Shanghai government caps price on ‘blind boxes’, prohibits sale to children aged below 8

Shanghai’s market regulator issued a new directive that puts a cap on the price of ‘blind boxes’, sealed packages that contain collectible goods

It also prohibited the sale of these popular products to children aged below eight

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A man walks past one of toymaker Pop Mart International Group’s Roboshop vending machines in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Photo: Agence France-Presse

Published: 5:30pm, 15 Jan 2022Updated: 5:54pm, 17 Jan 2022

Shanghai’s market regulator on Friday issued a new directive that puts a cap on the price of so-called blind boxes – popular sealed packages that contain collectible goods – and restricts sales to young children.

The Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation said the price of a blind box shall not exceed 200 yuan (US$31.46) and that sales to children under eight years old are now prohibited, according to a policy document published on the agency’s website on Friday.

The city’s directive marks the first such regulation imposed on vendors of black boxes, which represent a popular packaging strategy adopted by various retailers to entice consumers across the country. Beijing-based toymaker Pop Mart International Group is widely regarded as the local trailblazer for black boxes, which was initially popularised in Japan through “gashapon” capsule toy vending machines.

The new regulation was based on several statutes including China’s e-commerce law and the consumer rights protection law, according to Shanghai’s market regulator. It also restricts speculation in the second-hand market, where prices of a highly sought black boxes can increase from 20 to 30 times their original cost, according to an estimate by digital marketing research firm LeadLeo.

Fast-food restaurant chain KFC teamed up with toymaker Pop Mart International Group in a blind box campaign that offered collectible Dimoo toys with certain meals. Photo: Weibo

In addition, the Shanghai market regulator’s directive also bans the sale of toxic merchandise, explosives or animals via blind boxes.