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Hello my lovelies! My last YA book subscription box post was a big hit so I’ve decided to up my game. This is a massive list of the boxes out there and a break down of the need to know information about them. This list will be continually updated so feel free to check back.
Last updated: 11/8/21
(aimed at kids ages 9-12)
This article was started with the information I found online through unboxings, comments on social media, and information shared with me as well as my personal experiences. *Indicates summarized information (and opinions) from other people who have purchased the box in question.
Yes, it is true that some of the “good” and the “bad” may just be a one-time fluke. You might have subscribed to the box with no problems but other people had issues and problems worth bringing to attention. As with any purchase, do your own research. You can make your decisions about what works best for you. This article is simply meant as guide that gives information on all one one page to review.
Interested in trying a box? I post my guessed monthly about what book will be featured in the boxes.
Beacon Book Box
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $29.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 11th-15th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything YA. Looks like heavy focus on Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Book Only Option: Yes
Monthly Collectible: Generic book sleeve. 2020 collectible item is a glass ornament.
Paper Items: Low on paper items
The Good:
Family run business. [Could also be a bad thing]
Good at posting updates.
Full box, signed book, or goodies only option for subscriptions.
The Bad:
Lighter on items.
Kudos for sending different types of items but different isn’t always great. Examples: slippers, plastic water bottle, tote cooler.
*Value isn’t always there for items and sometimes appear cheaply made.
*A customer reports had to remind them SIX time to send her the subscription over the course of her 6 month subscription. BBB waited so long they ran out of signed book and sent promotional items (freebie type items from publisher) as a ‘make up’.
The Beware:
*Despite being in business for several years, still doesn’t know how shipping insurance works. Customer received terribly damaged box. “Papa Beacon” said “I cannot offer any refund or replacement as we did what we were ‘hired’ to do.” Tells customer to put in claim with USPS (this is actually the job of the seller/shipper; Beacon also pays for insurance which will pay for this). Hints that she should buy another box instead of making situation right.
Book of the Month YA [Book of the Month YA is now a part of Book of the Month. Occasionally YA titles will be an option for a specific month]
Location: US
Ships To: US only
Price: $14.99 [Free shipping]
Shipping Time: Members pick their book(s) by the 6th. Boxes are shipped out after that.
Genres of Book: A variety. 5 books are selected each month. See past selections.
Book Only Option: That’s all it is!
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: N/A
The Good: You get to choose your book. You can also add a book to your box for $9.99. You can skip a month if the books don’t appeal to you.
The Bad: US only. You have to call a 1-800 number to cancel. You might be able to cancel through BOTM contact form now. You need 2 accounts if you want both YA and Adult selections.
Also available: Book of the Month (adult)
Book Box Club
Location: UK
Price: £28.99 + S&H for Book Box Club; £40 + S&H for 3 months prepay Purely Books subscription
Shipping Time: ~15th of the month
Genres of Book: Mix of Young Adult Genres; mix of hardback or paperback
Book Only Option: Yes
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items:
The Good:
Signed bookplate
12 month Book Box Club (BBC) subscription included a free specially selected bonus book during birthday month. [They will contact you to ask about reading tastes.]
Quality option for UK bookworms.
The Bad:
No one time BBC subscriptions. You’ll need to do month-to-month then cancel.
The Bookie Box [Technically closed?; Also see Wicked Fantasies Crate]
Location: US
Price: The box is supposed closed but the owner keeps opening and closing down the shop.
Shipping Time: ?? Months late so who really knows?
Genres of Book: Fantasy?
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: N/A
The Good: N/A
The Bad:
*Blames delays on vendors.
*Fails to reveal that SHE’s the vendor for most of the products.
*Fails to reveal that she sets up new companies to produce the products.
*Products are sloppily made.
*Good luck getting a refund.
*Writer Moose reviewed her experience with The Bookie Box.
The BEWARE: Everything.
