Customs authorities crack down on toy doll smuggling

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.