Valentine's Day has come and gone, but we can't stop thinking about the TikToks of collectors racing through Target to get their hands on an exclusive Stanley Tumbler from the “Galentine's Collection.” Marketplace reporter Janet Nguyen covered the Stanley phenomenon. Here is an excerpt.
Janae Thomas of Tampa, Florida, told us that she has amassed 37 Stanley Tumblers (not counting those still outstanding). She's pretty sure she has every shade of pink available.
“I think what appeals to me about the Stanley Cup is that it's about figuring out which ones I'm missing and then figuring out where to buy them,” Thomas said.
She is not alone. Originally designed for camping purposes and retailing at up to $60, the cups have long gone viral on social media and resale platforms, turning into significant money.
Stanley, a century-old thermos brand, reported sales of $73 million in 2019. At the end of 2023, CNBC reported that the company was expected to rake in $750 million this year.
“This kind of 10x growth over four years is absolutely amazing for a company that has been around forever,” said Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, a digital creator and founder of brand agency Forge. “Their growth is driven primarily by this 40-ounce cup.”
On StockX, the average resale price for a collab cup featuring musician Lainey Wilson is $260. Those Target-exclusive Galentine's Starbucks cups? $223.
Thomas told us she bought an ombre tumbler on eBay for about $115 and a lilac tumbler on Mercari for $240. The most she paid for a jar: $380 for a jar of Stanley on Facebook Marketplace.
Older Stanley mugs can be rarer and fetch higher resale prices, Thomas said.
“But the good thing is that a lot of people who have these OG mugs have them because they've been collecting for a long time. And at least in my experience, I'm starting to see them get over it. It's like the stock market. It's like I've been doing this for five years, my $60 cup is in high demand right now. I think I can sell it for $200, even if it's used. “So the likelihood that they will do it is much more likely,” Thomas said.
Of course there are haters. While Marketwatch looked at last month's Target stampede, Stanley called him collecting “everything that's wrong with America.” Others have certainly pointed out the irony of collecting a product that is supposedly designed to reduce waste.
Thomas said it's a hobby, like collecting sneakers or Beanie Babies, adding that she can comfortably afford all of these cups.
“Are there better things to spend my money on?” Absolutely. But do I take out loans to afford Stanley Cups? Absolutely not,” she said. “We all have our vices. … If I wasn’t making a financial decision to buy Stanley Cups, I would be making a financial decision to buy an expensive handbag.”
There's more to this story, including how to spot “duplicates” and reseller return policies.
Defend your luxury
Money affects all of our lives, but sometimes the right purchase at the right time can make things a little better. Tell us how you've been behaving lately and we'll add the best stories to our newsletter! This week, one of our favorite business reporters, Chabeli Carrazana at The 19th, shares some meaningful ink.
We've probably all had a pretty bad time in 2021, but it was one of my worst years ever. I lost my grandfather to COVID-19 in January, then had a miscarriage in April, followed by a second miscarriage in August. In September, my husband's grandmother also died of COVID-19. I was in a terrible place.
So my husband and I traveled to Iceland in October. It is a very special place for us because we also got engaged there. Three mystical, magical things happened on this trip: We happened upon a wishing well for unborn children, where you could make a wish if, like us, you dreamed of starting a family. Then we happened to drive under a perfectly formed double rainbow – in the world of pregnancy loss, your first child after a miscarriage is called a “rainbow baby.” And on the last day of our trip, we learned that Iceland's unofficial motto is “Þetta reddast,” which roughly translates to “everything will be okay in the end.” I sobbed and sobbed when I heard that and my husband said if we could ever have our baby, that would be a great tattoo.
Shortly after we returned from that trip, we became pregnant again. Our son Jack was born in the summer of 2022. A few months later, he watched as we got tattoos – mine on my right forearm, my husband's on his inner right bicep. I don't think the artist got the Þ quite right, and we paid $250 each for the tiny black font (please don't tell me if I overpaid for it, the shop has a very strict return policy). But for us it was the end of this dark chapter. I look at it now as I reach out my arm to grab my son's hand and am reminded that there is power in persistence, especially when you can't quite see the double rainbow yet.
The comfort zone
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