Chinese customs authorities crack down on toy doll smuggling
In the past three months, Chinese customs authorities have reported multiple cases of undeclared Pop Mart toys. PHOTO: AFP
JINAN - The surge in cross-border resales of Pop Mart toys, with some rare editions fetching jaw-dropping prices, has blurred the line between proxy shopping and smuggling, as several Chinese customs authorities have reported undeclared toys being intercepted in quantities exceeding the allowed amount.
In the past three months, Chinese customs authorities have reported multiple cases of intercepting undeclared Pop Mart toys, including popular Labubu and Molly figurines, carried by passengers who are seeking to profit from resales.
In one instance, a total of 318 toys were seized from three travelers at Changsha Huanghua International Airport in Hunan province. In another case, a passenger at Hefei Xinqiao International Airport in Anhui province was caught with 94 toys, all intended for resale, according to the General Administration of Customs of China.
'The number of toys they brought with them exceeded the prescribed quantity for personal use, so they could face punishment according to related laws,' said Mr Xu Hao, a lawyer at Beijing Jingsh Law Firm.
China's Customs Law stipulates that transporting undeclared goods in excess of prescribed limits for profit-seeking purposes constitutes smuggling. If the evaded tax amount exceeds 50,000 yuan ($8,901), it will be considered a smuggling crime that could carry a punishment of up to life in prison.
Overseas Chinese students should be fully aware of the legal risks associated with similar resale activities, including but not limited to tax violations and counterfeit goods distribution, which may lead to severe consequences, Mr Xu added.
Pop Mart, a Beijing-based toy brand, has taken the global market by storm, with its limited-edition figurines becoming hot commodities both at home and abroad. The cases reported by Chinese customs authorities highlight the booming secondary market.
The allure lies in the substantial profit margins. A customs declaration form submitted by one passenger showed that a Pop Mart Molly figurine in the passenger's possession was priced at 6,790 Thai baht (S$268). In China's secondary market, the same toy sells for an average of S$410 — leaving a sizable profit margin even after accounting for the 13 per cent value-added tax on such items.
The 'hidden edition' of Labubu 3.0, originally priced at 99 yuan, now commands a price of more than 2,000 yuan.
On a major Chinese secondhand goods platform, the hidden edition of Labubu 3.0 was listed at 2,699 yuan, with over 2,300 users marking it as 'wanted' and nearly 120,000 views recorded.
'Pop Mart is a Chinese brand, but overseas toy editions often feature exclusive collaborations not available in China, making them even more desirable,' said Mr Sun Yuzhuoran, a buyer of Pop Mart products.
Pop Mart's global expansion has further fueled the craze. With flagship stores in cities like Paris, London, New York and Bangkok, the brand reported 475 per cent year-on-year growth in its overseas revenue in the first quarter — five times that of its domestic market.
The brand's popularity reflects consumption trends among young buyers. 'The affordable blind-box toys offer emotional value. It is about the thrill of spending just a few dozen yuan for some surprise,' said Mr Li Ruihan, a university student in Jinan, Shandong province.