The Bookish Box
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $36.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 13th-19th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything. Possibly heavy on Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Lots of options and price points: Shirt + goodies; Book + goodies; Book, shirt, + goodies.
Averages ~1 paper item a box.
YA box has been offering exclusive dust jackets in recent months and some have been reversible.
The Bad:
Many items in box appear to be by The Bookish Box/Shop which is a bummer if you’re looking for items made by other vendors.
Typically includes several small items such as enamel pins, jewelry, etc. Could be a plus or minus depending on your preference.
*Shipping is SLOW. Subscribers have items scanned then sit in one place for weeks on end. Appears to be worse than typical COVID shipping issues.
Also available from The Bookish Box: Adult Box | The Bookish Shop
Enchanted Book Box [bi-monthly] [No official word but she appears to have taken people’s money and ran with it.]
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $29.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 20th-25th of the month
Genres of Book: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: Passport; Usable even if you don’t collect them all.
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good: High quality items. Light on the paper products.
The Bad:
*Won’t offer refunds. You’ll need to contact Paypal or your bank to get your money back.
The BEWARE:
Has officially gone MIA. No longer responding to messages. Contact your bank ASAP. You aren’t going to get your product(s).
Runs very late.
*No updates for customers.
*Tracking numbers take weeks (or longer to update or move).
*Months behind; ignores customers; misspellings galore.
*Refunds are being bounced.
*Selling past items in order fund other orders.
Fae Crate
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $33.32 + S&H
Shipping Time: Around the 20th of the month
Genres of Book: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: Collectible Polaroid; Usable even if you don’t collect them all. Collectible coin; Usable even if you don’t collect them all.
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Light on paper products.
Hangover Kits are packed and full of great value.
One time boxes so you don’t have to subscribe.
Bookish shirts
The Bad:
Ships international boxes last meaning international buyers will always be spoiled.
*Plushies can look creepy.
*Customer service is not great.
*Packing is not done well.
*Monthly boxes aren’t as good as Hangover Kits.
*Adds a giant Fae Crate logo to exclusive cover.
Deletes comments about late boxes on social media. Gives conflicting information about late boxes so buyers aren’t sure what’s actually going on.
*Insults customers by calling them random strangers rather than paying customers.
Continually late no matter what month. Expect weeks/months if you ask for a replacement item. [Pre-COVID problem]
*Not worth the headache.
You pay months in advance for special boxes and up to 6 weeks advance for monthly boxes.
*Items are cheaply made so arrive broken so expect headaches, excuses, & a LONG wait for replacements (if you’re lucky).
September 2020’s featured book was written by the husband of one of the owners. They did not disclose the fact and deleted all comments on the theme announcement that asked for transparency & were warning other consumers about the conflict. Faecrate’s excuse is they want it to be a spoiler-free zone. [Two days later, they finally disclosed the connection. So what’s the deal with the spoilers then? Were the comments too critical for them?]
The Beware:
Refunds/cancellations are “against” company policy. You’ll have to contact your bank/PayPal to get refund for items that are damaged/incredible late. Proceed with caution.
Advertises signed bookplates but sends out bookplates with a photocopied signature.
*You pay for priority shipping & then they’ll ship using media mail to pocket the profit.
*Items that are in stock are being shipped out over a 3 month period rather than in a few business days.
Fairyloot [My Fairyloot Unboxing]
Location: UK
Ships To: Worldwide except Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, Fiji, Guadeloupe, Costa Rica, Israel, Palestine and Haiti
Price: £26 +S&H
Shipping Time: Around the 20th of the month
Genres of Book: Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: Collectible Tarot Cards; Have to collect all the cards to use them as Tarot cards. Otherwise can be used as art prints.
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Special edition books [sprayed pages or other changes]
Decent fantasy option for UK.
Opening up a US fulfillment center which means better shipping prices for US/CA subscribers.
*People in Europe have good luck replacing entire boxes and/or items when they show up damaged.
