A customer emailed me last week. Panic in their digital voice. They'd scored an amazing deal on a full set of Labubu Macarons from a third-party marketplace and wanted me to verify them. My heart sank a little. I already knew the answer.
When the photos came through, I'll admit, they were good. The colors looked almost right. The poses were spot on. But as I zoomed in, the tell-tale signs started popping up like little red flags. The slightly-too-shiny vinyl. The fuzzy text on the box. The weirdly perfect, almost sterile look of them. It was a classic case of a high-tier exciting macaron labubu fake.
This series, more than almost any other, is a prime target for counterfeiters. Why? A perfect storm. It was one of the collections that truly exploded thanks to Lisa from Blackpink, creating a demand that Pop Mart couldn't possibly meet overnight. The designs are relatively simple, making them easier to replicate than, say, the intricate outfits of the Monsters x One Piece Labubu crossover. And the aftermarket prices for genuine chase figures like Toffee or the secret Chestnut went ballistic, hitting $150-$200 at their peak. Scammers saw a golden opportunity.
As someone who stocks, sells, and collects these little guys, I've had to become a mini-forensics expert. So, let's go through my personal playbook. This is how to tell if exciting macaron labubu is real, based on hundreds of boxes I've opened and dozens of fakes I've analyzed.
The First Checkpoint: The Box Itself
Forget the obvious stuff for a second. Yes, check for spelling errors. But the fakers are getting smarter. The real battle is in the details of the real vs fake labubu macaron box.
First, the feel of the cardboard. A genuine Macaron box has a premium, slightly matte, almost soft-touch finish. It feels substantial. Most fake boxes use cheaper, thinner card stock with a noticeable gloss. Run your thumb over the surface. If it feels slick and cheap, be suspicious.
Next, look at the silver foil "THE MONSTERS" lettering. On a real box, this is crisp, clean, and beautifully debossed, you can feel the slight indentation. On fakes, the foil is often flat, poorly applied, or has a "blurry" edge, as if the stamp they used was low-resolution.
Now for my personal "insider" tip: the anti-counterfeit sticker. Every official Pop Mart product has one. But fakers replicate these, too. The difference? On a real box, the sticker is usually applied cleanly and is made of a specific material that's hard to peel off in one piece. On many fakes I've seen, the sticker is either a cheap paper replica or it's placed crookedly. Sometimes, the QR code on the fake sticker leads to a dead or sketchy-looking website. Always scan the QR code. The real one should take you to a Pop Mart verification page.
And one more thing about the box: the color saturation. Fakers rarely get the printing colors exactly right. Grab a photo of a confirmed-real box from a reputable seller's site. Compare the shade of pink on the box. Fakes are often a touch too bright, almost a neon-adjacent pink, while the real box is a softer, more pastel macaron pink. It's a subtle difference, but once you see it, you can't unsee it.
The Unboxing Ritual: Bag, Card, and Coin
You've opened the box. Don't just tear into the figure yet. The clues are still coming.
The foil blind bag is a huge giveaway. A real Pop Mart bag has a specific feel, it's thick and has a satisfying, crinkly texture. The crimped edges at the top and bottom are clean and uniform. When you tear it open along the designated notch, it should tear relatively cleanly. Fake bags often feel thin, almost like a chip bag, and can tear jaggedly or feel weirdly stretchy.
Then there's the collector card. This is where fakes often fall apart. A real card is printed on thick, high-quality cardstock with a matte finish. The corners have a specific, uniform radius. On fakes, the cardstock is often flimsy, glossy, and the corners can be too sharp or unevenly rounded. The biggest tell is the print quality. Zoom in on the text. On a real card, the text is razor-sharp. On a fake, it's often slightly fuzzy or pixelated, especially the smaller copyright text. The colors of the Labubu on the card might also be off, usually too dark or oversaturated.
Don't forget the little black coin! It should have a bit of weight to it. Fake coins are often lighter and feel like cheap plastic. Look at the "P" logo on the coin. On a genuine one, the molding is crisp. On a fake, the edges of the logo can be soft or have tiny bits of extra plastic (flashing) from a bad mold.
The Main Event: Examining the Figure
Okay, the moment of truth. You have the Labubu in your hand. This is where you need to trust your senses.
