My phone's notification screen is a chaotic place. As the owner of PopNya, I get DMs, emails, and tagged posts all day. But a few weeks ago, it was a special kind of chaos. A viral TikTok, then a Lemon8 post, then another TikTok. All showing cute, monster-like keychains and figures, with captions screaming, "OMG, LABUBU at Daiso!"
My heart sank a little. Not because I was worried about the competition, far from it. It sank because I knew a whole new wave of hopeful collectors were about to be disappointed or, worse, misled.
So let's get this out of the way immediately. Does Daiso sell LABUBU?
The short, simple, and direct answer is no.
The long answer, however, is where the real value is. It's a story about brand partnerships, manufacturing costs, the wild world of fakes, and how to be a smarter collector. If you're asking about a Daiso LABUBU, you're on the right track, you're looking for an accessible way into a hobby that can feel impossible sometimes. But you're looking in the wrong place.
The Anatomy of a Rumor: What Are People Actually Seeing?
I went down the rabbit hole. I watched the videos. I squinted at the blurry photos. And I can tell you what's happening. The items people are posting fall into three categories:
1. Lookalikes: Daiso, Miniso, and other variety stores are brilliant at creating products that tap into popular aesthetics. They'll produce a monster keychain with big ears and a toothy grin that is just different enough to avoid a lawsuit. It's not LABUBU. It's a generic, unbranded "monster friend." To a newcomer, the silhouette looks familiar, and excitement takes over. 2. Regional Anomalies: This is rarer, but sometimes a Daiso in a specific country (I've seen this rumored for Thailand or Malaysia) might have a small, licensed collaboration or a pop-up from a local distributor that isn't available anywhere else. This is not a company-wide policy. A Daiso in the US, Japan, or Canada will not have this. It's a hyper-localized event that gets presented online as a global phenomenon. 3. Outright Fakes: This is the most dangerous category. Some less-reputable variety stores, especially ones that aren't part of a major international chain, might stock counterfeit goods. These are the "Lafufu" or "ROR MART" products that directly rip off Kasing Lung's designs. We've talked about the brutal truth of these fakes before, and finding them in a store doesn't make them legitimate.
The core of the issue is a misunderstanding of the brand. LABUBU is the intellectual property of Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. The figures we all collect are produced and distributed globally by Pop Mart, a massive Chinese company. This is a tightly controlled partnership. For LABUBU to appear in a store like Daiso, it would require a global distribution deal between Pop Mart and Daiso. Trust me, if that happened, the entire collector community would know. It would be front-page news on every toy blog. It wouldn't be a secret discovery on TikTok.
Real Talk: The $2 LABUBU Doesn't Exist
Here's my honest take as a seller. The economics just don't work.
Daiso's business model is built on high volume and low price points, typically under $5. Let's break down a single LABUBU blind box. A standard series, like The Monsters Let's Christmas or the new Fall in Wild series, retails for about $17-$18 USD.
Why so much? * Licensing Fees: A significant cut goes to the artist, Kasing Lung. This is his creation, his art. * Design & Sculpting: The process of turning 2D art into a 3D figure is complex and costly. * Manufacturing: Pop Mart uses high-quality vinyl and detailed paint applications. The weight, the feel, the clean lines, that costs money. My shop, PopNya, gets boxes directly from the source, and I can tell you the quality control between a real figure and a knock-off is night and day. * Packaging: The beautiful box art, the foil wrapper, the collector card, it's all part of the experience and the cost. * Distribution & Marketing: Getting these toys from a factory in China to a store in NYC or into our warehouse is a massive logistical operation.
There is simply no reality where this $18 product could be sold for $2 or $3 at Daiso without one of the parties involved losing a catastrophic amount of money. The search for a cheap Daiso LABUBU is a search for something that fundamentally can't exist. The demand is so high that Pop Mart has no incentive to devalue their flagship product by selling it through a deep-discounter.
Think about it. The secret figure from The Monsters Macarons series, Zimomo Macaron, was trading for over $200 on secondary markets within a month of its release. That's the kind of feverish demand we're dealing with. It's a premium collectible, not a checkout-lane novelty.
