It's the question I get in my DMs at least three times a week. It's the debate that rages in collector group chats. It's the LABUBU civil war of our time: Have a Seat Labubu vs Macaron.
People always ask me, "Which one should I buy?" And honestly, the answer isn't simple. It's like asking if you prefer coffee or tea. Both are great, but they offer completely different experiences. As someone who runs PopNya and has personally unboxed, packed, and shipped more of these little monsters than I can count, I've developed some strong opinions.
So, let's finally settle this. Or, at least, let's get into the nitty-gritty so you can decide. This isn't going to be a list of the characters. You can find that anywhere. This is the real-world, in-hand, on-the-shelf breakdown from a collector's perspective.
First Impressions: The Vibe Check
Before we even talk about vinyl and paint, let's talk about the feeling each series gives off.
The Exciting Macaron series is pure, unadulterated sugar-rush energy. The colors are bright, the theme is whimsical, and each figure feels like a little burst of joy. They're standing, they're expressive, and they scream "look at me!" on a shelf. When this series dropped, it was a phenomenon. The hype was, and still is, immense. If you want to understand the madness, our honest guide to the Exciting Macaron Labubu covers the initial chaos pretty well. The Macarons are the life of the party.
The Have a Seat series, especially V2, is a different beast entirely. It's cozy. It's chill. It's the "lo-fi beats to study to" of the LABUBU world. The concept is simple: LABUBU is sitting down, enjoying a drink. This seated pose fundamentally changes the figure's presence. They feel more grounded, more contemplative. They create a scene rather than just being a collection of individual figures. The color palette, particularly in V2, is more muted and sophisticated. Think cozy cafe on a rainy day.
Right away, you can see the divide. Are you looking for a vibrant pop of color and energy, or a calm, cohesive scene for your desk or shelf?
The Physicality: What They Don't Tell You on the Box
This is where my experience as a seller really comes in. I handle these things all day, and there are subtle differences that have a huge impact on the collecting experience.
Finish and Feel: The Macaron series is known for its glossy finish. It makes the colors pop, but I have to be honest, it's a fingerprint and dust magnet. When I'm packing an order for a glossy Macaron like Sea Salt Coconut, I'm wiping it down with a microfiber cloth like I'm prepping a car for a showroom. The gloss also makes tiny scuffs and factory paint imperfections more noticeable. The vinyl itself feels a bit lighter, a little more "plasticky" than some other series.
The Have a Seat series, particularly the V2 set, is mostly a beautiful, soft-touch matte finish. It feels premium.It doesn't show fingerprints, and the matte texture diffuses light in a way that's very forgiving to minor imperfections. From a purely tactile standpoint, Have a Seat V2 wins, hands down. It just feels like a more expensive, higher-quality object. I went into more detail on this in my seller's guide to the Have a Seat V2 hype, but the texture is a huge selling point for me.
Stability and Display: This is a huge, often-overlooked factor in the have a seat labubu vs macaron debate.
Macarons are top-heavy. Their heads are massive compared to their little standing bodies. On a perfectly level surface, they're fine. But if your shelf has even a slight wobble, or if you have them near a vibrating PC fan, get ready to play LABUBU dominoes. I've had more than one customer tell me their Soy Milk took a tumble.
Have a Seat figures are rock solid. The seated pose gives them a low center of gravity and a wide, stable base. You can put these anywhere and they will not fall over. This makes them infinitely better for cluttered desks, high-traffic areas, or shelves that aren't perfectly level. You can create little dioramas with them, have them sitting on stacks of books, on the edge of your monitor stand... They are just so much more versatile for display. They invite interaction.
The Lineup: Regulars vs. Secrets
A blind box series is only as strong as its weakest link. A great secret is awesome, but if half the regular designs are duds, it's a risky case to buy.
The Macaron series has some of the most iconic regular designs in LABUBU history. Soy Milk, Strawberry, Sea Salt Coconut, and Lychee are absolute superstars. People will buy a whole case just hoping to pull these. Even now, a Soy Milk Macaron can sell for $40-$50 on the secondary market, which is insane for a regular figure. However, it also has some... Less popular designs. Ngl, pulling a Chestnut or a Sesame Bean can feel a little disappointing when you were hoping for one of the big hitters. The desirability is very top-heavy.
