Video surveillance showed thieves raiding One Stop Sales in La Puente, California, taking dozens of boxes filled with the toys Labubu. At $7,000, that makes it quite a haul, making the crime a pretty enormous burglary to boot. The incident occurred around 1:29 a.m. on August 6, as confirmed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
With a breathtakingly beautiful assortment of Labubu dolls and accessories, One Stop Sales will leave you inspired! Because of this, these items have quickly become some of the most desirable collectibles among comic enthusiasts. Labubu toys usually retail for about $30 apiece. Their popularity these days tends to drive resale prices into the hundreds or even thousands. The toys are sold through a “blind box” system, where buyers cannot see the specific item they are purchasing until after the transaction is completed. This marketed rarity enhances their desirability.
Security camera footage from the store shows at least four masked figures smashing into One Stop Sales. They make a hasty escape carrying a lot of hacked Labubu product. Joanna Avendano, co-owner of the store, expressed her frustration over the incident in an interview with local ABC station KABC-TV.
“We worked so hard to get to this point, [only] for them just to come in and like nothing take it all away.” – Joanna Avendano
The Labubu phenomenon has taken the global design and collector worlds by storm. Associate teaching professor of marketing, Alex DePaoli weighed in on this story for Good Morning America. During his testimony, he shined a light on how the blind box system drives compulsive purchasing patterns in consumers.
“If you don’t get what you want, you’ve got to go buy another one. A lot of folks have sort-of likened that sort-of system to almost gambling.” – Alex DePaoli
Labubu plush toys are perfect as fashionable accessories and collectibles. They’ve been diving deep into the street style fashion scenes, as evidenced by recent photo sessions of them trolling the streets of Paris. This multifaceted appeal has quickly established Labubu’s status as a superstar within the toy industry and fashion world.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department has not closed the investigation despite the recovery of the car and are still looking into the burglary. They appeal to anyone who may have information about the incident to speak up. The theft makes a real impact on the ability for the store to restock. It highlights the growing popularity and worth of these one-of-a-kind collectibles.
