Step 1: Learn Before You Buy
Spend one week browsing before buying anything. Follow r/labubu and r/PopMart on Reddit. Join 2-3 Labubu Discord servers (search 'Labubu collectors Discord'). Follow Pop Mart's official Instagram. Your goal is not to buy — it is to learn which series exist, what figures look like, and what the price landscape looks like.
During this week, save images of every figure that genuinely appeals to you. After 7 days, look at your saved images. You will notice patterns — certain colors, series, or styles you are consistently drawn to. This is your collecting direction. Having a focus prevents the scattered buying that new collectors regret.
Learn the terminology: blind box (sealed random figure), secret edition (rare variant), common (standard figure in a series), OG (original series), and grail (the figure you most want). Understanding the language helps you navigate communities and listings.
Step 2: Make Your First Purchase Strategically
Your first figure should be something you genuinely love at a price that does not sting if you later change direction. Do not start with a $200 secondary market grail — start with a figure in the $20-50 range that excites you when you look at it.
Three options for a first purchase: 1) A Pop Mart blind box at retail ($18-22) from the Pop Mart app or a local store — you might not get your top pick, but the unboxing experience is part of the hobby. 2) A specific common edition from eBay at $30-50 — you choose exactly what you get. 3) A 3D printed edition like Duck Bubu, Snow Wing Bubu, Angel Bubu, or Pink Fang Bubu from Voxelyo at $49.90 — fixed price, no lottery, no secondary market markup.
Whatever you choose, live with it for a couple of weeks before buying the next one. See how it feels on your shelf. Do you look at it every day? Does it make you want more from the same series, or something different? Let your first figure teach you what you actually want.
Step 3: Build Knowledge and Community
Join communities actively, not passively. Comment on posts, ask questions, share your first purchase. Collectors are generous with knowledge when you engage genuinely. The relationships you build now become your early warning system for drops, your price-check resource, and eventually your trading network.
Start a simple spreadsheet tracking your collection: figure name, series, condition, purchase price, purchase date, source. This sounds excessive for 1-3 figures but becomes invaluable as your collection grows. Knowing exactly what you paid and where you bought prevents duplicate purchases and helps you track your collection's value.
Step 4: Set a Budget and Stick to It
Decide on a monthly collecting budget before your second purchase. Serious but sustainable collecting typically runs $50-150 per month. This lets you add 1-3 figures monthly depending on what you are buying. More importantly, a budget forces you to be selective — which builds a curated collection rather than an accumulation.
The biggest financial mistake new collectors make: buying every figure they see in the first excitement phase, then realizing they have $500 of figures they feel lukewarm about. Be picky. A collection of 10 figures you love beats 30 figures where you are indifferent to half of them.
Track what you spend. When you hit your monthly budget, stop. The figure will still be available next month. FOMO is the enemy of smart collecting.
Step 5: Display and Enjoy Your Collection
Once you have 3-5 figures, set up a proper display. Even a simple floating shelf with good spacing makes a collection feel intentional. Position figures at eye level where you will see them daily — the point of collecting is enjoying what you have, not storing boxes in a closet.
Take photos of your collection as it grows. Post them in communities for feedback and connection. Rearrange your display when you add new figures. The curation process — deciding what goes where, what deserves the prime spot — is half the enjoyment of collecting.
Most importantly: collect what you love, not what you think will appreciate in value. The happiest collectors are the ones whose shelves reflect their taste, not their investment strategy. If a $49.90 PLA figure brings you more joy than a $300 secret edition, buy the one that brings you joy.