic which is incredibly important,” said Whatnot CEO and co-founder Grant Lafontaine. “Interest in live shopping and collecting continue to grow and with Whatnot and PSA, buyers can seamlessly have their Pops! and trading cards authenticated and graded right when they purchase their product.”
"The ability to have the ever increasing amount of fake Pops!, sticker swaps, and inconsistent subjective advertised condition of Funko Pops! eliminated through PSA's authentication and grading service is the future of the hobby," said owner of TOY CABAL Darius DiMartino. "PSA is leading the charge of my favorite category of collectibles and bringing sound investment potential for Pops! collectors."
Last year, PSA added authentication and grading of Pops! to rave reviews from the Funko Pops! collecting community, thereby bringing its industry-leading services to collectible toys. Since then, PSA has received thousands of direct submissions from customers and dealers. When individuals select to add PSA’s services to their Pops! through Whatnot, their items will automatically be authenticated, graded and encapsulated before being shipped back to the buyer.
About PSA
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is the largest and most trusted third-party trading card authentication and grading company in the world. Since its inception in 1991, PSA has certified over 50 million cards and collectibles with a cumulative declared value of over a billion dollars. PSA is a division of Collectors Universe, which has offices in California, New Jersey, Seattle, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.PSAcard.com.
About Whatnot
Whatnot is the largest social commerce platform in the U.S., connecting buyers and sellers through livestream shopping across any category – from collectibles like trading cards to comics, fashion, sneakers and more. The platform couples rigorous seller vetting with a focus on community to create a welcoming space for people to share their passions with others. Today, Whatnot’s top sellers earn up to eight figures a year using the platform. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, YC Continuity and CapitalG, Whatnot’s valuation sits at $3.7B. For more information, please visit www.whatnot.com or download the Whatnot app on Android or iOS.