The Bad:
*They tend to oversell their items.
*Other shady business practices.
Expensive for international people.
Don’t always get your money’s worth.
Many small items in a box. Recent examples: drinkables, lip balms, hair band, reusable straw, iron-on patch, matches.
*Expect LONG waits for item replacement.
Site isn’t built to handle large amounts of traffic. For sales of special editions, it’s a bit of a blood bath.
The BEWARE:
Continual quality control issues.
*Refuses to admit mistakes or offer refunds/fix mistake [Quality control issues from month ago still haven’t been fixed].
*Blocks/deletes negative comments on social media.
Fantasy Monthly
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $16.99 or $32.50
Shipping Time: 10th of the month
Genres of Book: YA Fantasy
Book Only Option: Yes
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: All paper items.
The Good:
Reveals the book ahead of time.
Two options. Classic and Deluxe.
Website reveals exactly what type of items will be in the deluxe box.
The Bad: The book isn’t always signed.
Fox & Wit
Location: US
Price: $18.99 + S&H (book only); $33.99 + S&H (parcel = merch & book)
Shipping Time: 12th-15th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: Yes
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Averages a couple of paper item in the box.
The Good:
Great customer service.
Owner and team are great and passionate.
The Bad:
Many of items are made by Fox & Wit.
*Tends to look and feel cheap.
*High shipping costs.
Also available from Fox & Wit: Bookish Incenses | Enamel Pins | Character Matchboxes
Illumicrate
Location: UK
Ships To: Worldwide except China, El Salvador, Guadalupe, Haiti, Russia and Saudi Arabia
Price: £26.00 + S&H
Shipping Time: 20th-25th of the month
Genres of Book: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Book Only Option: Yes
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Typically 1 paper item. [Other paper items are typically promotional items and not counted as items]
The Good:
Exclusive editions and signed by the author.
Sprayed pages is typically what makes the book exclusive.
*Items are useful and tend to be bigger items.
*Best fantasy/sci-fi option for UK subscribers.
*High value special edition boxes.
The Bad:
*If your book comes damaged, it’s really difficult to get it fixed. You may have to send the book back (at cost to you). You may get a replacement book (that might be even more damaged) or only get a 20% off coupon.
Books aren’t strictly Young Adult. Adult books (that appeal to YA readers) are selected on occasion. Be aware if purchasing for a teen reader.
Also available from Illumicrate: Illumicrate Editions | Virtual Signings | Illumicrate x Fable & Black Pin Club | Special Edition Boxes
The Librarian Box
Location: US
Ships To: US [If you’re international and willing to cover all fees and postage, contact The Librarian Box to see if you can work something out.]
Price: $40 + S&H
Shipping Time: Ships on book’s release date
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: Pandora style charm inspired by the book’s theme
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Custom book boxes! Great idea for yourself or a friend.
The Bad:
Expensive.
Smaller box so they don’t have as much buying power to buy lots of high quality items.
LitJoy Crate
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $29.99 + S&H [2021 price to come when updated]
Shipping Time: 20th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: Yes; Includes Trading Cards
Monthly Collectible: Trading Cards; They should make a full deck of playing cards. To do that, you must collect them all. Otherwise they can be used for art.
Paper Items: Typically multiple trading cards + ~1 additional paper item
The Good:
Exclusive book.
Dust jackets tend to have art on the inside and/or art inside book.
Items only option.
Add-ons for subscribers.
The Bad:
*Value and quality of items are all over the place. They over value (~$5 each) the Trading Cards. Will include more cards in a box at a loss of other items.
International shipping is expensive.
High amount of small items in boxes.
You have to subscribe to get a box. There aren’t always leftovers to put in shop.
In 2021, shifting quarterly boxes: YA, Magical (Harry Potter), and Classics. This will be a rotating schedule. See here for more info.