The Have a Seat V2 series, in my opinion, has a more consistent and balanced lineup. There isn't a single figure in that set that I would be upset to pull. Coffee, Brown Sugar, Matcha, Grape, they are all fantastic. The color stories are cohesive, and they all look amazing together. There isn't the same dramatic gap between the "best" regular and the "worst" regular. The entire set feels like a complete thought. The Grape, in particular, has become a sleeper hit, almost as sought-after as some of the green Labubus from other series.
And then there are the secrets...
The Macaron secrets, especially the original white "Toffee" and the ultra-rare black "Sesame" from later batches, are legendary. Pulling one of these is a major event. They have a certain mystique.
The Have a Seat secrets, the clear "Sparkling Water" and the chase "Americano," are cool, but they don't quite have the same iconic status as the Macaron secrets. They're awesome pulls, for sure, but they feel more like a bonus to an already great set, rather than the sole reason to buy a case.
The Aftermarket: A Seller's Data Dump
Okay, let's talk money. This is what I see every day, tracking prices in collector groups and on platforms like StockX to decide how to price things at PopNya.
The have a seat macaron labubu search term is popular for a reason: people are trying to figure out which is a better investment.
Macaron Market: The Macaron market is volatile and star-driven. * Soy Milk: Was retailing at ~$15, I've seen it peak at $60 and it consistently holds a $40-50 value. * Strawberry: A very popular pink Labubu, it hovers around $35-45. * The Secret (Toffee): This is where it gets wild. Retail was ~$15 in a blind box. The secondary market price for this figure has been anywhere from $150 to over $250. It's a true grail. * The "duds" like Chestnut can sometimes be found for barely over retail, around $18-20.
The takeaway? Buying Macarons is a high-risk, high-reward gamble. You could pull a Soy Milk and triple your money, or you could pull a less-desired one and barely break even.
Have a Seat Market: The Have a Seat V2 market is much more stable and consistent. * Most regular figures (Coffee, Matcha, Lychee Soda, etc.) trade in a very tight range, usually $20-28. There isn't a huge drop-off for any particular figure. * The demand is spread more evenly across the set. People want to complete the set because it looks so good together. * The Secret (Sparkling Water) is valuable, often hitting the $100-130 range, but it doesn't have the insane peaks of the Macaron secret.
The takeaway? Buying Have a Seat is a safer bet. You're very unlikely to pull something "worthless," and the whole set is desirable. It's less of a lottery ticket and more of a solid collectible.
Our Take: The Real Talk Verdict
Alright, enough analysis. If you came to me in the store and said, "I have $100, which series should I buy?" here's what I'd tell you.
For a brand new collector: Start with Have a Seat V2. One hundred percent. The quality is better, every pull feels like a win, and they are so much easier to display. You'll get a beautiful, stable, and satisfying little collection right off the bat without the potential disappointment of the Macaron lottery. It's the perfect introduction to what makes the LABUBU doll so special.
For the thrill-seeker and gambler: Go for Macarons. If you love the adrenaline of the hunt and the dream of pulling a figure that's worth 10x the retail price, this is your series. The highs are higher, but the lows are lower. It's a more exciting, but potentially more frustrating, unboxing experience.
For the display-obsessed: It's Have a Seat, and it's not even close. The ability to create a cohesive, stable, and aesthetically pleasing scene is unmatched. They look like they were designed to be displayed together. Macarons can look a bit chaotic and random next to each other unless you have the full set.
My Personal Choice? If I could only keep one set on my own shelf... I'm picking Have a Seat V2. The matte finish, the satisfying weight, the cozy theme, and the sheer display-ability just do it for me. It feels like a more mature, refined series. I love the Macarons for their iconic status and pops of color, but the Have a Seat figures are the ones I find myself rearranging on my desk and just enjoying more on a daily basis. They feel less like toys and more like little pieces of art.
Ultimately, there's no wrong answer. Both series are cornerstones of the LABUBU world for a reason. But they serve very different masters. One is a shot of espresso, the other is a warm cup of tea. Now you just have to decide what you're in the mood for.
If you're ready to make your choice, you can always browse our full LABUBU collection and see which little monster calls to you.
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