Chinese customs authorities crack down on toy doll smuggling
People look at collectable designer art toy Labubu at a Pop Mart pop-up store in Siam Center shopping mall in Bangkok on May 6, 2025. - 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 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 (US$6,940), 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, 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 (US$209). In China's secondary market, the same toy sells for an average of US$319 — 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 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 Li Ruihan, a university student in Jinan, Shandong province.
'But now, some editions sell for hundreds of yuan,' said Li. - China Daily/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Japan's lower House passes bill to ban online casinos
TOKYO (Bernama-Xinhua): Japan's House of Representatives passed Tuesday a bill to impose a ban on opening and operating online casino websites in the country. The lower chamber of parliament cleared the bill to revise a law on tackling gambling addiction by a majority vote. The revision, which prohibits websites from guiding users to casino sites, came amid recent revelations of the use of virtual casinos by a number of athletes and celebrities. According to a police survey released in March, 3.37 million people in Japan are estimated to have gambled at online casinos, with around 1.24 trillion yen (about US$8.7 billion) being spent annually. Gambling is illegal in Japan even if an online casino is operating legally overseas. The revised law is expected to be enacted during the current parliamentary session through June 22. - Bernama-Xinhua
Hype Malaysia
10 hours ago
- Hype Malaysia
Police Ask Public For Information To Help Locate These Missing Individuals
Reports of missing persons are often linked to broken families, disputes among friends, or, in some cases, circumstances far more sinister than we can imagine. Cases of suspected abduction should never be taken lightly, as swift action can be crucial in saving a life. In recent weeks, the number of missing persons reports has risen at a worrying rate, prompting police to appeal to the public for any information that could aid investigations. The cases range from a girl as young as 14 to tourists who vanished while backpacking across Malaysia. Here are some of the urgent cases currently highlighted by the authorities: 1. Pamela Ling Datin Seri Pamela Ling Yueh was last seen on 9th April 2025 at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya. What started as a routine attendance as a witness assisting the MACC turned into a full-blown police investigation as reports claimed that the 42-year-old businesswoman was intercepted by three vehicles en route to Putrajaya. The particulars of the case show that Ling and her husband have been under the investigation of the MACC for alleged corruption and money laundering since May 2024. 2. Angel Ho Kha Suen Last seen at Taman Asia Tenggara, Jalan 21/33, Seapark at 2 PM on 15th May 2025, 14-year-old Suen was reported missing on 19th May to authorities and still remains missing to this day. The teenager was described as having fair skin and mixed Chinese-Indian features, 160 centimetres tall, with straight brown hair down to her waist. Authorities are urging members of the public to come forward with any information regarding her whereabouts. 3. Jordan Johnson-Doyle A 25-year-old British tourist, Jordan Johnson-Doyle, was reported missing after a night out at a bar in Bangsar on 27th May 2025. According to The Daily Mail (UK), Johnson-Doyle was on a solo tour of Southeast Asia and had been backpacking across the region prior to his disappearance. His last known location was Healy Mac's Irish Bar in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, where he had reportedly taken part in a pub quiz — as confirmed by a photo he sent to his mother. She added that his 'Find My iPhone' app last pinged at a nearby residential building, but the signal stopped on 30th May, likely when the phone battery died. To report relevant information on these cases, please head over to your nearest police station or call the relevant district police offices to channel information to the authorities. 03-22829813/03-22832222 (Bangsar Police Station), 03-79662222 (Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters) and 03-88862222 (Putrajaya District Police Headquarters). Sources: FMT, The Rakyat Post, Malay Mail Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Rescuers say Israeli fire kills at least 27 near Gaza aid point
GAZA CITY: Rescuers said the Israeli military killed at least 27 people near a US-backed aid centre in Gaza on Tuesday, with the army reporting it had fired on 'suspects who advanced toward the troops'. The UN human rights chief condemned such attacks as a 'breach of international law and a war crime', after a similar shooting in the same area of southern Gaza on Sunday killed and wounded scores of Palestinians seeking aid, according to the civil defence agency. Tuesday's shooting in the southern city of Rafah came as the agency reported 19 killed in other Israeli attacks in the territory, and as the Israeli army announced three soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza. 'Twenty-seven people were killed and more than 90 injured in the massacre targeting civilians who were waiting for American aid in the Al-Alam area of Rafah,' said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, who earlier told AFP the deaths occurred 'when Israeli forces opened fire with tanks and drones'. The Al-Alam roundabout is about a kilometre (a little over half a mile) from an aid centre run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a recently formed group that Israel has worked with to implement a new aid distribution mechanism in the territory. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the group, saying it contravenes humanitarian principles and appears designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The military said a crowd was moving towards the aid centre when troops saw them 'deviating from the designated access routes'. 'The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops,' it said, adding it was 'aware of reports regarding casualties' and was looking into the details. Rania al-Astal, 30, said she had gone to the area with her husband to try to get food. 'The shooting began intermittently around 5:00 am. Every time people approached Al-Alam roundabout, they were fired upon,' she told AFP. 'But people didn't care and rushed forward all at once -- that's when the army began firing heavily.' - 'Unacceptable' - Mohammed al-Shaer, 44, said the crowd had just set off towards the aid centre when 'suddenly, the Israeli army fired shots into the air, then began shooting directly at the people'. 'A helicopter and quadcopters (drones) started firing at the crowd to prevent them from approaching the tank barrier. There were injuries and deaths,' he told AFP. 'I didn't reach the centre, and we didn't get any food.' The army maintained it was 'not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites'. GHF said the operations at its site went ahead safely on Tuesday, but added it was aware the military was 'investigating whether a number of civilians were injured after moving beyond the designated safe corridor'. 'This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area,' it added, advising 'all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when travelling to our distribution sites'. The shooting on Sunday had also taken place at the Al-Alam roundabout as people congregated before heading to the aid centre, rescuers and witnesses said. The civil defence agency reported 31 people killed and 176 wounded. Afterwards, the army denied firing at people 'while they were near or within' the aid centre. But a military source acknowledged 'warning shots were fired towards several suspects' about a kilometre from the site. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged an independent investigation into that shooting, calling it 'unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food'. 'Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable,' UN human rights chief Volker Turk said after Tuesday's deaths. 'Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime.' - Soldiers killed - Israel has come under mounting pressure to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where people are facing severe shortages of food and other essentials after Israel imposed a more than two-month blockade on supplies. The blockade was recently eased, but the aid community has urged Israel to allow in more food, faster. The US-backed GHF has recently opened a handful of aid distribution centres in southern and central Gaza, and says it has distributed more than seven million meals' worth of food. Israel has recently stepped up its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war. The Israeli army said Tuesday that three of its soldiers had been killed during combat in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the conflict to 424. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 4,201 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,470, mostly civilians. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