Increasingly poor quality in the special books. Many people in 2021 received books that were already falling apart. Many people’s books were damaged so there were virtually no books to replace them.
Also available from LitJoy Crate: Magical Edition Crates
Luminary Box [Presumably closed.]
Location: US
Price: $35 + S&H
Shipping Time: 15th of the month
Genres of Book: YA fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: Trading Card
Paper Items: 1 or 2
The Good:
You can skip a box without canceling.
Candle in every box.
High value items [candle, pillow cover, pin, water bottle, etc] in the boxes.
The Bad:
Runs a very late. As of mid April, February boxes still haven’t gone out.
Owner has several companies and is likely overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything.
Expect major delays with very little communication even with repeated emails and DMs.
They don’t order enough items so if item arrived damaged they won’t replace it and don’t count on a refund/coupon.
Magical Reads Crate [Presumably closed?]
Location: US
Price: $39.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 28th-30th of the month
Genres of Book: Variety of genres
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: ~1 a box
The Good:
The Bad:
Pricier than similar options.
Lower quality items.
*Savvy, fellow box lovers are fairly certain this is run by the people behind Spearcraft (or a family member). See Spearcraft’s post below for pros/cons.
The Beware: Social media has been deleted. If you’re missing an order, go to your bank/Paypal to request a refund ASAP.
MLC Candle Crate [Closed May 2020]
Location: US
Price: $35 + S&H
Shipping Time: Later in the month [~18th-25th]
Genres of Book: Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Virtually none.
The Good:
Reveals book ahead of time.
2 candles by MLC candle company in each box.
Sorting candle included.
Books are occasionally not first in a series.
Sprayed Edges!
The Bad:
Items are all made by the shop. [They do appear to be high quality but if you’re wanting variety from other shops, you may be disappointed.]
Books featured aren’t always first in a series [they tend to give the option of adding previous books to your order though.]
Once Upon A Book Club
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $34.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 17th-20th
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Different from other boxes.
Items are to be opened on specific pages.
The Bad:
Pricey for international people.
Items are disappointing.
Items tie into book. More ‘useful’ than fandom based.
Also available from Once Upon a Book Club: Adult Box
Owlcrate [ See my Owlcrate Unboxings here]
Location: CA but ships in the US
Ships To: Worldwide except Mexico and Peru
Price: $29.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 15th-20th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything but heavy focus on Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: Enamel Pin based on book; Usable even if you don’t collect them all.
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Exclusive covers, hand signed books.
Great quality items (in the past, 2020 items haven’t been great)
Even if you don’t know fandoms, you can still use many of the items.
Ability to skip a month.
Amazing customer service.
*One of the cheapest for non-international subscribers.
The Bad:
No book only option but many times extra books end up in shop.
*Items lately have been shaky quality wise or only loosely connect with theme.
Many items that are “inspired by” a book are items from Aliexpress or Wish; not actually designed by Team Owlcrate
*Newer items can be viewed as useless if you don’t immediately love it & makes it diffident to sell or get rid of. [Habit tracker, pocket mirror, etc].
*Changes made to covers can be a toss up. Sometimes the new, exclusive cover is less ‘pretty’ than the original.
Also available from Owlcrate: Owlcrate Jr | Special Edition Boxes (quarterly)
Reel Bookish [Indefinitely postponed?]
Location: US
Price: $29.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: ~15th of the month.
Genres of Book:
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: 1-2 a box
The Good:
Different than the other boxes out there. Focus on movie(s) that is similar to book.
Items are useable things. [Whisk, chips, candle, cup, etc]
Perfect for movie fans!
The Bad:
No book fandoms.
The Beware:
Indefinitely postponed next box. Not everyone got the email so subscribers should email box ASAP before talking to bank/Paypal.
Second Star Books [May 2019 was the last box]
Location: US
Price: $28.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 1st week of the month
Genres of Book: Everything; Debut Author focus
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: None!
