Hi everyone, I just wanted to take a few moments to talk about why I stopped buying the monthly book subscription boxes. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, I think they are a lot of fun and a cool way to be introduced to new companies and authors but, they are a waste of money (for me). Here are the four main reason’s why I stopped purchasing them.
Boxes I’ve tried:
Owlcrate, Beacon Book Box, Whimsify, The Bookish Box
Before you read just know I’m not hating on any boxes, I absolutely LOVE Owlcrate, they are by far my favourite box out there and I will keep purchasing from them.
Price
Living in Canada makes everything expensive. I was purchasing the Owlcrate box monthly but after the exchange rate it was anywhere between $50-$60/month. That’s quite a bit of money I could have saved or used on something else. Or I could have bought 2-4 books for that same price and they would be books I actually wanted . Now Owlcrate is basically the most affordable option for me, every other box seems to come close to $80-$100 CAD after shipping and the exchange rate.
Always the same fandoms
Month after month the same fandoms were included in the boxes: ToG, ACOTAR, HP, LOTR, Strange the Dreamer, etc. Don’t get me wrong I love HP and LOTR but there are so many other amazing fandoms out there that could be included. I don’t really need multiple HP hats or scarves ya know? There are so many amazing fandoms out there that deserve much more recognition and I think should be included in boxes. But I feel like most of the time the fandoms chosen are ones the box curators have actually read which is a bummer.
I’d love to see The Diviners, This Mortal Coil, The City of Brass, The Dark Days Club, Stalking Jack the Ripper and many more.
Items I wont use
Most of the items included are things I don’t use. I have boxes of stuff just sitting in my Library collecting dust. I’m also not a fan of paper items like art prints, stickers, sticky notes, page flags etc. These items are useless to me and feel like such a waste of money. I’m also not a big fan of coffee/tea or bath products due to allergies. Also fabric items like tea towels don’t get used. So overall, the items just aren’t for me. And the artwork and design is always a gamble because you might like an item but hate the design.
You might think well Ainslee, why don’t you sell the items you don’t want? Well I’m in Canada and NO ONE wants to buy from me because shipping is expensive.
I do like candles, bookmarks, mugs and other useful items.
Books I’ve already read
Most of the time the books included in Owlcrate I’ve already read. I’m fortunate enough to review review copies from publishers and 90% of the time the book is something I’ve already read. It’s cool having exclusive copies but I feel like the Owlcrate editions are generally uglier than the original, that’s just my opinion.
I’ve been an Owlcrate subscriber since January 2017 and I think I got caught up in the FOMO of the special editions and the exclusive items.
As much as I do love subscription boxes I just can’t justify spending so much money on things I wont ever use, month after month. So I’ve decided to only purchase the boxes I REALLY REALLY want or special edition boxes.
I definitely share some of your same sentiments. A lot of the fandoms were simply repetitive and there has only been ONE box out of the ones I’ve tried (FairyLoot, UnicornCrate, OwlCrate) that has had fandoms where I love each and every one. I haven’t gotten a sub box nearly 6 months, and I don’t regret it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think I stopped purchasing in October? So about the same time and I don’t regret it either!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I stopped my Fairyloot subscription after last months fiasco. I just can’t do it anymore. And same it was like $60 a box š now I get boxes that I want the special edition book and end up selling everything else included because I also don’t want all the.. stuff lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I try selling my stuff but no one will buy it, its so annoying. And I don’t know what to do with all of it, I don’t want to just give it away
LikeLike
I use Book of the Month and I like it because it’s no frills, just books. The extras in other boxes seem cool in theory but just end up as ignored clutter for most people.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A lot of people end up selling or trading their stuff but being in Canada no one wants to trade or sell so it just ends up sitting collecting dust.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ve been feeling the same way! I basically only buy boxes for books I have already read and loved now. I really need to cut back more though. Someone needs to fight to make Canadian shipping cheaper!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Canadian shipping in Canada is outrageous. Canada Post wonders why people aren’t shipping as much and like.. i costs an arm and a leg to send a book!
LikeLiked by 1 person