England goals spark instant toy sales surge

When England’s Jude Bellingham scored in the opening World Cup match against Croatia, a North Cambridge toy seller saw demand shift within minutes. When Bellingham scored, within 15 minutes we’d sold six Bellingham figures.

– Liam Tucker, Owner, TJ Toys The same pattern repeated after Harry Kane’s two-goal performance in England’s knockout victory over DR Congo, with the business selling four Kane figures between 7pm and midnight – matching the total sold in the previous four days.

For Tucker, it’s become a familiar pattern during the World Cup, with football moments translating almost instantly into sales as demand reacts in real time to events on the pitch. That immediacy has made Temu a key part of the business, allowing sudden spikes in interest to convert into orders without relying on livestream selling.

But while Bellingham triggered the early surge, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has emerged as the fan favourite among England figures. Funko had to predict England’s World Cup squad months in advance, so they only produced figures for 11 players. Seven of them are selling consistently, with Jordan Pickford the standout favourite so far.

– Liam Tucker, Owner, TJ Toys Alongside England players, global stars such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé remain steady sellers across the wider range, driven by major tournaments and ongoing fan demand.

TJ Toys specialises in Funko Pop collectible figures and has been trading for around six years, previously selling on a live-stream auction platform before expanding onto Temu late last year. Since joining the marketplace, the business has scaled quickly, moving from a small office into a 3,000 sq ft warehouse.

“The turnover and strong sales levels gave us the confidence to take on a large space and long lease,” he said. The business now processes around 10,000 units a month on Temu across roughly 500 SKUs, with Tucker saying the platform has driven rapid growth in sales and order volumes.

Our biggest month on Temu so far is £80,000 – and we’ve just committed to every Funko release over the next three months, so we’re really ramping up. – Liam Tucker, Owner, TJ Toys He said the World Cup has made stock planning more difficult, because Funko had to decide which England players to produce long before the final squad was confirmed.

Although sales were relatively slow before the tournament, England’s early win helped lift demand, with the business now holding around 1,000 player figures across the squad. The biggest shift is speed, with sales now moving within minutes of a match kicking off as certain players suddenly surge in demand in real time.

The Kane sales after the DR Congo match reinforced that pattern, with the striker’s two-goal performance immediately translating into renewed customer demand. That speed also feeds into the business’s existing rhythm, which is already busiest at weekends, with around 900 parcels processed on Mondays.

It really depends whether England are playing at the weekend. If they are, it stacks two peak moments on top of each other – the match itself and our usual weekend rush. That’s when it gets really busy.

– Liam Tucker, Owner, TJ Toys That overlap is becoming increasingly important as the tournament progresses, with upcoming weekend fixtures expected to deliver the strongest spikes in demand.

Looking ahead, England’s Monday morning clash with Mexico for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals could provide the next test of whether on-pitch moments translate into another surge in orders.