The Good: Simple box: Book, ebook, custom woodwick candle based on book, woodmark based on book, & enamel pin. Fantastic customer service.
The Bad: No fandom items if that is what you’re looking for. Items are all made by owner. They are all high quality but if you’re looking to discover new small companies, you won’t find it here.
Also available from Second Star Books: Second Star Seasonal (Quarterly box with custom designed classic book) and The Monthly Melt (7 oz candle subscription)
Shelflove Crate [Officially MIA; Took money and ran with ith]
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $29.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 20th-25th of the month
Genres of Book: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: No
Paper Items: ~Couple a month
The Good:
Decent items.
Signed books.
The Bad:
No longer offers a subscription. You must buy a one time box.
*Consistently shipping late.
*Poor communication.
*Bad customer service.
Offered book ends in pieces meaning you have purchase 2 boxes to get both ends.
Many smallish items.
Moved to a model where they are taking your money 7+ weeks before a box will ship. (Pulls $ Dec. 1 for a box that will ship late January)
The BEWARE:
March boxes are still MIA. No longer answering emails. Start contacting your bank ASAP for a refund.
*SLC has blacklisted at least one customer who publicly express concerns and disappointment about items and service. Blacklisting includes blocking, canceling accounts, and refunding (at a loss thanks to exchange rate) subscriptions.
Shelflove Reads [July 2019 was the last box]
Location: US
Price: $37.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 5th-11th of the month
Genres of Book: General Fiction
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good: Quality items. Nice for older YA fans.
The Bad: One of the more expensive boxes.
Spearcraft Book Box [See my Spearcraft Unboxings here | Full disclosure: I was a rep Jan-Mar 2019] [Presumably closed?]
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $29.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 20th-27th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: Yes
Monthly Collectible: Monthly quote magnet; Usable even if you don’t collect them all.
Paper Items: ~Couple a month
The Good:
Lots of items in box.
Deals are always floating around.
Don’t order without using a coupon code! There’s always a few floating around.
Good choice of books.
Lots of ways to win a free box.
The Bad:
*Shipping is slow.
*Spearcraft makes many of the items in the box.
*Many items appear to be bought from Wish or Aliexpress
The Beware: Social media has been deleted. That’s a BIG red flag. If you’re missing an order, go to your bank/Paypal to request a refund ASAP.
Spellbound Book Box [Closed]
Location: US
Price: $34.95 + S&H
Shipping Time: 3rd week of the month
Genres of Book: Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Typically just 1 paper item
The Good: Items are all useful. [Candles, bath/body products, pins, bags, etc.]
The Bad:
Unicorn Crate [Bi-Monthly] Closed
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide
Price: $36.95 + S&H
Shipping Time: Around the 20th of the month
Genres of Book: Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: ~1 a month
The Good:
Items not always tied to fandoms but rather tied to theme.
Good quality items.
Reliable US fantasy based box.
*Under the radar but solidly consistent.
The Bad:
*International shipping is expensive.
Order window is a bit early. If you wait to see what other boxes are offering during a specific month, you’ll miss this box.
Unplugged Book Box [Use my affiliate link | See my unboxings here.]
Location: US
Ships To: Worldwide except Iran, Mexico, & Peru
Price: $39.99 + S&H
Shipping Time: 1st-7th of the month
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: No [experimenting with mini box]
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good:
Items are begging to be used: Drinks, bath/body products, candles, drink ware, etc.
Great for the older YA fan.
Very few paper items.
Currently experimenting with a mini box. Only for YA right now. For $21.99 + shipping, you’ll get the book and ONE item from the YA box. Hint given about product so you can decide if you want it.
The Bad:
Heavy on bath/body products.
May be a bad choice for someone with skin allergies/sensitivities or scent sensitivities.
Not every book is signed/has book plate. [They strive for it but it’s not always possible]
Also available from Unplugged book box: Adult Box
Uppercase Box [July 2019 was the last box. Now they’re focused on their app.]
