Last week, eBay witnessed a record-breaking sale: one of the rarest Labubu figures, dressed head-to-toe in Vans streetwear, sold for an astonishing $10,500, securing its place as the most expensive Labubu ever listed on the platform.
Standing 15 inches tall, the figure features signature Vans sneakers, a branded sweatshirt, and a blue-and-orange cap reading “The Monsters,” the character series it belongs to. This special edition was first released in 2023 as part of a collaboration between Pop Mart and Vans, retailing for only $85.
Its original retail price was $85, meaning its resale value was 125 times more.
Collectors and industry experts see strong investment potential in these quirky characters. Lori Verderame, a collectibles appraiser known from the History Channel, predicts they will hold their appeal for years to come. Alex Fung, pop culture consignment director at Goldin Auctions, notes that early-edition Labubus tend to retain the highest market value.
Pop Mart sells most Labubus for $20–$40 through “blind boxes,” where buyers only discover which character they’ve purchased after opening it. However, ultra-rare “secret” editions, with odds as low as 1 in 72 or even 1 in 144 - have been flipping for thousands on resale platforms. One example is the pink “Catch Me If You Like Me” figure, which recently sold for $2,000.
Weekly product drops are a frenzy for fans, with in-store restocks at 10 a.m. on Fridays and online sales at 9 p.m. on Thursdays. In the UK, the rush has been nicknamed “Labubu Hunger Games,” with buyers lining up before dawn and, at times, clashing over limited stock.
Labubu was created over a decade ago by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, drawing inspiration from Nordic myths and supernatural folklore. Since licensing the design to Pop Mart in 2019, the brand has turned the character into a global sensation, boosting CEO Wang Ning’s fortune from $2 billion to $22 billion within a single year, according to Forbes.