I was at the mall and came across a Pop Shop vending machine. I was hoping to find my first Labubu, but sadly there weren’t any in the vending machine. Are there any Labubu collectors on Mantel?

Published August 01, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

The sneaker bubble isn’t just bursting—it’s echoing.

And if you’ve been around the hobby long enough, you’ve heard this sound before.

We heard it when sports cards exploded during the pandemic, only to crash back to earth when supply flooded the market and demand dried up. We heard it when Pokémon prices skyrocketed, driven by influencers and hype, until the market became oversaturated and disillusioned. We’ve heard it in the luxury watch world with Rolex, in the vintage space, and yes—even in collectible toys like Beanie Babies, Funko Pop!, & Labubu.

It always starts the same way:

• A new hype cycle hits.

• Scarcity meets demand.

• The resale market lights up.

• And for a while, everyone wins.

Until they don’t.

Just like collectors who once camped out for Target restocks or battled online bots for Nike Dunks and Yeezy's, today’s resellers are waking up to a brutal truth:
This isn’t sustainable. It never was.

Raffles aren't lottery tickets anymore. General Release Jordan's don’t double in resale value on StockX.

And that once-exciting package or padded envelope you rip open mid-week? It’s quite often a subtle reminder of yesterday’s hype and today’s regret.

Every bubble shares the same turning point:
When people stop buying because they actually like something—and start buying because they’re afraid to miss out. That’s not passion. That’s fear. That’s not collecting. That’s compulsion disguised as commerce.

And eventually, when the music stops—and it always does because all hype fades, and all good things come to an end—you’re left holding inventory instead of joy. Stuck with a massive collection that you can't even move if you wanted to.

Air Jordan’s. Labubu. There’s always going to be something people chase for the quick flip. But aftermarket prices always eventually settle. What was once a $30,000 pair of sneakers is now accessible for under $500—because Nike decided to retro the once-coveted, impossible-to-obtain Undefeated Jordan 4's. Hype fades. Trends shift. Markets correct. Just make sure you’re being mindful when making those purchasing decisions. Buy what you like. Don't get sucked into the hype.

How many people got burned on "cant-miss" items? Yeezy's. Off-White collabs. Supreme box logos. Zion rookie cards. NBA Top Shot. Bored Ape NFTs.

Boxes stacked to the ceiling of sneakers that lost 90% of their resale value in just a few years. Stacks of base rookie cards people spent a fortune on grading during the pandemic, under the impression they were stashing a gold mine. A closet or drawer full of “assets” with no exit plan.

It wasn’t just hype. It was genuine belief. That if you bought enough, flipped fast enough, held long enough, you’d win. But for so many it turned into shame, debt, denial, and a quiet sense of failure nobody wants to talk about.

What once felt exciting now feels exhausting, just taking up space.

Here’s the truth: Bubbles don’t just leave wreckage—they leave room for rebuilding.

Every crash is a chance to reset. To reflect. To return to intention.

Ask yourself:
Am I collecting because it fulfills me? Or because I’m chasing a feeling that never lasts? Am I building something meaningful? Or am I just flipping to stay afloat?

The market will always change. Hype will rise. And hype will fall. But intention? That’s the one thing that holds its value.

So let the wave crash. Let the noise fade. Let the bubble burst. Let the chase end. Because when it’s all said and done, what remains should still feel worth. That’s why intention is important.

Collectors MD was created for these moments. When the high wears off, and reality sets in. When the game you once loved starts to feel like a trap, or a burden.

You're not alone. You're not crazy. And you’re not stuck.

#CollectorsMD
When the hype fades, let what’s left still feel like home.

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all photos taken at popmart northridge and popmart century city!