Location: US
Price: $23 + S&H
Shipping Time: Around the 15th
Genres of Book: Everything
Book Only Option: Yes; Includes Reading Experience Bookmark and swag from publisher (if available)
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Frequent paper products
The Good: One of the cheaper ‘boxes’. Reading Experience bookmark is fun. Hand signed books.
The Bad: No shipping internationally. Only recently started giving hints. No skip month feature. Very few fandom items. Ships in bubble mailer so there might be some damage in transit. Small items because they need to fit in the small mailer.
Also from Uppercase: Slyfur is a merch site where you can buy past boxes and items.
Whimsify [Closed]
Location: US
Price: $34.95 + S&H
Shipping Time: 20th-25th of the month
Genres of Book: Fantasy
Book Only Option: No
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good: Items can be okay.
The Bad:
*Communication and customer service are poor.
*Very late shipping.
The BEWARE:
*December 2018 box and after are MIA. People still haven’t received Black Friday 2018 items.
*Christen is officially MIA on Whimisify’s Social Media. She is apparently still updating HER Social Media while ignoring customer complaints.
*GET YOUR REFUNDS NOW. If you haven’t talked to your bank/Paypal/etc, do it NOW. We’re getting dangerously close to the end of the refund period.
Wicked Fantasies Crate [Technically closed; Also see The Bookie Box]
Location: US
Price: ??
Shipping Time: ??
Genres of Book: ??
Book Only Option: ??
Monthly Collectible: N/A
Paper Items: Low on paper items.
The Good: N/A
The Bad: *Blames delays on vendors. *Fails to reveal that SHE’s the vendor for most of the products. *Fails to reveal that she sets up new companies to produce the products. *Products are sloppily made. *Good luck getting a refund.
The BEWARE: Everything.
Share Your Experiences
This article was started with the information I found online/my personal experiences. If you have information for a box that you’d like to share, please contact me. I have a form here, leave a comment (if you don’t want the comment published say so and I’ll just use your info), or DM me on Instagram. I’ll add your information to the post as I have time.
Book lovers are in this together. I will continually sing the praises of a company that I love. I also want to warn other of sketchy companies or just alert them to slow shipping.
Smaller boxes! Are you interested in being added to this list? I’m open to reviewing and unboxing here and Instagram. If you’d like to send a box for an honest review (the good, the bad, and the beware), feel free to contact me.
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Alison In Bookland 
I would Add to Illumicrate “High value special boxes” ie. the darkdawn box rn or the past v.e. Schwab /Leigh bardugo boxes.
This is such a great post!
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Great suggestion, Yazmin! Thanks.
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Please take Enchanted Book Box from your list. They’e criminals, accepting new subscriptions (taking peoples money) but never ship out the product, and when you email for refund, they never reply. Has happened to numerous people.
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I was subscribed to faecrate for a while and ordered a few of their special boxes. I would add that their items appear cheaply made. Shipping to Canada has been a nightmare and I am currently fighting for a refund for a box that was purchased in early August, which shipped in late January (well after the promised date of early December), had items arrived broken and no they are no longer shipping out replacements (after already saying they would send a replacement and sending me a tracking link) and received a promise of a refund three weeks ago, still emailing about that as it hasn’t happened.
It’s shading business, and they should not be trusted, as they charge a lot for cheaply made items that break easily, and charge a lot for international shipping, with refunds not available because they charge you 6+ weeks in advance (charge you for a June box May 1st). I may be an outlier but it’s still a bad practice.
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I was a subscriber of faecrate and have been fighting with them for a refund on an item included in a box I purchased in August, that was supposed to ship the first week of December, but didn’t until the end of January. It’s shady business practice and there was no communication at all about what was happening with these boxes. The items were also cheaply made and broke easily.
A note should be included that they charge you way too soon for boxes. Special additions have to be paid for MONTHS in advance, and monthly boxes are 6+ weeks. (May box would be charged June 1st). international shipping is not cheap and there is no priority for these orders (domestic first followed by international a week later good luck being surprised with the box).