'But now, some editions sell for hundreds of yuan,' said Mr Li. CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Myanmar junta battles guerillas for control of jade hub
Myanmar also has a huge and loosely-regulated mining sector for gold, rubies and rare earth minerals. PHOTO: AFP YANGON - Myanmar's junta and anti-coup guerillas battled over the country's jade mining hub on June 20, a combatant and a local said, displacing desperate civilians as they vied for supplies of the precious stone. Myanmar has been consumed by a many-sided civil war since a 2021 coup toppled the democratic government, with the myriad of fighting factions plundering the nation's vast natural resources to fill their coffers. Jade is considered auspicious in Chinese culture and high-quality stones can fetch astronomical sums in the neighbouring country. Fighting has raged during a Myanmar military offensive around villages and mining sites in Hpakant township of northern Kachin state, according to Mr Naw Bu, spokesman of the Kachin Independence Army battling the junta in the area. 'They came to the jade mining areas of some companies and they burned down trucks and destroyed other things,' he added. 'They intended to stop our income from jade mining.' AFP was not able to verify the claim and a spokesman for Myanmar's junta could not be reached for comment. Battles in the area began around three weeks ago but continued in the early hours of June 20, Mr Naw Bu said. A local resident who asked to remain anonymous said around 15 civilians had been killed since May 28 and 'some residents didn't dare to stay in the combat zone and have been displaced'. As Myanmar's civil war enters its fifth year, more than 3.5 million people in the South-east Asian country of around 50 million are currently displaced, according to United Nations figures. Kachin state hosts the largest jade deposits in the world according to geologists. Myanmar also has a huge and loosely-regulated mining sector for gold, rubies and rare earth minerals which has flourished in the war. China is also a key market for rare earth minerals, where they are used in electric vehicles the country is producing at prodigious rates. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
9 months' jail for former primary school teacher who touched seven-year-old pupil in class
The father of three was given a discharge amounting to acquittal on two similar charges ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG 9 months' jail for former primary school teacher who touched seven-year-old pupil in class SINGAPORE – A former primary school Chinese teacher has been sentenced to nine months' jail after he admitted to using criminal force on his pupil with the intention to outrage her modesty. The father of three was given a discharge amounting to acquittal on two similar charges. These charges were not read out in court. On June 20, District Judge Lim Tse Haw said the man, 38, had breached a sacred trust between him and his pupil – for whom he was the Chinese language and form teacher . Sometime around 2019, the seven-year-old pupil approached the man to find out the name of a song he had played in class earlier. As she approached the man, who was sitting down near the front of the classroom, the man reached out and touched the pupil underneath her school skirt. They were alone at the front of the class at this time, as the other pupils were queuing up to go for recess. After three years, she decided to confide her experience to the school's vice- principal in April 2022 . A police report was then made. The judge said: 'Teachers are held in high regard by society. By virtue of the trust we ( place) in them to impart knowledge and good moral values in our students, parents therefore entrust their children in the good hands of our teachers for these reasons.' He pointed out that the pupil in this case was just seven years old. There is a gag order imposed to protect her identity. 'Although the touch was fleeting and did not intrude into her private parts, there was skin on skin contact with her inner thigh under her skirt – a sensitive part of the female body.' The judge added: 'The psychological harm, which included suicidal thoughts and potential problems with interpersonal relationships later in life, could be prolonged.' The Ministry of Education had previously told The Straits Times that the man had been dismissed in April 2022, and that he is no longer teaching in any school. For each count of molesting a child below 14 years old, an offender can be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
15 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Chinese student jailed for 24 years for raping women in UK and China, World News
LONDON — A Chinese student convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in Britain and China was jailed on Thursday (June 19) for 24 years in a London court. Zhenhao Zou, 28, who lived in south London, used online platforms and dating apps to meet women, inviting them to his home under the pretext of having drinks or studying before he drugged them. He then filmed himself raping and sexually assaulting the women while they were unconscious, keeping some of their jewellery and clothing afterwards. Zou was found guilty in March of 28 offences, including 11 counts of rape, after a trial at Inner London Crown Court. At Thursday's sentencing he was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 24 years, minus time he had already spent in custody. Judge Rosina Cottage said Zou was "a highly manipulative and intelligent young man who gave no thought at all of the wishes and feelings of the women" he attacked. Detective Inspector Richard MacKenzie from London's Metropolitan Police said outside court: "The sheer scale of his offending, which spanned two countries, makes him one of the most prolific predators we have ever seen." The police previously said detectives believe there may be more than 50 other women who may have been victims of Zou and have not yet been identified. Originally from Dongguan in Guangdong Province, the student is thought to have moved to the United Kingdom in 2017 and began studying for a PhD at University College London in 2019. After a woman came forward to report Zou, police said they found drugs and hidden cameras in his home, while hundreds of videos and millions of messages on his laptops and phones showed that he had committed offences not just in Britain but in his homeland. [[nid:719110]]
