News
Humanoid robot shipments jumped 432% in the first half of 2026
RoboResale
IDC counted almost 25,000 humanoids shipped from January to June. Most went to labs, schools and showrooms, which is where the first used ones will come from.
Humanoid robots are no longer a handful of prototypes. IDC counted almost 25,000 shipped in the first half of 2026, 432% more than a year earlier. The average price fell from about US$37,000 to US$29,600 in twelve months, and more than 95% of the robots came from Chinese makers.
Who is buying them
Not households, yet. Research and education, exhibitions and performances, and government data centres took 69% of the robots shipped in the first half of the year. Most of them are Unitree's, led by the G1 at US$13,500.
Western humanoids are still pilots and fleet services. Tesla expects to deliver Optimus to outside customers around the end of 2027, and by mid-October no home delivery of 1X's NEO had been independently confirmed.
The first wave of used humanoids won't come from homes. It will come from labs, schools and event companies upgrading their fleets.
What it means for the used market
Labs and event companies replace hardware when a new generation ships, and that's when used robots appear. It has already started: a used Unitree G1 Basic sold on eBay for US$14,000, a little above the store price.
Prices that swing like that are the sign of a market without reference points. It needs clear model pages, honest condition grades and real sold prices, which is what we're building.
