Shortly after opening, suspected scalpers quickly flooded the store, purchasing entire boxes of products and clearing out shelves. In less than two hours, the store temporarily suspended operations due to the chaotic scenes. The store announced that the “opening was delayed due to internal rectification issues.”
Customers at the scene reported that after queuing for four hours, they became dissatisfied when scalpers quickly bought up items soon after the doors opened. Store employees then announced a sales halt. Online videos show individuals leaving with multiple boxes of merchandise, prompting protests from those still in line. Hangzhou Xixi Heavenly Mall stated that security had been arranged in advance to maintain order. However, due to severe overcrowding and safety concerns, the Pop Mart store was closed at 11:00 AM, while other shops in the mall remained open.
Similar situations have occurred in other regions. A Pop Mart store in South Korea recently suspended offline sales of its Labubu series due to purchase-related conflicts. In Guangzhou, when the Labubu new product went on sale at a Pop Mart pop-up store in Parc Central, reservation slots sold out instantly. Prices for entry qualifications on the secondary market surged, ranging from 200 yuan to nearly 1,000 yuan.
The Labubu series has recently seen a significant surge in popularity, with many products experiencing severe price premiums. Limited-edition collaborative items have even increased in price dozens of times over, and even less popular styles have seen substantial price hikes.
