The DMs and emails have been flooding my inbox for weeks. They all ask some version of the same thing:
"Hey, I saw LABUBU at Miniso! Is it real?" "Why is it cheaper than at Pop Mart?" "Can you pull a secret from the ones at Miniso?"
Honestly, I was just as curious. As someone who lives and breathes these little monsters, seeing them pop up in a mainstream store like Miniso next to the scented candles and blind box Sanrio characters felt… weird. But also kinda cool. It means our niche little world is getting bigger. So, I decided to do some field research. I hit up three different Miniso locations in my area over the past two weeks to get the full story.
Here's what I found, from one collector to another.
My First Sighting: The Setup and The Stock
Walking into the first Miniso, I didn't have to look far. There it was, a dedicated little section on an endcap, right by the checkout. The branding was a mix of Miniso's clean white aesthetic and Pop Mart's signature style. It was clearly an official setup.
The only series they had was The Monsters Exciting Macaron. No Zimomo, no Tycoco, no other Labubu series. Just the Macarons. This seems to be the main series Pop Mart has licensed to them for this big push, likely because it's one of the most popular and colorful recent releases. Perfect for attracting new fans. If you're wondering what the fuss is about with this particular series, I've gone deep on the fakes and market prices in The Honest Labubu Macaron Buyer's Guide before.
Stock levels were… interesting. The first store I visited on a Tuesday afternoon was completely wiped out. Just an empty display with the price tag ($14.99) mocking me. The cashier said they sold out within two days of the last restock. The second store, located in a less-trafficked mall, had about two dozen boxes. They were a bit disorganized, clearly picked over by people shaking and weighing them. The third store, which I hit on a weekday morning, had a freshly opened case. It was a beautiful sight.
So, lesson number one: availability is going to be extremely location-dependent and unpredictable. Don't expect to just waltseva in and find a full stock, especially in a busy area.
The Big Questions: Are They Real? And Why Are They Cheaper?
Let's get this out of the way immediately: Yes, the Labubu at Miniso are 100% authentic and official.
This isn't a knock-off situation. It's a strategic partnership. Pop Mart is the creator and manufacturer, and Miniso is acting as an authorized third-party retailer, much like a department store carrying a specific brand of clothing. Pop Mart wants to expand its reach beyond dedicated art toy fans and into the mainstream casual shopper demographic. Miniso, with its massive global footprint and appeal to a younger audience, is the perfect vehicle for that.
So, why the price difference? At my local Miniso, a single blind box was $14.99. The official Pop Mart US store and other specialty retailers (including us at PopNya) typically sell them for $16.99 or $17.99.
That $2-$3 difference comes down to volume and business models. Miniso buys products on a colossal scale, giving them immense purchasing power to negotiate a lower wholesale price from Pop Mart. They operate on a high-volume, lower-margin model. They're happy to make a smaller profit on each box because they're selling thousands upon thousands of them alongside their other products. It's a different game than the one specialty toy stores play.
A Collector's Deep Dive: Comparing the Miniso Macaron to a Pop Mart Macaron
This is what I was most interested in. Is there any difference in the product itself? I bought a box from the fresh case at Miniso (I pulled a Sesame Bean, nice!) and brought it back to my office to compare it side-by-side with a box from my own PopNya inventory, which came directly from Pop Mart distribution.
The Packaging: At first glance, the boxes are identical. Same artwork, same dimensions, same foil stamping. But I noticed one tiny, but telling, difference. The Miniso box had the price and barcode printed directly onto the clear plastic shrink-wrap. My Pop Mart stock has a separate sticker on the bottom or no price at all. This is a subtle sign of a product line intended for a specific mass-market channel. It's more efficient for a high-volume store like Miniso to have it pre-printed.
The Figure Quality: I unboxed both my new Sesame Bean from Miniso and a Sesame Bean from my own stock. I put them under my desk lamp and went over them with a fine-toothed comb.
The verdict? They are identical. Same vinyl weight, same paint finish, same sharpness on the painted details of the eyes and cheeks. The seams were in the same places. The articulation of the head and arms felt exactly the same. They came from the same mold, were painted by the same machines, and assembled in the same factory. There is zero quality difference between a Labubu Macaron you buy at Miniso and one you buy at Pop Mart. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either mistaken or trying to justify a higher price. The quality concerns that sometimes pop up with other series, like the paint issues on some early Green Labubu figures, are a batch-by-batch issue from the factory, not a retailer-specific one.