I’m currently still fighting for a refund after I was promised a replacement, given a tracking link and then received an email two weeks later that replacements would not go out anymore but refunds were offered on your latest purchase NOT the box it came from which is shady to me. It has been three weeks since that was sent in an email and no refund has been applied (most likely because I’m no longer a subscriber and haven’t been for months because of continuous issues).
I may be an outlier but I wish people knew of this practice going on.
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Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately, you’re not an outlier. They give everyone the runaround with excuses and sometimes flatout lies. Just be persistent with emailing them. Don’t be afraid of going to your bank to get a refund.
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Luminary Box has been pretty lagging lately in both boxes and updates. They completely oversold a few items in their past couple of boxes and when one of my items arrived damaged they refused to replace it, because they “didn’t order enough for replacements.” Didn’t offer any form of refund – not even a coupon code for anything.
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Eek. I’d just take it to my bank and not bother talk to them.
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I would add to OwlCrate that their high quality items are amazing (candles, blankets, totes, playing cards) and they are one of the cheapest, at least for non-international subscribers. However, especially lately, at least one or two of their items will be a bit shaky quality wise or will be loosely connected to the theme and might even be seen as random/useless to many like the pocket mirror from this new year’s box, the habit tracker from last month’s box or the enamel pin from this month’s box which was honestly quite ugly. You can’t sell them to anyone else because no one wants them, but tons do try to sell them. Furthermore, the changes made to the special edition books can also be a toss up sometimes. May’s Incendiary, the differences actually made the book considerably less pretty than it had been before. They muted what was unique about it. Again, everyone tries to sell it, but no one actually wants to buy it.
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I’ve noticed that I’m really not into the items their ‘curator’ has been designing for the boxes. Did you see the newest box? She made TWO errors on the apron. 😬
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Do you think there’s any hope of them finding a new curator? Tes has a good eye for music. That’s about it. Maybe they could keep her on just to run their spotify and nothing else. xD
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I don’t know. I know Korina needed a bit of help since she has a toddler now. I really wish they’d work more with their reps. There’s a few that have great style so I’d love to see their influence on the boxes.
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Who would you like to see her bring on? I don’t really know who is or is not a rep, but personally, I’d like to see someone brought on who moves it more towards items like scarves, playing cards, tea cups, metal bookmarks, book sleeves, tins, custom funkos (literally never seen any box do this, it’d be a neat idea imo) and so forth and less towards paper habit trackers which are useful for some, but mainly uninspired junk that is soon forgotten or easily damaged no matter where you get it from.
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I like the colorfulness of papefury, Robbyrreads, bibliophile_nikki. I’m hoping since they’re getting this feedback now, months down the road they’ll shift back to the other items that people enjoyed.
Customs funkos would be fun but not doable since they’re hand made and take a lot of work (which makes them a bit pricey). Maybe for box that has Funkos they could swap 20 out for a custom one and it’s luck of the draw for what people get.
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This is such a useful post, I’m going to share it. I’ve only recently signed up for a Book-only Illumicrate subscription because their exclusive editions look stunning but I have no use for all the items in these boxes and I’m not really inclined to try and sell them too. I’ve occasionally bought one off book-only Litjoy books. It’s not a YA box but I’d like to shoutout a little company called Prudence and the Crow I’ve started subscribing too. They do month packages of vintage paperback books with a small assortment of treats and goodies, it’s a nice little treat to cheer up someone or yourself and it’s only £15 p/m.
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Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you found it useful. Illumicrate’s editions looks so great.
I love seeing smaller boxes too. Sometimes you only need a small box.
