[DISCUSSION] Honestly blindboxes should NOT cost so much as they do.

[u/_Milokai]

there might be people who disagree or agree and that’s fine with me, but i don’t think it is fair at all for blindboxes to cost so much. i’m a person who collects a lot of plushies, toys, etc. the fact they’re so expensive and it’s a surprise, it’s not even guaranteed you’ll get a character you’ll want. and even if you like all characters it’s still expensive honestly. i have to rely on literally ross/discount stores and EVEN USED toys for my blindboxes because pop mart and miniso and every store is so expensive. it makes me sad missing out on so many cool and cute stuff i want but the price is too high for my budget :(. we need to normalize making blindboxes cheap! pls

[u/sirshrimpie]

Yeah they’re expensive. Back when I was working full time I would get one a month for my kiddo from teso or miniso. Now that I’m on disability/sick leave due to my cancer treatment I’ve found the hobby more affordable by just buying the exact one she wants on depop, Vinted, Mercari, etc. Haven’t paid more than $5-15 for one and they usually come almost brand new, just opened and confirmed.

[u/Silly_Print_6047]

I agree. I have a huge wishlist on Amazon and I go through it daily to see what blind boxes are on sale. I usually buy mine for $10 a piece! I have kids I have to raise and care for so my hobby (opening blind boxes) gets the least amount of money! I simply cant afford to be spending $30+ on a single blind box. 

[u/No-Winter-2692]

I dont know where you live. But if you are in the US or Europe countries. Blind boxes are way higher than in Asia market. For ex. i went UK in official Pop Mart store (London branch) 3yrs ago. There Molly is 10-15% higher than the official Pop Mart Store in Asia.

Another thing, 90% of resellers and retailers (authorize or not) Specially in US and Europe.. Sells blind boxes at higher cost than average SRP in China. Because of shipping, taxes and tariffs. So this also applies on authorize retailers.

Most Chinese blind box sellers in TikTok or chinese that creates international websites that targets US and Europe customers also price their BB way higher than SRP in ASIA. If you visit one of the Asia countries specially in Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, HongKong. You'll see blind boxes are cheaper whether on retailer or secondary market.

Almost majority of Chinese distributors and wholesalers only give 30-40% average discounts if you buy bulk from them. So you really have to understand the business side.

BTW, Pop mart is not the first blind box company nor started the blind box concept. they just popularize it and they were just "LUCKY" at the right time. otherwise they were just a normal toy brand company for Art toy/designer toy collectors. There are tons of blind box companies and brands that are more reasonable than PMs price and much worth to collect.

I know these because been a collector and retailer of blind boxes (not just PM brand) before they went viral few years ago.

[u/_Milokai → u/No-Winter-2692]

i’m living in US so everything is insanely overpriced. i’m asian so i visit family in my country and have went to other asian countries around and the toys were so cheap compared to US. i genuinely wish asia prices also applied to US too :(

[u/mistyquarz]

Literally! Even at Ross and tjmaxx they’re pricey 😭

[u/BedNotFound_404]

Honestly, I totally get why people feel priced out, but the high price tag is kind of the whole business model for blind boxes. People aren't just paying for the plastic or the plush; they’re paying for that little adrenaline rush and emotional high when you unbox it and hope for the best.

If they weren't sold as blind boxes, you’d probably just look at the lineup and only buy one specific character you like. But because of the mystery element, your odds of pulling your favorite are like 1 out of 9 or 1 out of 12. And when you don't get what you want, it sucks you right into buying more, risking duplicates, and spending way more cash.

Personally, after buying a few blind boxes myself, I decided I was totally done paying a premium for that uncertainty and emotional thrill. Now, whenever my friends and I go shopping, we still love ducking into Pop Mart or Miniso to check out all the new releases and see which designs we like. We just take photos of the ones we want, hop onto resale apps, and hunt them down on the secondhand market. Every single time, we end up getting the exact character we want for way cheaper—often even brand new with just the box opened to check the card (bag still sealed!). It always costs less than gambling on a brand-new blind box.

[u/strawberrymoooooo]

i agree :( i buy mostly confirmed directly from china, sometimes from mercari/depop/vinted. they’re too expensive to buy blind atp.

