Guide

Whole set or single boxes? The math on duplicates

If you want every figure in a series, random single boxes usually cost about three times as much as a whole set. Here's where that number comes from, and when single boxes still win.

The same figure, again

Open a stack of single boxes and you'll see it happen. The first few boxes are all new, and then the same two figures start showing up again and again. In a 12-figure series, the average fan sees 25 repeats on the way to a full set.

For some fans, the set never feels finished. London collector Hannah Gumbley told Refinery29, "I think my hunt to complete my Labubu collection will never be finalised."

How many random boxes a full series takes

With 12 regular figures, your first box is always new. But once you own 11, only 1 box in 12 is the one you're missing, so the last figure alone takes about 12 boxes.

Add up every step, and a 12-figure series takes about 37 random boxes on average. A six-figure series takes about 15. Either way, that's more than twice the boxes in a whole set.

What that costs at a real price

For Pop Mart's 2026 Genshin Impact series, one box cost $19.99, and the 12-box whole set cost $239.88 with no repeats. So 37 random boxes would cost about $740, and 1 in 10 fans need 56 boxes or more.

That means the whole set saved the average fan about $500. The full set cost calculator does this math for any series and price.

Where to buy a set with no repeats

The "no repeats" promise comes from the brand, so buy the whole set from Pop Mart's own site, app or stores. A "sealed case" from a reseller may not come with that promise, and StockX warns its buyers they may get repeats in a blind box case.

Hot drops can also limit you. During some 2025 Labubu restocks, Pop Mart's app let each buyer get only six single boxes, and no whole sets.

When single boxes still win

• You want only one or two figures. Buying those exact figures from a trusted seller is often cheapest.
• You have friends to trade with. One collector who runs a Labubu store says they finished whole sets "simply by trading my doubles."
• You love the surprise of opening boxes. Pick a number of boxes you're happy with, and check what it gets you first.

And the secret?

A whole set doesn't raise your chance of the secret. In Pop Mart's Genshin Impact series, the secret still shows up at 1 in 144 and takes a regular figure's place. So a 12-box set gives you about an 8% chance, the same as 12 single boxes.

Want to know what a real shot at it costs? The secret odds calculator shows the boxes and dollars for an even or a 90% chance.