It happens to all of us. You're scrolling through Instagram, or maybe you see a photo from a friend, and there it is. The one. The Labubu that speaks to your soul. Maybe it's the fluffy, wide-eyed Tofy from The Monsters Toys series, or the ridiculously cute Cappuccino from the recent coffee collaboration. Your brain switches from "Oh, that's cute" to "I need that on my shelf right now."
And then reality hits. You can't just walk into a store and buy it.
This is the central paradox of collecting designer toys. They're sold in blind boxes, meaning every purchase is a lottery. As a seller who opens hundreds, if not thousands, of these boxes for PopNya, I can tell you: if you want to buy a Labubu specific figure, the last thing you should do is buy a blind box.
So, how do you do it? How do you skip the duplicates, the disappointment, and the growing pile of figures you don't want? You follow the playbook. This is the strategy I use myself and the advice I give to every new collector who DMs me.
The Three Paths (And Why Two Are Traps)
When you want a single, specific figure, you have three options.
1. The Blind Box Gamble: You buy individual boxes, hoping to get lucky. 2. The Full Case Commitment: You buy a sealed case of 12, guaranteeing you get the whole set (minus the secret). 3. The Secondary Market Snipe: You buy the exact figure you want from someone who has already opened it.
Let's be brutally honest. For your goal, options one and two are traps. I once spent over $200 on individual boxes of the "Flower Elves" series trying to pull the Dandelion Labubu for my personal collection. I ended up with three Sunflowers and four Water Lilies before I gave up in disgust. I could have bought the Dandelion for $30 on the secondary market from day one.
And don't even think the old tricks work. People ask me all the time if you can weigh the boxes or shake them to guess the figure inside. The answer is a hard no. Pop Mart is smart. Since around 2021, the plastic inserts have been standardized, and the weight differences between figures are so negligible that even my hyper-sensitive shipping scale can't reliably tell them apart. It's a myth.
What about buying a whole case? It's a great option if you love every single design in a series. But if you only want one or two, you're just signing yourself up for the hassle of becoming a reseller yourself. Trust me, explaining to 11 different people on Facebook Marketplace why you can't ship for free is not how you want to spend your weekend. If you are considering this route, you should understand the truth about buying a LABUBU no repeats full set before you commit.
This leaves us with the only logical choice: the secondary market. This is where the real hunt begins.
Your Hunting Grounds: Where to Find Your Grail
The secondary market is a sprawling jungle of storefronts, apps, and social media groups. Navigating it is the key to getting your figure at a fair price.
Tier 1: Dedicated Collector Stores (Like Us!)
Okay, I'm biased, but for good reason. Stores like PopNya exist to solve this exact problem. We buy cases, open the boxes, and sell the individual figures.
* The Pro: You get exactly what you want, authenticity is guaranteed, and the condition is clear. There are no bidding wars or sketchy sellers. It's the safest and most straightforward way. You see the price, you click, and your figure is on its way. * The Con: We might not have every single figure ever made, especially from older, vaulted series. Our prices reflect the work we put in to acquire and sort the figures, so it might be a few dollars more than a random seller on eBay.
When you just want to browse what's available without the risk, checking out a curated LABUBU collection is the best place to start.
Tier 2: Marketplace Apps (eBay, Mercari, StockX)
This is where most of the action is. You can find almost anything here if you're willing to dig.
* eBay & Mercari: The selection is massive. The problem? So are the fakes. Seriously. The counterfeit market for Labubu is exploding. If you see a price that's too good to be true ($5 for a popular figure that retails for $15), it's a fake.
My Pro Tip: ALWAYS check a seller's feedback. Don't just look at the percentage; read the actual comments. Look for photos of the actual item, not stock photos from Pop Mart. If the pictures are blurry or they refuse to send more, run away. Also, use the "Sold Items" filter to see what a figure has actually* been selling for. That's the true market price, not the fantasy price some sellers list.* StockX: Their model is interesting. They act as a middleman and "authenticate" the figure before sending it to you. This adds a layer of security, but it's not perfect, and their fees are high for both buyer and seller. I've seen prices on StockX for a hot figure like the "Satyr" from the Fall in Wild series jump from $40 to $120 in a week, purely driven by hype. It can be a good barometer for what's hot, but it's rarely the cheapest option.
