Product of the Week: Stanley Cups

In the recent surge of excitement, Stanley, a brand renowned for their iconic drinkware, has released a limited edition Valentine’s Day cup, sparking a massive influx of customers into Target stores. TikTok, as often is the case, has become our main source of truth, with numerous users documenting their attempts at securing the highly coveted 40oz Stanley Valentine’s Day cup.

The Stanley cup hype has exploded with the recent Starbucks Stanley (Target exclusive) cup launch. TikTok user whoslulugirl_2 documented her entire process, beginning with her lining up outside Starbucks at 4:40 am. Once inside, she swiftly grabbed her two cups, and many followed suit—every cup stacked on the shelves gone in seconds. The drama didn’t stop there; it was followed by a confrontation and the arrival of the Sheriff.

The frenzied consumerism surrounding limited edition products, exemplified by the Stanley Cup craze, raises concerns about the broader implications for American society. Many comments express worry that dedicating so much excitement and time to a cup detracts from the more important things in life. Other comments mention that constantly seeking the next hot product leads to an endless cycle of mindless consumption, fostering bad habits like overspending and resulting in "gone wrong" cases of retail therapy.

Stanley cups have become the recent focal point of the online and retail arbitrage community. Moreover, StockX has recently added support for Stanley cup sales and purchases, confirming that many people are profiting from this hype. At the moment, the Starbucks Stanley cup is the best-performing cup, currently averaging around $150 in profit per cup, with 317 sales in the last 3 days at the time of writing. I’ll leave the math to you, but that’s a lot of net profit per cup if you ask me…

All bubbles burst, so get on this as soon as possible and capitalize. The biggest lesson online/retail arbitrage has taught people is that staying in touch with trends and moving fast is crucial. Starting too late could leave you with a tonne of unsold inventory. The goal is the be before the peak and sell to late comers.

While it's important for us, as entrepreneurs to highlight the financial aspect of this craze, it's also important to understand the emotional side. Do you prefer the money, or do you prefer your sanity, as getting these cups won’t be a walk in the park. The choice is all yours.