Monday, September 10, 2012

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

This is my first Whimsey Box and I'm pretty frustrated and confused by it.  I was really looking forward to getting more crafty (I have a DIY pinterest board but have yet to act on it!) and I thought Whimsey Box would be a great craft-time reminder each month.

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

First off, the packaging is beautiful. It has great branding and made me feel like I was unwrapping a gift! Sadly, this is where the fun part of the box ended for me.

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

The Box: Whimsey Box

The Cost: $25 a month

The Products: Craft products and ideas (This month's project idea was a painted pattern scarf)

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

White fabric scarf - Value $1

The picture doesn't show the scale of the fabric, but it's about the size of a dinner napkin. Unfortunately the fabric feels very cheap (It's 100% polyester, very thin and very stiff).

Whimsey Box promotional ruler - bonus item

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

Paint Brushes - Value $2

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

Whimsey Box promotional sticker - bonus item

Whimsey Box - Monthly Craft Subscription Box Review - September 2012

DecoArt Ink Effects - 1 oz Value $7

This paint is definitely interesting. You use it on normal paper then iron it onto the fabric.


Verdict: I paid $25 and at most received about $10 worth of product.  I've never received a subscription box before where the value of the items were less than half of what I paid.  In addition, the paint brushes and scarf fabric are very low quality items. As a customer, I feel taken advantage of. I would cancel immediately but I signed up for a 3 month subscription.

To be fair, I should mention that Whimsey Box never claimed to have a certain value in their boxes, but I think it's standard practice for subscription services to hit close to the value paid by the customer.

So, like I stated before, I'm frustrated and confused! On one hand, I love the idea of a craft subscription box. Whimsey Box has also done a great job at packaging. But to me, the products just aren't sufficient.

I'll stop the ranting for now :) I am always honest on this blog, but I also try to keep things positive. This was a more negative post for me - but I felt it needed to be said. Please let me know what you think of this box and my opinion on it.


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9 comments:

  1. THANK YOU!!! I got the same box today-- my first Whimsey box and I was SO happy by the pretty peach ribbon and paper. Then- pfftt.
    It is a total loss. I agree with you that the " scarf" material is cheaper than cheap, the paint is too dark to be pretty like the designs ( I think they are design stencils or templates) with the diamond shapes..

    I totally don't get it and I am going to try to get a refund. This is nothing but JUNK!!

    PS- Be VERY GLAD you don't subscribe to Umba! 1 screen printed " tea towel" and a teeny stinky candle. RRRIIIIPPPP!

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  2. I would think they'd at least provide more than one color with it at least... very confusing/disappointing.

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  3. I don't blame you for being disappointed! My heart would have sank if that's what I saw when I opened my box. I thought the purpose of subscription boxes is try new products, get great deals, and to get excited! Like Kristina said, they could have at least given you more paint colors. Ugh!

    P.S. I was disappointed with my Umba Box too!

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    Replies
    1. I am so glad I waited on this one! I would be upset with that contents as well. What a shame, because I love the concept! I'll be curious about the next 2 you receive.

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  4. Wow! I would have been bummed if I paid $10 for that box...

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  5. This is exactly why I canceled after two boxes. Cheap stuff that wasn't even new or hard to acquire! One box I got had leather shoelaces and one piece of cheap tulle "ribbon". What the?! For $25.00???!?

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  6. For all who are bummed to death about this subscription: Dispute your charge with your card company, whether you have a debit card or a credit card. I got 2 refunds, one for the box I received, and one for the box they CHARGED 2 days after I sent an email that said " Please CANCEL all future shipments".

    Do not give ANY company your money if the box is bad. I apply this same principle to ALL boxes I pay for. Yes, the box is a " surprise" but if the value is not there in common sense terms, we have the right to ask for a refund. It's as simple as buying anything else via mail order with a card payment. PayPal is actually the easiest to work with in case of a poor performing company. This is your pep talk from someone who loves her subscription boxes, and also is extremely pro-active when someone tries to slip a bad egg by me. Go for your money back, or this type of problem will never go away for the rest of the unsuspecting subscribers.

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  7. Oh, I am SO glad I read this post. I wanted to sign up for this, but maybe I'll hold off or not bother at all. It is rather expensive for the amount of items that seem to come within the box.

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  8. I'd love to see your reviews of the following 2 boxes! I thought they were better but still underwhelming. They did lower the price back to $15, though.

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