For some diehard Starbucks fans, a $7 latte isn’t enough of a splurge — they’re ready to spend hundreds of dollars on the collectible holiday cup it comes in.
Starbucks’ Glass Bearista Cold Cup, which launched and quickly sold out on Thursday at an original price of $29.95, has evolved from festive holiday merch into an investment item. This unexpected demand has fueled a resale market usually reserved for designer sneakers and rare toys.
Shortly after launch, eBay was flooded with listings for the beanie-wearing Bearista, with some cups listed at “Buy It Now” prices of up to $50,000. While it doesn’t appear that any have sold for such an exorbitant price, auction listings reviewed by Business Insider have racked up bids upward of $285 (plus shipping).
A Starbucks representative shared with Business Insider that the response to the Bearista cup “exceeded even our biggest expectations.” Despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the cups and some other items sold out fast.
“We know it’s disappointing to fans, and we’re sorry if they missed out. We appreciate our customers’ understanding. We have more exciting merchandise coming this holiday season,” the spokesperson added.
### Scarcity Sparks Frenzy
The holiday spirit at Starbucks came with an extra side of scarcity this year. Some baristas who worked on launch day said their stores received just one or two Bearista cups to sell, prompting customers to line up before opening, ready to claim one for themselves.
A Starbucks spokesperson declined to comment on the number of Bearista units shipped this year or stock levels at specific stores.
A shift supervisor with over a year at Starbucks told Business Insider that customers lined up outside for more than half an hour before the store opened. Since the store received only two Bearista cups, they “sold out immediately.”
“I got to my store somewhere between 3:45 and 3:50 a.m. and there were already several people literally wrapped in blankets, camped out in front of the store,” said a Minnesota-based barista who has worked with Starbucks for seven years. “When we tried to enter, after reminding them the store does not open until 4:30 a.m., they tried to push their way in with us.”
She added that when her manager arrived after 4 a.m. and announced a limit of one bear-themed cup per party, the waiting customers became angry and “cussed her out.”
### Starbucks’ Collectible Appeal
The 2025 Bearista cup isn’t Starbucks’ first foray into collectible merchandise. The company first debuted its Bearista in 1997 as a plush toy and has since expanded into a wide variety of seasonal and themed merch, which customers regularly clamor for.
A Starbucks spokesperson told Business Insider that the policy for merchandise sales is first-come, first-served, with no purchase limits or holds. This means customers could buy more than one item, and staff members are not allowed to set aside merchandise to buy for themselves or save for customers.
### A Loyal Fan’s Experience
John Kauchick, a 70-year-old Starbucks fan in Mississippi who has spent “several thousand” dollars on Starbucks collectibles over 25 years, told Business Insider he camped outside his local Starbucks starting at 3 a.m. to try to purchase the Bearista cup, as well as some limited-edition Hello Kitty-themed merchandise released on the same day.
Although he was first in line, Kauchick said a barista at his store had purchased the store’s lone Bearista cup for herself before he had the chance. This has left him irritated enough to consider stopping his collectible spending at Starbucks altogether.
“I felt cheated out of the opportunity to get one,” Kauchick explained. Although he has turned to resellers before — including paying $150 for a Taylor Swift-themed Starbucks tumbler — he doesn’t want to keep feeding the inflated secondary market prices.
“I may get one,” he said, “but I have this bad taste in my mouth still, and I think I may decide I just can’t do this anymore.”
### A Labubu-Level Rush
In the days since the launch, social media has been flooded with celebratory posts from Starbucks fans showcasing their festive Bearista cups. The craze is reminiscent of the fervor surrounding cult items like Labubu dolls, which Business Insider reported are on track to hit a billion dollars in sales this year, spawning a secondary market for custom versions that can sell for over $200 each.
For every post bragging about scoring one of the coveted cups, there’s another from an exhausted barista publicly begging customers to understand they have no personal control over inventory.
After the Bearista cups sold out at her store, the Minnesota barista said some customers became aggressive, calling staff “flat-out disgusting” names. The vitriol reportedly continued well into Friday.
Another barista with 11 years of experience said the phones “wouldn’t stop ringing” all day Thursday, with customers calling to ask if any store had extras.
“If customers were polite, I would apologize and direct them to the Target store, where they might have a slim chance to get one,” the barista said, referencing licensed in-store cafés rumored to have received more Bearista inventory than corporate stores.
“If they were rude and asked if we had any at 5 p.m., I told them they already knew the answer.”
### Incidents and Industry Reflection
Although some social media reports suggested that a handful of Starbucks fans became violent over the Bearista launch, Business Insider could not verify any such incidents.
Still, this wouldn’t be the first time collectors have clashed over popular items. In 2021, Target stopped stocking Pokémon, NFL, MLB, and NBA trading cards after rising resale values sparked fistfights in stores.
“I’m a bug for rarity, and one thing Starbucks does is build up the expectation or the perception of scarcity — and they do that on purpose,” Kauchick said.
“I feel sorry for some of the people who got caught up in the hostility or whatever. But, you know, Starbucks knows what they’re doing.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-bearista-cup-resale-market-launch-madness-labubu-collectibles-2025-11