China Customs Seize Thousands of Fake Labubu Toys as Demand Soars

China’s customs officers have been on high alert lately, intercepting wave after wave of illicit Labubu merchandise riding on the back of the toy’s runaway popularity. From smuggled vinyl figures to knock-off keychains, no harbor or airport seems safe from these crafty bootleggers.

At Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Hubei Province, officers uncovered 144 Pop Mart collectibles stamped with Labubu’s mischievous grin tucked inside two passengers’ luggage. Neither traveler had declared the items—apparently destined for resale—so customs promptly confiscated the lot under China’s strict import regulations.

Not to be outdone, Shanghai Pudong International Airport’s team struck an even bigger blow: nearly 6,000 toys bearing Pop Mart’s logo and all the tell-tale features of the Labubu series. A quick check with the rights holder confirmed the haul as counterfeit, and the fakes were seized without hesitation.

Meanwhile, on China’s eastern coast, Beilun Customs in Zhejiang Province has been busy at the docks. Inspectors discovered two separate export shipments containing backpacks and cushions plastered with unauthorized Labubu prints. After Beijing POP MART verified the infringement, both consignments were legally impounded.

That wasn’t all. Beilun officers also intercepted a massive batch of 26,000 keychains nearly indistinguishable from official Labubu merchandise. Once confirmed as infringing goods, these too were funneled into customs storage.

The crackdown continued into early June, when Beilun Customs seized a staggering assortment: 2,350 blind boxes, 4,410 plush toys, 9,400 keychains, 495 raincoats and 1,200 combs—all sporting Labubu designs. This mountain of fakes highlights just how far smugglers will go to cash in on the craze.

And craze it remains: on some e-commerce sites the original Labubu vinyl figure has rocketed to roughly 34,000 yuan (about US $4,730), a threefold leap over its retail tag. Collectors are scrambling, and auctions have grown fiercely competitive. One recent sale on a Chinese asset-trading platform pitted bidders against each other for a lot of 39 seized toys—including a Thailand-limited edition. Starting at 114,608 yuan, the hammer finally fell at 191,608 yuan after 73 intense bidding rounds.

With prices soaring and demand at an all-time high, customs officials vow to keep the pressure on. For every bootleg blind box that slips through, there’s another waiting to be caught—and with Labubu’s popularity showing no signs of cooling, the battle is far from over.

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