DIY GRADING · 8-STEP RUBRIC

How to grade a Funko Pop yourself.

You can run a credible self-grade in 10 minutes with a daylight bulb, a phone camera, and the 8-step rubric below. Or skip the work entirely — our free AI tool runs the same 47-point inspection in 60 seconds.

Or let AI do it — free →

What you need before you start

1. A daylight-balanced bulb (5000K-6000K). Yellow incandescents hide defects.

2. A clean white or grey surface to set the Pop on.

3. A phone with a sharp camera (any iPhone 11+ or Pixel 6+ works).

4. 10 minutes of uninterrupted attention. Self-grading rushed = self-grading wrong.

The 8-step rubric

Step 1 — Corners. Inspect all 8 corners individually under raking light (light at a 45° angle). Look for whitening, crush, or fold. Any visible deduction = drop the Corners score by 0.5-2.

Step 2 — Edges. Top, bottom, side edges. Look for dents (smooth depressions) and edge wear (whitening from shelf rubbing).

Step 3 — Window. Hold the box at 30-45° under light. Tilt slowly. Scratches show as silver streaks, clouding as a milky cast, cracks as dark threads.

Step 4 — Stickers. Check flatness, color match, factory adhesion. Lifted corners, off-flush placement, or color fade = sticker deduction.

Step 5 — Figure paint. Look through the window at the figure's face, eyes, and accessories. Paint slop visible from arm's length = Surface deduction.

Step 6 — Figure body. Mold seams, head fit, base stability. Wide seams or a tilted head = Surface deduction.

Step 7 — Centering. Measure the gap left vs right between figure and window edges. Top vs bottom too. 60/40 or worse = auto-deduct.

Step 8 — Factory plastic & overall presentation. Plastic intact, no slits, no reseal residue. Then stand back and assess the 'vibes' — does it look factory-fresh?

How to assemble the grade

The overall grade roughly tracks your worst subgrade. If you scored 10/10/10/9, you're a 9.5. If 10/10/9/8, you're an 8.5. How subgrades roll up →

Add up the deductions per subgrade and apply this scale:

10/10 perfect: 10 (Gem mint). 1-3% of Pops.

9.5: One tiny flaw across 8 categories. Most submission-worthy Pops live here.

9: Two small flaws OR one moderate one.

8.5: Visible flaw from a foot away.

8 and below: Don't submit unless the Pop is high-value.

When DIY isn't enough

Self-grading is calibrated against your eyes. Graders are calibrated against 12,000 Pops worth of pattern recognition. The gap is real.

Use Popinspect's free AI grade predictor as a second opinion. Same 8-category rubric, same 47 points, calibrated against real PSA grades. If your DIY and the AI disagree by more than half a grade, trust the AI. Common DIY mistakes →

How to

How to grade a Funko Pop yourself

01
Set up daylight lighting
5000K-6000K daylight bulb. Place the Pop on a clean white or grey surface. Avoid yellow incandescents — they hide defects.
02
Inspect all 8 corners under raking light
Move a lamp around the box at a 45° angle. Whitening shows as a lighter patch; crush shows as a smooth depression; creases show as hard lines.
03
Check edges, window, stickers, paint, body, centering, factory plastic
Walk the 8-step rubric. Each 'no' answer is a 0.5-2 point deduction in the corresponding subgrade.
04
Assemble the overall grade
Overall grade ≈ worst subgrade. 10/10/10/9 = 9.5. 10/10/9/8 = 8.5. Tally each subgrade individually and use the worst.
05
Confirm with a free AI pre-grade
Upload your 5 photos to popinspect.com — the AI runs the same 47-point inspection calibrated against 12,000 real PSA grades. If you disagree by more than 0.5, trust the AI.

FAQ · how to grade a funko pop yourself

Asked & answered.

Can I grade a Funko Pop myself?

Yes — you can run a credible self-grade in 10 minutes with daylight lighting and the 8-step rubric: corners, edges, window, stickers, figure paint, figure body, centering, factory plastic. Self-grading is calibrated against your eyes, not 12,000 Pops, so use it as a starting point and confirm with a free AI pre-grade.

How accurate is self-grading a Funko Pop?

Within ±1.0 grade for experienced collectors. Within ±2.0 for newcomers. The AI pre-grader matches the official PSA grade within ±0.5 in 94% of cases — meaningfully tighter than self-grading. Use both and trust the AI when they disagree.

What lighting do I need to grade a Funko Pop at home?

A daylight-balanced bulb in the 5000K-6000K range. Yellow incandescents hide whitening and scratches. Raking light (lamp positioned at a 45° angle from the side) is best for detecting corner whitening and edge wear.

What's the easiest way to grade my Funko Pop without submitting?

Use Popinspect's free AI pre-grade — first 2 are free with no card. Upload 5 photos, get a calibrated PSA / CGC / Beckett grade range in 60 seconds. Same 47-point inspection the pros use, no $25 fee.

Is Popinspect an official grader?

No. We are pre-grade intelligence — we predict what CGC, Beckett, SWAU, VVGS, or PGS are likely to grade your Pop. The official grade still comes from them. We just make sure you only ship the ones worth shipping. See our 47-point rubric →

How accurate is the Popinspect pre-grade?

We match the official PSA grade within ±0.5 in 94% of audited cases (12,000 historical submissions used for calibration), and within ±1.0 in 99%. Borderline calls return MAYBE with the specific reason rather than guessing. See the 47-point methodology →

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