18/08/2026
Let's have a chat about this......
The squishy saga – beware of the imitations and gouging
TL:DR – check you’re not being ripped off with overpriced and subpar product
As you will no doubt be aware, the squishy craze is well and truly off the rails…
Unfortunately this leads to situations where products are being sold as “the real thing” when they are cheap imitations, some with highly questionable contents, and some original items being sold at markups that are unethical at the least ie $40 “on sale” ( a matter for ACCC / Consumer Affairs)
Recently I had someone comment on one post about the giant squishies that they could get the same thing at their local for $7 (I have them at $14.95 which is the general RRP for small stores like myself) . Now while that seems like a deal, it is without a doubt a knockoff product being brought in direct from overseas without the necessary quality control / safeguards in place. I know this because the legit ones I carry cost more than $7 to buy wholesale – and that’s the same for all of us!
On the flipside I had a customer tell me they paid $200 for the Nee Doh Advent Calendar - thats nearly FOUR times the retail...
What to look for – or simply ask if unsure:
1) If the item is being sold super cheap, look at the packaging and check for contents, warnings, and correct spelling (yes, even that) Plenty of the cheap ones out there do not have contents or incorrect warnings, and often not even safety standard numbers. If in doubt, ask the retailer for an MSDS (Materials Safety Data Sheet) ALL local distributors are required to have these available upon request. It is worth noting that trying to get a data sheet from the super cheap online retailers (you know the ones) can be tricky, and absolutely no guarantee that its actually correct.
2) The same thing applies for Safety Standards – Australian distributors must ensure all products comply with the Australian Safety Standards, otherwise products will be recalled, and in some cases, heavy fines will be issued if there has been injury or worse.
3) Does the product smell? I’ve seen a lot of complaints recently about some products emitting a very strong petroleum type odour – that’s a massive red flag for the product. As a rule, there should be minimum odour of any sort, and certainly not one that is overwhelming. NB – I had a recent delivery of a few boxes of smooshos cubes, and there was definitely a strong odour of some sort – however I recognized it as leftover smell from a shipping container being fumigated on arrival into Australia (been there done that) so opening the boxes and airing for an hour or so fixed that issue
4) Pricing – Smaller stores like mine cannot and do not compete against the big chains, we don’t have the buying or negotiating power. That’s fine, but when you see some of the squishies being sold for around $35 instead of $15, and they also look like the cheaper knockoffs, questions must be asked. There is no set law for RRP setting, what we decide is either advised by supplier as recommended, or calculated on landed cost, and we work around that. However there are laws in place that penalize stores/companies that provide misleading information on prices including offering products for sale when the items have never been available at the original price, and the sale price is still far above and beyond what consumers would expect to pay elsewhere. As always, do your research and check first.
I’m not trying to convince you to buy from me instead, I’m simply offering advice which has been borne out of concern and frustration in equal measures over what I, other stores and customers have been observing online over the last few months.
Cheers
Ewan
Owner
