A 30-year-old man from Zhejiang, China, has gone viral for turning an unusual skill into a full-time career — shaking blind boxes for a living.
The man, known as Xiao Yu, reportedly earns around RMB300,000 a year (about RM170,000) after spending nearly three years mastering the craft.
Uses weight and sound to guess what’s inside
According to Chinese media reports, Xiao Yu frequents blind box stores and shows up whenever new stock arrives.
Instead of buying boxes at random, he picks them up one by one, lightly shakes them, and gauges their weight and internal movement to predict what figurine might be inside.
With enough experience, he can scan through an entire shelf in under a minute and identify boxes more likely to contain rare or high-demand designs.
Treats it as a full-time job
What looks like a hobby is actually a daily routine.
Xiao Yu reportedly spends four to five hours a day in stores, often staying from peak hours until closing time. On weekends, he may spend almost the entire day there.
While some shoppers find his behaviour unusual, he is unfazed.
“To others, it’s a surprise. To me, it’s how I make a living,” he said.
Before entering the blind box market, Xiao Yu was already involved in reselling.
He began trading sneakers during his university days, borrowing RMB10,000 from his mother as startup capital. Within three years, he reportedly made over RMB300,000.
However, when the sneaker market slowed around 2021, he shifted to blind boxes, which have lower entry costs and faster turnover.
Relies on market trends and resale platforms
Beyond just “shaking boxes”, Xiao Yu also keeps track of resale prices on platforms.
He focuses on trending series and high-value items, increasing his chances through experience, before reselling them on second-hand platforms for profit.
While the process may seem simple, it requires a mix of instinct, practice, and market awareness.
Through this approach, Xiao Yu has managed to carve out a steady income in the collectibles market.
His story has since sparked discussion online, with some impressed by his unconventional hustle, while others joked that they still cannot guess anything even after years of buying blind boxes.
