People love good surprises. They love presents. It is because of these two facts that the subscription box was created.
What’s a subscription box, you ask? The concept is simple: a company gets a box, fills it with items typically set to a theme, and they offer a monthly or quarterly subscription rate for your box of surprise goodies. Lately, there has been an increase by companies to put together subscription boxes as a new marketing technique. The demand off this new sales method has really seen a boon recently. So, will this last as a unique shopping or gift purchasing option or will this craze eventually die down?
There are subscription boxes for all kinds of things: clothes, razors, hygiene products, food, nutritional supplements, etc. What I will be reviewing today are ones I believe our readers may most associate with: sci-fi, superheroes, comic books, and gaming.
Probably the most well-known of the subscription boxes for geeks and gamers, Loot Crate has a nice assortment of surprises in each themed box. Items can include posters, stickers, magnets, t-shirt (occasionally), comic books, and some finds you wouldn’t expect or have known about. They offer a month-by-month subscription rate of $13.95 + $6 shipping. If the service appeals to you, you can always move up to a 3, 6, or 12-month plan and reduce your monthly rate.
Nerd Block has a similar offering but allows customers to pre-select their desired theme and every box comes with a t-shirt. They offer the Horror Block, which is filled with horror-related items. There’s the Arcade Block which is solely a subscription box devoted to gaming. You can also select the Nerd Block. This is deemed “Comic Con in a box.” All of the subscriptions are $19.99 per month plus shipping.
Are graphic novels more your style? Comic Bento has you covered. For $17.50 – $20.00 per month (plus shipping depending on your plan), you will receive a box of themed graphic novels said to be worth at least $60. From the looks of it, you could probably expect to see 4 GNs each month. For $20, that’s not bad.
Unlike the other boxes that contain assorted fun throw-ins, Hero Crate focuses the entire box on one specific hero. Previous boxes were made around Batman, Captain America, Yoda, and the Hulk (see above image). Every box will contain an epic t-shirt, include an additional 3-6 items, and be valued at least $45. Hero Crate’s subscription cost $29.99 per month.
There are a number of other subscription boxes offering similar geeked-out surprises. What we want to know is have you ordered a subscription box? What were your thoughts? Would you recommend them? Do you purchase for collecting or to flip the items? Let us know in the comment section!
