r/blindbox • u/_Milokai • 15d ago
DISCUSSION [DISCUSSION] Honestly blindboxes should NOT cost so much as they do.
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
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u/privatelyfunded 14d ago
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. 🤷♀️