Blind Box Scalping in Singapore

A Pop Mart store in Singapore. Photo by The Financial Coconut.

Blind box scalping in Singapore refers to the practice of bulk-buying limited-edition blind box collectables at retail and reselling them at marked-up prices, typically on platforms such as Carousell. The practice became a recurring feature of Singapore's collectables scene from 2024, driven first by the global craze for Pop Mart's Labubu character and later by limited-run merchandise at art exhibitions, most prominently Australian artist CJ Hendry's Flower Market and Juju World installations in 2026.

Singapore-exclusive items have proved especially prone to scalping. A S$37.90 Merlion Labubu keychain was resold for up to six times its price within days of launch in June 2024, and in July 2026, S$39 blind box plush toys from Juju World were listed on Carousell for as much as S$2,888.

What are blind boxes?

Blind boxes are sealed packages containing one of several possible collectable designs, so buyers do not know which design they have purchased until the box is opened. Most series include a rare "hidden" or "secret" edition with deliberately low odds, which drives repeat purchases and gives rare pulls a significant resale premium. Combined with limited production runs, timed drops and location-exclusive designs, the format creates the scarcity that makes scalping profitable.

The format was popularised in Singapore largely by Pop Mart, the Beijing-headquartered toy company behind characters such as Molly, Dimoo and Labubu, which operates multiple stores locally, including what was at its opening its largest Singapore outlet at ION Orchard.

The Labubu craze (2024 to 2025)

Labubu, a sharp-toothed monster character created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung in 2015 and licensed to Pop Mart in 2019, saw demand explode after Blackpink's Lisa posted about the toy in April 2024.

Singapore received two Merlion-themed exclusives in 2024, and both were immediately scalped. A Singapore-exclusive Merlion Pop Mart figurine sold out within minutes and was resold on Carousell for up to S$250. The Merlion Labubu keychain, launched on 21 June 2024 at S$37.90, likewise sold out within minutes of launch and was resold on Carousell for up to six times its original price, with some listings reaching hundreds of dollars.

Demand peaked at the Pop Toy Show at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 23 to 25 August 2024, where the Merlion Labubu was made available in timed drops. On the first day, pushing broke out as crowds clamoured for the toys, with some attendees describing the tussle as fighting, and police were called to manage the crowd.

Labubu dolls stolen from claw machine. Photo by The Straits Times.

The craze also spilled into petty crime, with reported cases in Singapore including the theft of Labubu toys from a claw machine.

By late 2025, resale prices for standard Labubu figures had reportedly fallen sharply as Pop Mart ramped up production, though rare secret editions continued to command premiums.

The CJ Hendry exhibitions (2026)

Crowds at the CJ Hendry Flower Market. Photo by 8world (Li Decheng)

Flower Market (June 2026)

CJ Hendry's Flower Market installation made its Southeast Asian debut at the IMBA Theatre at Gardens by the Bay from 10 to 14 June 2026, offering more than 30 plush flower designs, including eight Singapore exclusives such as the Vanda Miss Joaquim, Raffles' Pitcher Plant and Singapore Lipstick flower. Entry was free, each visitor received one complimentary plush flower, and additional stems were sold at S$7.

On opening day, videos showed some visitors rushing the displays and filling large bags with armfuls of flowers, drawing accusations of hoarding and scalping. Listings appeared on Carousell the same day, with one seller pricing the Singapore Lipstick flower at S$21, three times its retail price, and others offering Singapore-exclusive designs at S$30 per stalk. Some users also offered "help-to-buy" services with surcharges of S$3 to S$5 per stalk. IMBA chief executive officer Michael Lee said crowd management had been a key consideration in the event's planning, and organisers said flowers, including the exclusives, would be restocked where possible.

Juju World (July 2026)

Hendry returned to the IMBA Theatre with Juju World, running from 20 June to 18 July 2026 and centred on her bunny-like collectable character Juju, with a Singapore-exclusive yellow colourway. The S$39 blind box plush toys and S$99 collectables sold out, available only on pre-order, and sold-out plushes were listed on Carousell for as much as S$2,888 each, with the premium driven by the low odds of pulling a hidden-edition design. Some sellers listed bundles containing a regular plush, a hidden edition and a large plush for S$3,888. Even the complimentary miniature rubber balls from the exhibition's ball pit appeared on Carousell at S$1 to S$8 each.

Responding to Shin Min Daily News, Hendry said she has no control over what happens to the collectables after they leave the exhibition and does not intend to impose restrictions to discourage reselling, saying she would rather increase supply than rely on scarcity as a sales strategy, and that the low prices were intended to make her work accessible.

What are some common scalping patterns in Singapore?

Recurring scalping patterns across these episodes include queueing hours before timed drops or engaging others to queue, bulk purchasing up to per-person limits or in the absence of limits, immediate same-day listing on Carousell, paid help-to-buy or proxy-purchase services with per-item surcharges, and bundle listings that pair common items with rare hidden editions at a steep premium. Retailers and organisers have responded with measures such as purchase limits, timed drops, pre-registration and restocking commitments, with mixed results.

Online reaction in Singapore has been largely critical of scalpers. After the Flower Market opening-day video was reposted to Reddit, some users described the scenes as an embarrassment, while several speculated that the flowers were being taken for resale rather than personal enjoyment. Other users countered that the chaotic behaviour was concentrated among early entrants and those targeting the Singapore exclusives, and said the situation calmed later in the run. According to anonymous Reddit posts, some claimed to have witnessed scalpers at the installation's opening; these accounts have not been independently verified.

Government considering regulating blind boxes

Singapore currently has no legislation explicitly targeting blind boxes, although "mystery boxes" are disallowed: in 2018, police instructed operators of mystery prize vending machines to cease operations, warning that such machines constituted a form of public lottery. Plans are in place to regulate mystery boxes under a class licence regime administered by the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) under the Gambling Control Act.

On 12 February 2026, Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said in a written parliamentary reply to Workers' Party MP Dennis Tan that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the GRA had studied blind boxes and decided to impose conditions on how they may be offered, in order to better manage gambling inducement risks. He said the regulations were being drafted, and that a suggestion to mandate standardised disclosure of odds and probabilities for blind box or "gacha" products would be among the points considered.

In a further written reply on 7 May 2026 to Workers' Party MP Kenneth Tiong, Shanmugam said Singapore does not intend to require sellers to open blind boxes or trading card packs before sale, and that authorities were seeking safeguards that would mitigate the gambling inducement risk of blind boxes without effectively banning them. He said any proposed safeguard would need to be proportionate to the gambling inducement risk of the product, and that the government was engaging industry stakeholders, including businesses linked to trading card games, as well as youth groups. The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier indicated that further details on the planned regulations would be provided around mid-2026.

The regulatory scrutiny is directed at the gambling-like mechanics of the blind box format itself, particularly its appeal to young consumers, rather than at scalping or resale activity, which the announced plans do not address.