Tier 3: Social Media (Facebook Groups, Discord, Instagram)
This is the Wild West.* The Risk: Scammers are rampant. They'll use stolen photos, ask for payment via methods that can't be reversed (Zelle, Cash App, PayPal Friends & Family), and then ghost you. * The Golden Rule: If you buy through social media, you MUST use PayPal Goods & Services. It costs the seller a small fee (around 3%), but it's the only thing that gives you a chance of getting your money back if you get scammed. If a seller refuses to use G&S, it's the biggest red flag imaginable. Walk away. Immediately. Another tip: ask for a "tagged photo", a picture of the figure with a handwritten note showing their name and today's date. It proves they actually have the item.
The Price Tag: What Determines a Figure's Worth?
So you've found your figure. But is the price fair? Why is the Labubu with the little mushroom hat three times the price of the one with the acorn? It comes down to a few key factors.
The Hype Tax: This is the biggest factor. In every series, there are 1-3 designs that everyone wants. They aren't any rarer, they're all produced in the same numbers (unless it's a secret). They're just more popular. In the "Monsters Camping" series, the "Campfire" Labubu was the chase regular. It consistently sold for $40-50, while you could get the "Fishing" Labubu for $15-20. Same rarity, vastly different demand.
Series Age & Availability: Simple supply and demand. Once Pop Mart stops producing a series, the supply on the primary market dries up. The only source becomes the secondary market, and prices for all figures in that series, even the less popular ones, start to creep up. The original Macaron series is a perfect example. Finding any specific figure from that set for under $50 is a challenge now.
The Secret/Chaser: This is a whole other level. Secret figures have insane odds (often 1/144) and their prices reflect that. We're talking hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. It's a different game entirely, and frankly, the real cost of a confirmed secret is something you need to be prepared for.
Real Talk: My Honest Verdict as a Seller
Look, I run a store that sells these. But I'm also a collector who has been burned more times than I can count. So let me be straight with you.
If you have fallen in love with a single, specific Labubu, do not try to be a hero and pull it from a blind box. You are setting yourself up for a bad time. You will waste money. You will get frustrated. You will end up with a pile of duplicates that you tell yourself you'll sell "one day" (you won't).
The smartest, cheapest, and most efficient way to get that figure is to buy it on the secondary market from a source you trust. Yes, you'll pay a premium over the retail price of a single box. But you'll pay far less than the actual cost of hunting it down yourself.
Think of it this way: a confirmed figure for $30 isn't "$15 more than retail." It's "$90 less than the six boxes you would have bought to maybe get it." That's the collector math that matters. Deciding if a confirmed figure is worth it is about calculating the value of your time and money.
Your Pre-Purchase Checklist
Before you hit that "buy" button, run through this mental checklist. It's saved me from countless bad purchases.
* The Seller: Do they have a good reputation? Lots of positive, recent, and relevant reviews? * The Photos: Are they clear, well-lit, and of the actual item? Or are they blurry, dark, or stolen from Pop Mart's website?
The Price: Have you checked sold listings on eBay or other platforms to see what it's really* worth? Is the price reasonable or inflated?* The Item Itself: Does it come with the original box and collector card? Most serious collectors want the full set. The foil bag being opened is standard for confirmed figures, but the box and card should be included. * The Payment: Are you using a protected payment method? Say it with me: PayPal Goods & Services.
The hunt for a specific figure is a huge part of the fun in this hobby. It's a quest. But every good quest needs a map, and a bit of insider knowledge goes a long way. Now you have the playbook. You know the traps to avoid and the paths to take.
So go on. Find that little monster that caught your eye. And when you finally have it in your hands, you'll know you got it the smart way. And if you want to skip the hunt entirely, you can always see which treasures we've already unearthed for you by browsing our LABUBU figures.
--- Disclosure: PopNya may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page.