Feel & Finish: A real Macaron Labubu is made from a high-quality vinyl that has a distinct feel. It's smooth but not slick, with a beautiful matte finish. It feels solid and has a nice density. Fakes are all over the place. Some are super glossy and shiny, reflecting light in a way a real one never would. Others are made from a harder, cheaper-feeling plastic that feels hollow and brittle. The difference is as clear as night and day once you've held a real one. If you're new to the hobby, I highly recommend trying to find a common figure from a trusted source first, just to get a baseline for what it should feel like. Our LABUBU collection is always guaranteed authentic, giving you a safe starting point.
Paint & Color: This is tough without a direct comparison, but there are tells. The most faked figure in this series is probably Soymilk, the white one. A real Soymilk is a creamy, off-white, just like its name suggests. Nearly every fake I've seen is a stark, brilliant white. It's just too white. The same goes for others. The green on a real Green Tea is a muted, earthy matcha green. Fakes often use a brighter, more "standard" green. The paint application on a real figure is also flawless. Look for paint bleed, especially around the teeth, inside the ears, and where the fur collar meets the body. Pop Mart's quality control is excellent; fakes are notoriously sloppy.
The Head & Seams: Give the head a gentle turn. On a real Labubu, it should move smoothly with just the right amount of resistance. Some fakes have a very loose, wobbly head, while others are so tight they feel like they might break if you turn them. Also, look at the seam where the two halves of the head are joined. On a real one, this seam is incredibly clean and almost invisible. On many fakes, you can see and feel a noticeable ridge.
The Ultimate Tell: The Labubu Macaron Feet
If you learn only one thing from this article, let it be this: always check the feet.
This is the single most reliable way to spot a fake, because it's the hardest detail for counterfeiters to replicate perfectly. Flip your Labubu over. On the bottom of the feet, you should see two sets of text.
On one foot: © Kasing Lung On the other foot: POP MART
Now, get your phone and zoom in. On a genuine figure, this text is incredibly crisp, clear, and engraved to a specific depth. The font is precise. On an exciting macaron labubu fake, this is where it all goes wrong.
Here's what to look for on a fake: * Thick or "Bubbly" Font: The letters are often much thicker and less defined than on the real deal. * Shallow Engraving: The text looks like it was barely stamped on, with very little depth. * Filled-in Letters: The 'O' in POP, the 'P's, the 'A', and the 'R' are often partially or fully filled in with plastic. The same happens with the circle in the © symbol. This is a dead giveaway from a low-quality mold. * Wrong Font/Spacing: Sometimes the font is just completely wrong, or the spacing between letters is off.
I have never, ever seen a fake Macaron that gets the labubu macaron feet 100% correct. It's the signature. It's the fingerprint. If the feet look suspicious, the figure is fake. End of story. For anyone diving into the world of collecting, understanding these subtle differences is key, as I've covered in more detail in The Honest Labubu Macaron Buyer's Guide.
Our Take: Real Talk from a Seller
Honestly, the rise of these super-fakes makes me sad. It hurts Kasing Lung, the artist. It hurts the community by sowing distrust. And it hurts new collectors who get scammed out of their hard-earned money.
My honest advice? If a deal seems too good to be true, it absolutely is. A full, sealed case of 12 Macarons for $100 on AliExpress? Fake. A "Toffee" chase figure for $40 on eBay from a seller with zero feedback? Fake. The real ones hold their value for a reason. You're not just paying for the vinyl; you're paying for the artistry, the quality control, and the legitimacy of being part of the official collection.
The temptation is real, I get it. You just want the cute monster on your shelf. But buying fakes fuels the problem. It encourages counterfeiters to get better, making it harder for everyone. And ultimately, you're left with a soulless piece of plastic that has none of the magic or long-term value of the real thing. It's a hollow victory.myshopify.com/blogs/labubu/have-a-seat-labubu-a-sellers-honest-guide-to-the-v2-hype), where the fake market isn't quite as rampant.
So, be patient. Save up for a real one from a source you trust. The feeling of unboxing a genuine Labubu, knowing it's the real deal, is a feeling no cheap knock-off can ever replicate. The hunt for authentic pieces is part of the joy of collecting. Don't let a scammer take that away from you. When you're ready, you can always browse LABUBU figures here at PopNya, where every single item is sourced directly and guaranteed authentic. Stay smart, and happy collecting.
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