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spearcraft stopped its quarterly & middle grade boxes recently – maybe low sales/current economics? Also there’s a link undisclosed btwn spearcraft & magical crate; when MC launched I rec’d an email saying my addy had been shared via “mom’s” list and I was subscribed only to spearcraft’s list at that time. The boxes share same books and item quality. Just a little too mysteriously coincidental… LOVE YOUR LIST! Thank you for shining a light on these companies honestly and keeping it up to date. Be well!
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That’s a good possibility. I know at one point they were going to do RVing so I wondered if 3 boxes were too many for them?
Oooh, that’s a good guess. I vaguely remember something about the mom’s list but never figured out who mom was.
Thanks for the support & info!!
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[…] The Big YA Book Subscription Box Round Up […]
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This was interesting. I was excited for faecrate but because of this page I cancelled for now. I signed up in August for the September shirt only box and then cancelled that and signed up for the full October box. I still have no word on my September shirt and it’s almost October. I’d rather see when I get my items and see if they are nice before they charge me for another month.
So far I am happy with owlcrate.
I’m on the fence for beacon book box. I don’t think the value is there for me but I’m giving it another chance because they have prompt shipping.
I’d like a review of Myths and Sips. I signed up for their October box in August. I also signed up for Bookish box in early September for October. Hopefully I’m not waiting too much longer or being charged before I even get a box.
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Good luck with your selections. Of those I think Faecrate and Bookish have been having the most problems.
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Hi! Fabled Merch is another suscription box thought I might share some warnings. They have been notoriously late, one of my boxes was four months late, the next is so far three (still waiting for shipment). They also delete comments on social media.
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Thanks for sharing! I added it to my Book Merch Box Round Up. https://alisoninbookland.com/2019/06/17/the-book-merch-box-round-up/
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Hi! I’m not sure if this is entirely related or not but I haven’t been able to find much info elsewhere… Have you had any experience with signed books from Good Choice Reading (gcreading)? I’ve heard and seen about how she overcharges for shipping but I’ve also heard that often times the books come damaged. I am currently considering ordering eotv through her simply for Bonnie’s (monolime art) signature as it’s the only signing she will be doing for the books but I’m honestly terrified given the pricing and the reviews that it won’t be worth it.
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I haven’t purchased from them. I’ve heard all the bad things about them as well (late & over charging). It would make me too nervous to try. Sorry, I can’t be of more help!
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Thanks for the response! I bit the bullet and decided to order… I may end up canceling before the release if I change my mind (and made sure to pay with PayPal in case issues come up in the future) but, I’ll give updates on my experience with them in case there are others who also would like to know if they are somewhat reliable or not.
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I hope it works out for you! I know some people have had no trouble with them. [You know how that goes though.] Yes, keep me updated!
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My book finally arrived a few days ago! There were no issues and no major damages or anything. There was no padding whatsoever around the book but considering BAM and B&N never bother with protection either I won’t hold that against her. It arrived fairly quickly once it was shipped out though and despite the shipping price, it was all and all a decent experience. Not much communication with her customers at all but I can confirm everything came as it should including both signatures on my personalized bookplate.
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Oh good! I’m so happy it worked out well. I’ve been seeing a lot of people having problems with their EOTV copies coming damaged in the mail this week.
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Oh my! I would say mine was extremely minor compared to one of my sealed BookishBox books I ordered which was severely dented on one corner which transferred into the dust jacket. I ordered the book only option for eotv so maybe that helped? Because the book is so big and the box was so small that there wasn’t too much wiggle room.
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Hi there! Would you consider doing an updated version of this, especially with Adult boxes included? I recently signed up for Bookish Box and am not loving it. I see that things have changed for them since your summary of BB, and so that’s probably the case with other boxes too an am debating what I should sign up for instead. Thanks for listening!
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Thanks for the suggestion! There are so many adult boxes out there & I have so little free time from a full time job, I can’t undertake writing another massive list or update. This list was started years ago when I had more motivation & there wasn’t an massive amount of boxes. I’m sorry! There are some good facebook groups out there filled with lots of helpful information.
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