
Chinese customs seize 144 Pop Mart Labubu blind boxes at Wuhan Tianhe Airport
Wuhan customs officials seized 144 Labubu 3.0 blind boxes from two inbound passengers at Tianhe Airport. The figures, popular collectibles from Pop Mart, were intended for resale. The passengers chose the 'no declaration' lane and admitted to importing the goods for profit. The items are currently being held by customs
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Wuhan customs detain Pop Mart Labubu figures for suspected resale
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Customs officers at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport confiscated 144 Labubu 3.0 blind boxes collectible figures on June 17, from Pop Mart (09992.HK), after identifying suspicious items during luggage scans. The incident involved two inbound passengers who used the 'no declaration' channel while arriving on a supervised international flight.According to a statement from the official WeChat account 'Customs Release,' customs authorities flagged irregular images in the luggage scans. Upon physical inspection, officials found that both individuals had packed large quantities of Pop Mart dolls, 144 units in total, all belonging to the Labubu 3.0 series.Also read: Rs 1.5 crore for a doll? The viral rise of Labubu and the madness behind it The passengers stated that the purpose of importing the Labubu figures was to assist others in bringing them into the country, with the intention to resell them for profit. As of now, the detained items have not been released and are being held in accordance with customs regulations Labubu, a product under the Pop Mart IP brand, has gained massive popularity worldwide, with collectors often queuing overnight to secure blind boxes upon release. The Labubu 3.0 series, in particular, has seen strong demand across Asia, making it a target for cross-border resale. Chinese customs regulations require individuals bringing commercial quantities of goods to declare them upon entry. The 'no declaration' channel is reserved for personal-use items within permitted limits. Failure to disclose commercial quantities may result in confiscation, fines, or further legal action.Pop Mart continues to experience growth across international markets due to the success of IP figures like Labubu, Dimoo, and Skullpanda. The company has responded to increasing demand by expanding its distribution, though unauthorized resales and grey market imports remain ongoing challenges.
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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"It might just be a matter of time before even more Chinese brands become globally recognisable," Yang said. - TikTok effect - Through viral exports like Labubu, China is "undergoing a soft-power shift where its products and image are increasingly cool among young Westerners," said Allison Malmsten, an analyst at China-based Daxue Consulting. Malmsten said she believed social media could boost China's global image "similar to that of Japan in the 80s to 2010s with Pokemon and Nintendo". Video app TikTok -- designed by China's ByteDance -- paved the way for Labubu's ascent when it became the first Chinese-branded product to be indispensable for young people internationally. Joshua Kurlantzick from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) told AFP that "TikTok probably played a role in changing consumers' minds about China". 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Time of India
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