*Your Buyer's Playbook: How to Actually* Find LABUBUOkay, so the Daiso dream is dead. Don't be discouraged. This is where the real hunt begins, and honestly, it's part of the fun. If you truly want to start collecting, here is your playbook, from safest to riskiest.
Level 1: The Official Sanctuaries**
This is the best and safest way to get real, fairly priced LABUBU.
* Pop Mart Official Stores: If you are lucky enough to live near one, this is your ground zero. Walking into a store and seeing walls of blind boxes is an experience every collector should have. I still remember my first pilgrimage to the Pop Mart in San Francisco; it's a feeling of pure joy. Be prepared for new releases to sell out fast.
Pop Mart's Website & App: This is your best bet for drop days. Pro Tip: Create an account and save your payment information before* a big release. Popular series can sell out in under five minutes. Speed is everything.* Robo Shops: These are Pop Mart's blind box vending machines, often found in malls. They are restocked regularly and can be a great way to find recent series without the chaos of a full store.
Level 2: Authorized & Specialist Retailers (That's Us!)
This is where shops like mine, PopNya, come in. We are collectors who turned our passion into a business.
* Why buy from us? We do the hard work of securing stock directly from official distributors. You don't have to fight the website crashes on drop day or wait in line at a physical store. We are an authorized source, so you are guaranteed authentic products. * You're also supporting a small business run by people who are just as obsessed with these toys as you are. We pack every order with care because we know the feeling of getting that perfect box in the mail. You can always browse our LABUBU collection to see what we have available. We try our best to keep a mix of new releases and older, harder-to-find series.
Level 3: The Secondary Market (Enter at Your Own Risk)
This is the Wild West: eBay, Mercari, StockX, and dedicated Facebook collector groups. You can find almost anything here... For a price.
* The Good: This is where you hunt for sold-out series, specific characters you didn't pull, or the elusive secret figures. * The Bad: Prices are almost always inflated. That $18 box might be $30, $40, or more. * The Ugly: Fakes are everywhere. Scammers abound.
Collector's Survival Tip: If you're buying on a platform like eBay, never* buy from a seller with low feedback or who only uses stock photos. Ask for pictures of the actual item from multiple angles. Look at the box corners, the shrink wrap, the Pop Mart logo. If a seller is cagey about providing more photos, it's a massive red flag. And if a price seems too good to be true, it is 100% a fake. Seriously, if you're ever confused about a listing, check out a guide on how to spot the real thing versus a cheap knock-off like Lafufu. The Best Thing You Can Actually Buy at Daiso for Your CollectionI don't want to end this by just trashing the Daiso dream. In a weird way, Daiso is still one of my favorite stores as a collector. Just not for the toys themselves.
It's for the accessories.
Once you start collecting, you'll realize that displaying your little monsters is half the fun. And Daiso is an absolute goldmine for this. Forget the fake LABUBU and head straight for the home organization and craft aisles. Here's my Daiso shopping list for any toy collector:
* Clear Acrylic Risers: They're usually sold as "spice racks" or "makeup organizers." These are perfect for creating tiered displays so you can see every figure in your cabinet. I use them for everything. * Small Display Cases: Daiso sells a variety of small, clear plastic boxes that are perfect for protecting a single, prized figure from dust. * Wall Shelves: They have tons of small, lightweight floating shelves that are great for getting your collection up on the wall. * Craft Supplies: Fake moss, tiny wooden fences, little plastic trees... You can build an entire diorama for your Fall in Wild series for under $10.
So, while you won't find the main attraction at Daiso, you can find everything you need to give your real collection a beautiful home. It's the secret weapon of many seasoned collectors.
The search for LABUBU is a marathon, not a sprint. The agony and ecstasy of finding a store with stock is a core part of the experience. It's a journey filled with research, community, and the thrill of the hunt. Don't let a misleading TikTok video send you on a wild goose chase. Focus your energy on the real channels, connect with other fans, and be smart about where you spend your money.
The real thing is out there, and it's worth the wait. Happy hunting.
* Disclosure: PopNya may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page.
