By now you have probably heard about the subscription box craze and you might have even subscribed for a few. It’s truly amazing how far they’ve come and what you can get from them now.
They have numerous advantages, but also some disadvantages. Here’s what you need to know.
Advantages Of Subscription Boxes
People often say that the biggest advantage of subscription boxes is the fact that they are so much fun. Psychologists confirm that and they say that people enjoy the mystery – as you can read here.
It’s like when you’re a kid and you don’t know what you will get for your birthday or for Christmas. When people grow up, they are lacking that surprise factor and that’s why subscription boxes are so successful. It’s an addiction of sort since it creates a rush of adrenaline.
Here are some other perks of getting a subscription box :
The items are picked specifically for you – Many subscription box services have experts that choose products specifically for you but also based on their knowledge and expertise. Let’s say that you get a beauty box – you can be sure that skin and beauty professionals picked them out. This is a major perk for most people since they are often not sure what to get for themselves. It’s also easier.
For example, parents can get a subscription box of toys or books without doing all the research on what’s suitable for their kids. Plus, the fact that the products are chosen just for you by experts makes it all the more thrilling. This is one of the biggest reasons this industry is on the rise.
It’s convenient – Rather than spending a ton of time shopping for beauty items, clothes, toys, books or similar things, you can save time and order a subscription box. For busy parents, older people or anyone else who doesn’t have time to do regular shopping, it can be a huge time saver. For example, busy parents can order a box of diapers, baby clothes or baby food and anything else that they need. If they wanted to buy all of that in the store, they would probably have to run around the town for hours to find all the stores.
It can save money – Some subscription boxes may be pricey but they are also worth it. Curators often make a point of making the value of all the items in the box higher than the cost of the box itself. You get high-quality items for a lower price and it’s very convenient for you because you don’t have to go anywhere to get it.
Disadvantages of Subscription Boxes
Of course, everything has its disadvantages. Obviously, sometimes you can’t choose what you get which means that you might be disappointed. Opening a box might be thrilling but if you receive a bunch of stuff that you don’t need or want, you could regret even getting it. The remedy to this is picking good services that deliver real value to their customers.
Here are some other disadvantages :
Buying too much – Subscription boxes usually save you a ton of money but if your subscription box sends you more stuff than you really need, you could risk overbuying. You might not buy all of that or spend all that money without the box. The cost adds up. For example, parents normally wouldn’t normally buy their children toys or books every month, but with the subscription box, they do. The key to this is to pick the services that you really want and need and maybe reduce to quarterly delivery instead of monthly delivery.
You’re not sure of the value – When you buy a product yourself, you check the prices and you compare to other products. But, when you get a box, you can’t be sure of what the value of it is. You don’t know if it’s the best deal you can get. Some services offer a list of products they can deliver and they give you the prices of those products so that you know what you’re getting. There are also review websites like subscriptionboxmania.com which tell you which are the best value services out there. Besides, most boxes strive to provide more value than what you pay.
Returning the items – One of the possible disadvantages is that you are not always able to return the items that you don’t like. Fortunately, most services provide this opportunity and they make it easy for you to do.
Hard to quit – Theoretically, you can cancel your subscription at any point. Good services make this easy and simple. However, people can have a harder time giving up on their monthly surprises.
How To Know If You Got a Good Deal
There is a wide variety of options out there and it can be hard to choose the best one. You have to look at each one of the types you want and see what your options are.
Here are some questions to ask yourself before you sign up for a subscription:
Will you use the items?
Obviously, you have to look at the possible items in the box to determine will you actually use them or not. And it’s best if you know that you will use everything in it. Some services tell you exactly what you’ll get, but some rely on the element of surprise. If this is the case, checking reviews is a good idea.
Is the cost comparable to retail cost?
If the cost is higher than it is with retailers, then you would probably do better to buy them yourself. Fortunately, most boxes take pride in offering a lower price than regular.
Does the box offer more items than you need?
If you see that the box offers some items that you don’t really care about, it might be time to reconsider. Even if the cost is low, you don’t want to keep something just because of that.
All in all, subscription services are a great thing for busy people or someone who just wants to be surprised and delighted every month. Think about what you want, need and what you can afford and take your pick out of some really amazing boxes.
