If you’ve ever walked into a Pop Mart store at 4:00 PM on a Tuesday only to find the Labubu shelf looking like a ghost town, you know the pain. It’s a specific kind of heartbreak. You see the empty pegs, the "sold out" signs, and you start wondering if you just missed the truck by five minutes.
The short answer? No. Pop Mart does not restock everyday.
Honestly, if they did, the hype wouldn't be nearly as intense. The brand thrives on a very intentional, high-pressure scarcity model. But that doesn’t mean the restocking schedule is a total mystery. If you know where to look and which days to clear your calendar, you can actually beat the scalpers.
The Myth of the Daily Drop
There’s this rumor floating around TikTok and Reddit that some stores "sneak" stock onto the shelves every morning. It’s mostly wishful thinking. While a store employee might occasionally find a stray box of Skullpanda in the back and put it out on a Wednesday, official shipments don't happen daily.
For most physical stores, especially in North America and Europe, the magic happens on Friday mornings.
Logistically, it makes sense. They want the shelves overflowing right before the weekend rush. If you’re hunting for a specific series like The Monsters or Dimoo, your best bet is being at the door when they flip the "open" sign on a Friday. Some flagship locations in massive hubs like New York or London might get a second mid-week shipment, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
Online Restocks Are a Different Beast
If you’re shopping on the official website or the app, stop checking every hour. You’re just going to stress yourself out.
Online restocks are much more structured. Usually, the global site refreshes its inventory every Thursday or Friday. The timing is the tricky part because Pop Mart operates on China Standard Time (CST).
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- 10:00 AM CST is the "anchor" time.
- If you’re on the US East Coast, that actually means 9:00 PM on Wednesday night.
- West Coast collectors need to be ready at 6:00 PM on Wednesday.
It’s a weird quirk of the international date line that makes it feel like the restock is happening "early," but really, you're just synced up with the Beijing headquarters.
Why Some Items Never Come Back
We need to talk about the "No Reissue" tag.
Basically, Pop Mart categorizes their toys. You have the Core Series—think the standard $12 to $16 blind boxes. These get restocked fairly regularly for about 6 to 12 months after they launch. If Molly My Childhood sells out today, it’ll probably be back in three weeks.
Then you have the Limited Editions and Artist Collaborations. These are the "one and done" releases. Once the production run for a specific collab (like a high-end MEGA Space Molly or a special holiday set) is finished, that’s it. They aren't restocking it next week. They aren't restocking it next year.
If you see something you love and it’s labeled as a "Limited Drop," don't wait for a restock that isn't coming.
Pro Tips for Beating the Bots
Since you now know they don't restock everyday, you have to be tactical about the days they do.
- The "Notify Me" Trap: The email notifications on the website are... okay. But by the time that email hits your inbox, the bots have usually already cleared the shelves.
- Use the App, Not the Browser: The Pop Mart mobile app is significantly faster and often gets "App Only" restocks that never even touch the desktop site.
- The 15-Minute Rule: On big restock days, items often "sell out" in 30 seconds. Don't leave the page. People often dump their carts or their payment fails. Refresh at the 15-minute mark; you’d be surprised how many "sold out" items suddenly pop back into stock.
- Local Instagram Stories: This is the ultimate "insider" tip. Many individual store managers (especially in malls) post to their specific store’s Instagram story when a shipment arrives. Follow your local branch, not just the corporate account.
The 2026 Supply Chain Shift
Something interesting happened recently. Pop Mart started opening manufacturing hubs in Mexico and Southeast Asia to keep up with the insane global demand.
What does this mean for you? It means the "Friday restock" rule is becoming a bit more flexible. As shipping times get shorter, we’re starting to see more bi-weekly refreshes. It’s still not an "everyday" thing, but the gaps between sell-outs are slowly shrinking.
How to Actually Get What You Want
Instead of refreshing the page daily, focus your energy on Wednesday nights (for online) and Friday mornings (for in-store).
Check the "Coming Soon" tab on the app every Monday. It usually lists the exact minute a restock will go live. If a series is more than a year old, stop waiting for a restock and start looking at reputable secondary markets; it’s likely been moved to "retired" status.
To stay ahead of the curve, make sure your payment info is pre-saved in the app. Seconds literally matter when a new Labubu drop happens. Set a calendar alert for 9:55 AM CST on release days. If you’re shopping in person, build a rapport with the staff. They won’t hide boxes for you, but they’ll usually be honest about whether the truck is coming tomorrow or next week.
Stop checking everyday. Start checking smart.