After Global Artist and member of the widely known Kpop Group Blackpink, Lisa, made known her interest in the Labubu franchise, no matter where you look or scroll — from tote bags to belt loops — these fuzzy little creatures with their soft exteriors and toothy grins are everywhere. Labubus have taken the globe by storm. And like a lot of people on who are chronically online, I was completely entranced by these wide-eyed critters.
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Why I Initially Bought Them
Like so many others, I caved. What followed was a two-month-long hunt just to secure one of them. I quickly learned that finding one was nearly impossible. I didn’t have fancy bots, and as a high school student-athlete with a job, I didn’t have the time to sit on TikTok Live or monitor the Pop Mart countdown just to get a single figurine. And when I did try, it was snatched from my cart in seconds and after doing a deep dive and stumbling upon the Labubu Reddit thread, I learned that Popmart isn’t focused on prioritizing their customers rather than catering to their resellers — the people snapping up the toys in bulk and flipping them for outrageous prices.
Eventually, I accepted that the only way I was ever going to get my hands on one of these funny looking things was through a reseller. And that on its own came with risks: I could get scammed with a Labubu that had lopsided eyes and missing teeth… or maybe, if I got lucky, I’d actually receive what I paid for.
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Here’s Why They’re Not Worth the Hassle
Three days later, a sketchy-looking plastic bag arrived on my porch — and inside it, my Labubus. At first, I was excited hoping i’d get some luck from the Popmart gods and scored an authentic Lychee Berry and Sea Salt Coconut Labubu. But quickly after evaluating their value I realized these things were actually pretty useless and totally not worth the money.
Don’t get me wrong — they are adorable little collectibles. But for 80 dollars, I couldn’t understand how anyone would event want to spend that much or even more on two relatively small plastic toys. Is it about the experience? Sure — opening one and guessing which character you’ll get is totally exciting. But deep down, were these just another product of overconsumption? Something I thought I wanted — or maybe just something everyone else had? Quickly I realized I was more into the hype surrounding Labubus than the actual toy. Online, they seem like the must-have trending fashion item for this short period of time. In real life? They’re really just overpriced trinkets.
Should You Buy One? Maybe
Would I buy another one? Never. For that same price, I could’ve bought 16 Miraculous Ladybug Kwami blind boxes — or a brand-new pair of batting gloves, something I’d use almost every day. Either of those would’ve made me a lot happier and would actually have had some actual use to me. So here’s my advice, if you’re thinking about buying a Labubu because it’s trending. Ask yourself — do you actually like it, or are you just chasing an aesthetic? Instead, get something you know you’ll enjoy — anything that’ll bring you more lasting joy than this expensive little gremlin that’s going to end up collecting dust on your shelf.
Because me? I bought a Labubu — and it was sooo not worth it.