I still remember the feeling. Staring at a full case of the LABUBU Fall in Wild series, my hands literally shaking a little. It was my first time buying a whole case of 12. The sheer potential of it. The hope for the "Little Scarecrow" secret, the dread of getting a duplicate of my least favorite design (sorry, "Fig"). That mix of adrenaline and anxiety is the core of the blind bag Pop Mart LABUBU experience. It's a gamble. And lately, it's a gamble that has gotten a whole lot more intense.
As the owner of PopNya, I'm not just selling these little monsters; I'm living and breathing them. I see the orders flood in, I answer the DMs asking about restocks, and I see the secondary market prices go completely bonkers. So let's talk about what's really going on.
First, let's get the big question out of the way: how much is a labubu at pop mart? Officially, in the US, a single blind box retails for $17.90. A full case of 12 will run you $214.80. Simple, right? Not really. That's if you can find them at a physical Pop Mart store or on their official site before they vaporize. Most of the time, you can't. I've seen people line up for hours before a store opens, just for a chance to buy their limit (usually two or three boxes). My recent trip to the city was a perfect example of this chaos; you can read about my hunt for LABUBU in NYC to see just how crazy it can get.
This scarcity is what fuels the reseller market, where prices are a different story entirely. A single blind box from a hyped series like The Monsters' Exciting Macaron can easily fetch $25-$30 from resellers the week of release. And the chase figures? That's another universe. The "Soymilk" Macaron chase was hitting $180 within days of its release. I've watched a figure go from a $17.90 retail chance to a $200 certainty on platforms like StockX in less than a month. It's wild.
So, you decide to take the plunge. You get a box. You're tempted to give it a little shake, maybe weigh it in your hand, trying to guess what's inside. I have to break it to you: stop. It's a waste of time.
Real Talk: The Shaking and Weighing Myth
I handle hundreds of these boxes. I can tell you with 100% certainty that for any popmart new labubu series released in the last year or so, the old tricks don't work. Pop Mart got smart. In the past, with older series, you could sometimes identify a figure by a distinct rattle or a noticeable weight difference. The secret figures were occasionally heavier. Collectors caught on, and so did Pop Mart.
Now, every figure is secured in its plastic tray with near-identical weight distribution. The accessories are taped down. The internal packaging is standardized to prevent any telling sounds. I once spent a whole afternoon with a digital scale and a case of the Macaron series just to test this theory for myself. The weight differences between boxes were less than a gram. It was statistically insignificant. You have a better chance of guessing the winning lottery numbers than you do of weighing a secret LABUBU. Don't believe the forum posts from 2021. The game has changed. Your best bet is to just rip it open and embrace the chaos.
The real strategy isn't in shaking the box, it's in knowing how and when to buy. The hype for a popmart new labubu drop is a carefully orchestrated event. You need a plan. The official Pop Mart US website and their app are your primary targets. They usually announce drop times on their Instagram. Be ready with your payment info saved, because they will sell out in minutes. Sometimes seconds.
Another option is authorized retailers. That's where stores like mine, PopNya, come in. We get official stock, but often in smaller quantities than the main Pop Mart stores. The upside is that sometimes smaller retailers are overlooked during the initial frenzy. Following your favorite indie toy shops on social media and signing up for their newsletters is a genuinely good strategy. It's a tough world out there for us smaller shops trying to get stock, and I've written before about the brutal truth of LABUBU wholesale, but we do our best to get these little guys into your hands.
This brings me to a crucial point: where you choose to labubu original buy. It matters. A lot. The explosion in popularity has created a dark side: fakes. They are everywhere. They're called "Lafufu" or "ROR MART" and they pop up on sites like AliExpress, Temu, and shady eBay listings. They look almost right in the photos, but in person, the difference is stark. The vinyl feels cheap and lightweight, the paint is sloppy with fuzzy lines, and the colors are off.
I got a fake once by accident from an eBay lot. It was supposed to be the "Tycoco" from the first Macaron series. The moment I picked it up, I knew. It felt hollow. The signature buck teeth were slightly crooked, and the paint on its cheek had a fingerprint smudged into it. It was heartbreaking. To avoid this, stick to official channels and trusted retailers. If a price seems too good to be true, it is. Nobody is selling a real, new LABUBU blind box for $8. Ever. If you're unsure, I broke down how to spot the fakes in my guide on where to buy real Lafufu (and avoid the fakes).
A Specific Comparison: The Monsters' Exciting Macaron vs. The Monsters' Fall in Wild
Let's get into the weeds, because this is the stuff that matters to a real collector. People often ask me which series is "better." It's subjective, but from a quality and design standpoint, there are clear differences.
The "Fall in Wild" series, for me, is peak Kasing Lung creativity. The concepts are so charming and unique. You have a mushroom, a pinecone, a chestnut... The textures are incredible. The flocking on the Chestnut figure is a beautiful touch, though be warned, it's a total dust and lint magnet. Keep it behind glass. The paint application on this series feels more artisanal, with subtle gradients and delicate details, like the tiny veins on the "Ginkgo" leaf. The secret figure, "Little Scarecrow," is a masterpiece of design and storytelling. It feels like a complete, cohesive art series.
Then you have "The Monsters' Exciting Macaron" series. The hype for this one was off the charts, largely thanks to social media trends. The colors are bright, poppy, and undeniably cute. The designs are simpler: LABUBU holding a macaron, wearing a macaron-themed outfit. The quality is still fantastic, the vinyl is smooth, the paint is crisp, but it feels more... Commercial. It's designed for mass appeal. My main gripe? The secret, "Soymilk," is just a color variant of the main "Lychee" figure. It's a translucent, glitter-infused version. It's pretty, for sure. But compared to the unique sculpt and concept of "Little Scarecrow," it feels a little lazy. It's a chase based on rarity and color, not on unique artistry.
This is a detail you only notice after opening dozens of both. The Fall in Wild series feels like a passion project; the Macaron series feels like a blockbuster hit. Both are great, but they serve different purposes in a collection. One is for the art lover, the other is for the trend follower (and there's nothing wrong with being either!).
Our Take: The Honest Seller Verdict
So, is the blind bag pop mart labubu craze worth it?
Honestly, yes, but you have to go in with the right mindset. If you're getting into it purely for investment or to flip the secret for a profit, you're probably going to end up frustrated and broke. The odds are not in your favor. Buying case after case to chase a secret is a quick way to burn a hole in your wallet.
But if you genuinely love Kasing Lung's art, the feeling of opening a blind box and being surprised is still magical. The key is to set a budget and stick to it. Decide if you want to try your luck with a few boxes or if you'd rather save up and buy your favorite specific character from a trusted reseller. There's no shame in buying a figure secondhand to complete your set! That's how I got my hands on the original Zimomo, and I have zero regrets.
My advice? If you're just starting out, don't go for the most hyped new series. You'll just be competing with bots and hardcore resellers. Look at a slightly older, less feverish series like "Let's Christmas" or "Flower Elves." The figures are just as charming, but the availability is better and the secondary market prices aren't as inflated. It's a much more enjoyable entry point. You can browse our LABUBU collection to see some of these and get a feel for the different designs.
Ultimately, collecting should be fun. The moment it starts feeling like a stressful job, take a step back. Trade with friends. Join a local collector group. Focus on the designs you personally love, not just the ones that are trending on TikTok. The joy of seeing that little monster with its two buck teeth and long ears sitting on your shelf is what it's all about. It's more than just a toy; it's a piece of art that makes you smile. And you can't put a price on that.
Now, if you'll excuse me, a new shipment just arrived, and I hear a secret rattling around in one of the boxes... Just kidding. Or am I?
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