I still remember the morning the Let's Checkmate LABUBU series dropped. It was pure chaos. Our site notifications were going off like a slot machine jackpot. Friends in collector chats were sending frantic messages: "Did you get one?!" "Sold out in 30 seconds!" This wasn't just another release; it felt different. It felt like an event.
And at the center of this whirlwind was one figure: the King LABUBU.
From the moment the promo images hit, everyone knew the King was the one. The regal purple cape, the tiny gold crown, that slightly grumpy but determined expression. POP MART knew exactly what they were doing. They made one of the main 12 designs a "confirmed" chase, meaning if you bought a sealed case of 12, you were guaranteed to get him. This strategy is brilliant and, frankly, a little evil. It fueled a frenzy for sealed cases, leaving single blind boxes to feel like even more of a gamble.
But here's the thing about the checkmate king labubu, he's not even the final boss of this series.
The King vs. The "Big King": What's the Real Chase?
This is the first thing that confuses new collectors. There are two Kings in the LABUBU Checkmate series.
1. The King: This is a regular figure in the set of 12. He has a 1/12 chance in a blind box, or he's guaranteed in a sealed case. He's awesome. We love him. 2. The Secret, aka "Big King LABUBU": This is the real chase. He's a larger, more ornate version with a different pose and a much more dramatic design. His pull rate is officially 1/144.
The naming is a bit confusing, I know. But the market is not confused at all. The price difference is staggering. As of writing this, I'm seeing the regular King LABUBU sell for around $40-$55 on secondary markets. That's a big jump from the ~$15 retail price of a single box.
But the Big King LABUBU? That's a different stratosphere. I've personally seen listings on eBay and StockX hit $250-$300. I even saw a bidding war in a private Facebook group push one to $320. For a vinyl figure that fits in your palm. It's wild. This level of hype is something we haven't seen since some of the rarer drops in the Exciting Macaron LABUBU series.
So when people search for "checkmate labubu price," the answer is… it depends. Are you after the prince or the emperor?
Real Talk: Is This Series Overhyped?
Honestly? Yes and no.
The hype is absolutely insane, and paying $300 for the secret is, for 99% of people, a terrible financial decision. Let's just be real about that. But the series itself is genuinely one of Kasing Lung's best in a while. The Monsters Checkmate series feels incredibly cohesive. Every single figure, from the humble Pawn to the elegant Queen, is a banger.
This isn't a series with a few stars and a bunch of duds you're sad to unbox. I've opened cases for the shop, and I'm always impressed by the details on the "common" figures.
* The Pawn: There are two of them in a case, and they are adorable. Their little floppy hats and determined stances make them feel like the heart of the set. * The Knight: The horse-head hood is a stroke of genius. It's goofy, it's creative, and the execution is perfect. It's one of my personal favorites. * The Rook: The castle-turret hat is so clever. It has a satisfying, blocky feel to it that just works.
My point is, don't get so fixated on the POP MART King LABUBU that you miss the beauty of the whole set. Some of the most creative designs in monsters checkmate are the ones nobody is fighting over. This reminds me of the hunt for specific colors in other sets, like the infamous grape in the fruit series. Sometimes the journey for one specific piece, as I talked about in The Green Labubu Survival Guide, can blind you to the other great figures available.
A Seller's Secret: The Plush Pendants Are the Sleeper Hit
Okay, here's a tip from someone who handles this stuff every day. Alongside the vinyl figures, POP MART also released a The Monsters Lets Checkmate plush doll pendant series. And you should not sleep on these.
At first glance, they seem like a cute, secondary item. But the quality is surprisingly good. The embroidery on their little outfits is detailed, and they have a satisfying weight to them. But here's the detail that photos don't capture: the texture of the capes on the King and Queen plushies is a soft, low-pile velour that feels way more premium than it has any right to.
We've had a few customers at PopNya buy the vinyl King and then come back a week later to get the plush King because they saw it in person and fell in love.
It's the standard, cheap-feeling clip POP MART uses on a lot of their keychains. If you plan on actually hanging your Labubu Check Mate plush on a bag you use daily, I strongly recommend swapping that clip for a sturdier metal one. I've heard more than one horror story of a lost LABUBU due to a snapped clip.
A Buyer's Playbook for the Checkmate Series
So you're determined to add a Checkmate LABUBU to your collection. I get it. Here's my advice as both a collector and a seller.
1. Is Buying a Case Worth It? If you want the regular King and you also love the entire series, then yes, buying a sealed case of 12 is the most cost-effective way to guarantee you get him. You'll get the King, plus 10 other unique figures (there are two Pawns in a case). And you still have that 1/144 chance of your King being replaced by the Big King secret. If you do the math, buying a case at retail (around $180) is far cheaper than trying to buy the King on the secondary market ($50+) and then picking up a few other characters you like ($20+ each).
2. Where to Buy? * Official Channels: POP MART's website and physical stores are your first stop. Be ready on drop day, have your payment info saved, and pray to the toy gods. * Reliable Retailers (Like Us!): Specialty online stores like our own LABUBU collection at PopNya are a great option. We're collectors ourselves, so we pack everything with care because we know the pain of a crushed box. * Secondary Markets (With Caution): eBay, Mercari, and StockX are flooded with the labubu lets check mate series. The key here is to check seller reviews religiously. Look at their sold history. Are they a dedicated toy seller or some random person who just happened to score one? For high-ticket items like the lets checkmate king, stick to sellers with a long, positive history.
3. What's a "Fair" Price? This is the million-dollar question. "Fair" is subjective, but here's my seller's take on the checkmate labubu price right now. * Random Single Box: $15-$18. Anything over $20 is a markup. * Opened "Common" Figure: $18-$25, depending on the character. * Regular King LABUBU: $45-$60. I've seen it creep higher, but this is the range I'd feel comfortable paying if I really wanted him. Anything over $70 feels like you're paying pure hype tax. * Big King LABUBU (The Secret): $250+. This is purely a luxury/grail item. There is no "good" price here; it's a matter of what a handful of dedicated collectors are willing to pay. Do not feel pressured to own this figure. Seriously. Your collection is amazing without it.
4. Spotting Fakes As of now, high-quality fakes of the Checkmate LABUBU series haven't flooded the market yet. It's too new. But they will. The fakes of the Macaron series were rampant. The best defense is to buy from reputable sources. Look for crisp box printing, the correct POP MART holographic sticker, and a clean, sharp paint job on the figure itself. Fakes often have muddy paint lines, a weird chemical smell, and feel lighter or cheaper.
Our Take: The PopNya Verdict
So, what's the final word on the Let's Checkmate series?
It's one of the best LABUBU series in years, but it's also a victim of its own success.
The designs are top-tier, the theme is brilliant, and the quality is solid. It absolutely deserves a place in your collection. However, the hype, particularly for the lets checkmate king labubu and the secret, has driven prices into a territory that can be really discouraging for casual fans.
My honest advice? Don't chase the hype. If you can find boxes at retail, grab a few and enjoy the thrill of the unboxing. If you love the whole aesthetic, consider buying a case. If you just want one or two specific figures, wait a few months. The prices for the common figures and even the regular King will likely cool off as the next big LABUBU series drops. That's just how this market works; it has a short attention span. We saw the same pattern with the Big into Energy series.
The LABUBU Checkmate series is a masterpiece of designer toy art. The strategy is to collect it smartly, not desperately. Appreciate the Pawns and Knights, don't break the bank for the King, and enjoy the game.
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