Labubu has stopped selling in stores in Korea. Is it safe to buy online?

Labubu dolls have won over K-pop idols and Gen Z alike. What’s the secret?

Interest in Labubu dolls has spread rapidly since fashion icons such as Lisa, Rosé and other K-pop idols started carrying them. Labubu is the signature character of Chinese toy company Pop Mart, known for its fluffy fur, upright bunny-like ears, nine sharp teeth and mischievous expression.

The dolls are sold in blind boxes (random boxes), so you don’t know which character you’ll get until you open the box, which encourages repeat purchases to get the one you want. Thanks to their distinctive look and scarcity, they’ve set off an explosive collecting craze worldwide.

Why did in-store sales stop in Korea?

As of June 2025, Labubu dolls were officially and temporarily pulled from physical stores in Korea (check Pop Mart’s official channels for the current status). As popularity soared, “open runs” (crowds lining up before opening) became frequent outside stores, and when safety concerns arose over the crowding, Pop Mart Korea decided to suspend in-store sales for the time being.

In an official statement, Pop Mart Korea said, “Due to concerns about safety incidents at in-store sales, we have temporarily suspended in-store sales of all Labubu series, putting customer safety first,” adding, “We will work to provide more satisfying service.” It did not, however, give specifics such as when online sales would resume.

Where can you buy Labubu right now?

Buying a Labubu is getting harder. Dolls sell out fast even on Pop Mart’s official online store, leaving shoppers little choice but to turn to the resale market or cross-border shopping platforms.

Official Pop Mart channels include the official online store (popmart.com) and the official Pop Mart app. If you live abroad or are considering buying from overseas, official retailers in places with Pop Mart’s global flagship stores, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, are another option. You get tax-free pricing and guaranteed authenticity, so the purchase is safe.

With popular items, it’s now common for resellers to buy in bulk and sell at a markup, and the dolls trade actively on cross-border platforms such as Taobao, AliExpress, eBay and StockX, as well as through social media group buys and secondhand markets. But shoppers need to be careful along the way.

In Korea, Labubu can also be traded on secondhand platforms such as Joonggonara and Karrot. Since these are person-to-person transactions, checking the seller’s credibility is essential. Before buying, always check actual photos, the authenticity sticker and that the packaging is unopened, and use a secure payment service rather than trading in person. Popular limited editions are sometimes sold through first-come or lottery-style drops on official channels, so keeping an eye on Pop Mart’s official social media and app notices is also a good idea.

More fakes in circulation, and the risks of the resale market

As cross-border shopping and the resale market grow, the biggest concern is counterfeits. Labubu’s scarcity and collectible value have made it a prime target for bad actors, and knockoffs nicknamed “Lafufu” have even appeared. Lafufu unboxing videos are easy to find on TikTok and other social media. The problem is that these fakes are likely to contain harmful substances. According to MarqVision’s 2025 US consumer report, 12.4% of respondents said they had bought counterfeit toys, and toys were one of the categories where fakes were found most often. Fakes may look similar, but they differ in stitching, materials and packaging, and uncertified products in particular can pose safety problems. When buying, always check for the authenticity sticker, the genuine label and official packaging.

The booming resale market and the harm it causes

High-demand products like Labubu often trade for several times their list price on the resale market. The “Labubu x Pronounce Wings of Fantasy” doll, a collaboration with a fashion brand, had a list price of 128,000 won but resold for as much as 1.3 million won. But these markups can also lead to consumer harm.

The most common problems are products that never arrive, transactions canceled unilaterally, or fakes shipped instead. The worst is when fakes are sold as genuine. Buyers pay a high price but can’t get authenticity verified, and can’t get after-sales service or a refund. The harm goes beyond money: trust in the brand falls and consumers get frustrated.

Another problem in the resale market is increasingly sophisticated packaging that leads buyers to mistake fakes for the real thing. Some sellers sell fakes that copy the official packaging design exactly, at prices close to genuine. In these cases, shoppers buy without even realizing the product is fake, and even if they discover the problem later, getting a refund or compensation is very difficult.

Blind box complaints filed with the Korea Consumer Agency are also rising steadily. Common types include selling products that show signs of having been opened, removing popular characters from a series before reselling the rest, and scams posing as overseas shipping. Before buying, shoppers should look carefully at the seller’s transaction history and reviews, and should always be suspicious if a price seems too low.

So what should you check when buying online?

If you plan to buy a Labubu doll online, be sure to check a few important things.

First, it’s safest to use Pop Mart’s official website or officially authorized global retailers. Genuine products usually carry the official logo, labels and authenticity stickers, and their packaging follows consistent standards, so they’re relatively easy to identify.

When buying from a reseller, ask for real photos of the actual item and check carefully that the seller has enough reviews and transaction history. If possible, choose a transaction method with secure payment, which gives you some protection if something goes wrong.

Also, always be suspicious of products selling far below the usual market price. Scarce, highly collectible limited editions like Labubu almost never trade well below list price.

Genuine Labubu dolls come with a QR sticker containing a product authentication code, and scanning it with the official Pop Mart app confirms authenticity right away. Asking the seller for a photo of the QR code before buying is another way to check. Since QR codes themselves are sometimes faked, though, it’s safest to verify the product yourself in the app after it arrives.

Genuine Labubu dolls maintain consistent quality standards in their material texture and stitching. Key points for telling them apart from fakes include the shape of the ears, the number of teeth (nine), the texture of the fur and how the tag is attached. When buying online, it helps to ask for photos from several angles and compare them closely with official product images.

Brands and consumers building a safe buying environment together

Labubu dolls remain popular for their charm and collectible value, and online demand continues even with in-store sales suspended. But rather than leaving consumers to verify authenticity themselves item by item, it’s time for brands to respond actively.

Brand protection needs to get stronger, with real-time detection of counterfeit sales and consumer reporting channels that help prevent harm. At the same time, consumers should check information carefully and build smart buying habits to help create a safe culture of trading.

MarqVision uses AI to monitor more than 1,500 online platforms worldwide, quickly detecting counterfeit listings and automating removal requests. It has gone beyond simply reporting counterfeits to analyzing seller networks and tracing how counterfeits move through the supply chain. This lets brands put proactive protection in place instead of reacting after harm is done.

The more collectible and limited a product is, as with Labubu, the higher the risk of counterfeiting. For brands, protecting consumer trust requires continuous monitoring and fast response. Consumers, too, can play a direct role in reducing counterfeit distribution by actively using platform reporting tools when they spot suspicious listings.

Respond quickly with MarqVision to IP threats such as counterfeits and resale that can harm both brands and consumers. Request a free consultation now for tailored advice.