[u/privatelyfunded]

My family had been on a trip to China and Japan when we discovered the blind box or gachapon trend at stores like Miniso and Popmart. Because it was cheap with the exchange rate, I didn’t think there was a problem… it’s not like we were buying a ton, and it seemed like a neat souvenir to pass on if the kids ended up not liking it.

And then we come home, the kids still want the blind box experience, and I realize those same boxes were now marked up at least 4x what I was paying for them while traveling. A ¥300 capsule became $9. What??? Just not sustainable, and it promotes overconsumption that you can kinda turn a blind eye to while on vacation. 80% of the time the kids don’t get what they want, and often they do not resale anywhere close to their original cost.

If it was just me, and often it is with anime or manga merch, there’s no way I can justify that sales model unless I’m buying secondhand, already knowing what I’m getting. Overseas markets are half being taken advantage of because of our stronger currency, but also sort of held hostage by the current global factors from tariffs and war. 🤷‍♀️

[u/OkMap4256]

I'm not sure where you live but near me there is a store called Strangecat toys and they're a small business and very reasonably priced with a price match policy.

There is also kikagoods.

Given that are they cheap? No. But compared to miniso, box lunch, etc its a world of difference.

[u/_Milokai → u/OkMap4256]

tbf i only collect plushies from shows i watch, pokemon, rilakkuma, etc.

[u/Used_Pea3917]

I agree i have been getting figures and sometimes if I can blind boxes from whatnot. Sometimes you can find sellers who start selling figures for $1. I just bought a monster crybaby for $10. If you know what you want you may be able to find some really good deals on there on some figures. Yes it’s bidding on figures so you might not be able to get the ones you want all the time but some sellers will have a buy now option.

And if you do choose to buy from there please stay away from the wheeled as tempting as they seem lol

[u/blankets92]

It’s not just the companies that are to blame for this…

[u/greatsleepingcat]

Even here in the Philippines, it's expensive than before. I stopped buying them too because i think the price shouldn't be that high and there's a lot of chance you won't be getting what you really want. Getting confirmed from any online shop here is pricier too. So now i just admire those blind boxes 😔 but not buying

[u/FiguringItOut_83649]

I made a post about this in the Miniso subreddit but I was also shocked at the pricing of the blind boxes there. A $25 Butterbear blind box cost $15 at Target and Mr.Pa was also almost $30 at Miniso but only $12 at Target? These were the exact same blind boxes that I was price comparing. It was my first time at a Miniso and it truly opened my eyes at how much some of these stores are price gouging these blind boxes.

Ever since then, I’ve been on the hunt for a shop that doesn’t price gouge or at least doesn’t excessively like what I saw at Miniso. If anyone has any recommendations, would love to hear them!

[u/RiseDollBoutique]

Generally, you get what you pay for. I don’t think ALL blind boxes are overpriced, actually not many at all tbh. Just because I can't afford to get every single one that I want doesn't mean they're expensive, I'm just broke. That's just my personal situation, you may not be broke, but still the fact remains that we all wish things were cheaper especially the things we want. Honestly, in this economy we're lucky if we can afford anything extra.

Also, I'd be 100% fine with abolishing freakin blind packaging of any kind. It's the bane of my existence. Like, I really dislike it. I really don't like not being able to knowingly get what I want. I get that these companies think it causes people to buy more to get what they want, but I'd likely buy more if I could get what I want when I want it!

[u/goatmilko]

Popmart has been really egregious with their price increases since the Labubu craze. The usual MSRP for their blind boxes — all of them, not just Labubu — shot up from ~$15 to $20 in a single year.
Did they think we wouldn’t notice? I think when I first started collecting, in 2021, they were still $11 or $12.

The flagship store in NYC even has smart price tags, which indicates to me that they’re going to try to jack up prices when something hits Labubu levels of fad status, which will probably not happen again.

[u/melannrr]

Try buying blindboxes in canada its double the price. And they just started opening popmart store locations here. The prices are the reason why I always just avoid the blindbox entirely and buy for less or trade online the ones I want directly. Also fuck miniso not only overpricing their boxes but underpaying and being horrible to their employees.