Subscription Boxes, what's the deal?

[CLEM]

I've seen reviews of these popping up all over tinterwebs in recent times, largely they seem to me to contain lots of crap and tat you wouldn't want. They do seem to be getting very popular however. Do any or many of you fellows subscribe to any? Are there any that are worth it? A workmate and armchair BushSurvivalPrepper I work with subscribes to three of the things all of which the contents have never been past his front door and of at least 90 percent you'd never want anyway ��

 

[mowerman]

Never heard of a subscription box but I will have a quick Google.
However I do think that there are lots of people that buy lots of gear with the intention of never using it.
You only have to look at the for sale page on here to see that !

 

[Stew]

Just for fools and their money.

 

[Robbi]

Never heard of them....do I need one ?

 

[mousey]

I once had a subscription box from a chocolate company - started out quite well, but then the costs went up and the chocolate quality went down, only lasted a couple of months before it was pants - hastily un-subscribed.

My folks used to get a couple of cases of wine through a subscription which were quite nice and reasonably priced.

I saw on smarter every day youtube channel a monthly science activity box to do with your kids - didn't bother with it as you could get the stuff yourself if you really wanted [I was doing science stuff with the cubs at the time]

If you choose really carefully and/ or are really into something or really just don't have the time to get a selection of stuff yourself then they can be useful - most of the time my impression is they are not.

 

[Duggie Bravo]

It's just the modern version of Britannia Music.
Where you used to send off for 6 albums you wanted for a quid each then try to remember to decline the monthly recommendation before you could cancel your subscription. Led to some really out of place tapes in my collection ...
Nowadays you can subscribe to anything, and they will send you stuff monthly, it's fine if it is something you want or need, but I suspect a lot of them fill the boxes with stuff you don't want to make them appear VfM.
I'm surprised there aren't forums where you can log in and swap the stuff you don't want for stuff you do - but like you used to do with Compo rattions before an exercise.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[vestlenning]

Something called "subscription box" seems perfectly rational in this world of buy, buy, buy. Next step: Hire someone to bye you random stuff.

 

[Wander]

I'd never heard of subscription boxes either.
But Google is your friend.

I bet the sellers love them - guaranteed money every month.
The purchaser? Hmm...more money than sense. The marketing strategy behind them seems to be to target that shallow and vapid demographic who see themselves as too busy and too important to make a discerning choice for themselves.

 

[sunndog]

Just for fools and their money.

Nuff said


I'v noticed the contents of a couple of survival type ones on youtube thumbnails.......didn't even watch the video

Bloody good business idea though. People send you money in advance and as the vendor you semd them whatever you like lol

 

[Corso]

the boxes are usually worth more than the content

 

[TinkyPete]

I have tried a couple off different subscription boxes to try out the kits and ideas. But the only one I have found to be any good is the apocabox, which for me was the closest to a bushcraft idea where you did get some kit based with an idea and a project, It have given me some useful tools that I have continued to use the only problem is that the box is based over in the states and you get stung for the import duties by your friendly rip off merchants called royal mail. The rest are much of a same idea give us some good kit but not always what you are interested in and after a while tend to go down a bit and run out of ideas, but occasionally the do score good bits of kit.

 

[hughtrimble]

the boxes are usually worth more than the content

And what's most worrying is that people think the contents are worth more than what they paid for them.

 

[mowerman]

Never heard of them....do I need one ?

Yes. A minimum of 3 per month at the very least.
Either that or you could give some kids a tenner and send them round poundland and see what they come out with.
It works out about the same sort of standard.