A Quick Note on "The Shake Test": While I was in the store, I saw at least three different people pick up boxes, close their eyes, and shake them vigorously next to their ear, hoping to divine the contents. Look, we've all done it. For this Macaron series, though, it's mostly a fool's errand. Most of the figures are a standard size and weight.
However, here's a little tip that only comes from handling hundreds of these boxes: The figure Soymilk is slightly taller and narrower than the others. If you gently tilt the box back and forth (don't shake it like a maraca!), you can sometimes feel a more distinct 'thud-thud' as it slides from end to end, compared to the more muffled rattle of the rounder figures. It's not a guarantee, but it's a better tell than just random shaking.
Real Talk: My Honest Verdict as a Seller
Okay, so they're real, they're cheaper, and the quality is the same. So it's a no-brainer, right? Just buy all your Labubu at Miniso from now on?
Not so fast.
As a seller and a serious collector, here's my brutally honest take.
Buying Labubu from Miniso is a fantastic option for a certain type of person. If you're a casual fan, if you just think they're cute and want one for your desk, or if you're buying a gift for someone who isn't a die-hard collector, it's perfect. You save a couple of bucks, and you can grab one while you're picking up a new water bottle. It lowers the barrier to entry for the hobby, and that's a good thing for everyone.
But for dedicated collectors, there are some serious downsides.
1. The Selection is Extremely Limited. You are only going to find the one or two series that Miniso has licensed. As of right now, that's the Exciting Macarons. You will NOT find the newest drops, the collaborations like the Monsters x One Piece Labubu, or other beloved series like the Have a Seat or Big into Energy sets. The hunt for variety is a huge part of the fun, and you lose that entirely at Miniso.
2. The Secret/Chaser Conundrum. This is the big one. The question of whether Miniso sell LABUBU with secrets is tricky. The technical answer is yes, a secret could be in any box. However, you have to understand how distribution works. Blind boxes are typically shipped to retailers in sealed cases of 12. A factory-sealed case guarantees 12 unique regular designs, or 11 regulars and 1 secret.
Miniso is a mass-market environment where employees are likely just tearing open cases and dumping them on the shelf. The boxes get mixed, picked over, and shuffled. Your odds of finding a secret in that random pile are, statistically speaking, the same (1/144). But in practice, it feels different. There's no chance to buy a sealed case to guarantee a full set. You're competing with every casual shopper and their kid. The most dedicated secret hunters often figure out restock schedules and buy up fresh cases from specialty stores. At Miniso, you're picking through the leftovers of that initial frenzy. It's not impossible, but I wouldn't go to Miniso specifically to hunt for a secret.
3. The Box Condition Nightmare. I'm a stickler for box condition. For me, the art on the box is part of the collectible. At the Miniso I visited with stock, at least a third of the boxes were dented, creased, or had crushed corners from being handled and dropped. For an in-box collector, this is a dealbreaker. When you buy from a specialty store like PopNya, we handle these boxes like they're Fabergé eggs because we know how much the condition matters. That's a level of care you just won't get in a high-traffic retail chain.
The Final Playbook: Who Should Buy Where?
So, to wrap it all up, here's my simple playbook.
You should definitely buy your LABUBU at Miniso if: * You're a casual fan who just wants a cute figure and loves the Macaron series. * You're on a budget and saving $2 per box makes a difference to you. * You don't care at all about the condition of the packaging. * You're not actively hunting for a secret and are happy with any figure you pull.
You should stick to specialty stores (like ours!) or Pop Mart directly if: * You are a serious collector who wants access to the full range of LABUBU figures and the latest releases. * You are trying to complete a set or are actively hunting for a secret figure (buying a sealed case is your best bet). * The condition of the blind box is important to you. * You value the community and expertise that comes with buying from a store that specializes in designer toys.
The fact that you can find Labubu at Miniso is a sign of just how big Kasing Lung's creations have become, and that's genuinely exciting. It's bringing more people into this world we love. But it serves a different purpose and a different customer. It's the entry point, the appetizer.
For the main course, the rare finds, the new drops, and the thrill of the real hunt, the dedicated spots are still where the magic happens. While it's cool to see them on a shelf next to the plushies, for my own collection and for helping other collectors find their grails, I'm sticking to the dedicated drops.You never know what you might find.
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