- Joined
- Apr 1, 2013
- Messages
- 104
- Reaction score
- 103
As I'm on the hunt for several new subs, I've been tracking various issues off and on with different companies. Since there is so much negavity and some positivity, I was hoping to recognize subs in one spot that are as promised, some that have gone off the rails and more importantly, give a bit of a nod to sub companies who have improved their offerings/services. There are so many subs that aren't even in existence since I came here, let alone how many new ones there are! Ideally, I'm asking those who've received 6 or more monthly boxes from the service or 3 or more quarterly boxes, to get a feel for some companies that have lasted beyond the startup process, while giving a sort of snapshot in time, on the best subs out there!
The subs that got worse for me were Wantable and FabFitFun. Wantable had high end brands, advertised them, then after a few boxes, it got terrible on their redesign at the start of the year. Both suffered from the same problem in grossly inflating the "retail value" of items, FFF was the worst and my last box with them, the value was less than the cost of the box. (This is a sticking point across all full-size subs with me, I go out of my way to search the retail prices, so I know the real value, I start to have problems when the retail price found online is more than 15% off the stated price.)
IMO, consistent subs are Ipsy and Birchbox. I'm a 1yr+ sub to both. While Birchbox has issues with the full size products being on sale, I always have good finds in their samples, so I can order them elsewhere so it works as it intends - exposing me to new products. Ipsy has always given consistent value, and though a rare few boxes are hit and miss, since we are personal people, that will always happen and the items are good quality for swapping. My kids love "earning" the bags, I have so many, they are a little useless. Birchbox man comes with these amazing, hard cardboard boxes with drawers that I implemented for makeup storage, which women's did.
Subs that have gotten better for me are Wal-Mart (surprising, I know). Each box has a little bit more and more in it, by way of extra samples, and often I get full sized products. I've never had a thing broken, loose or leaking either. Barkbox is another. I posted here separately on their amazing customer service, but before that, the boxes were getting better and better with the items and curation. They were exactly appropriate for the size of my dog I put in my profile. Everything lasted so, so long. When my doggie had to be put down, they refunded the entire balance on my annual sub, no questions asked, no bill to provide, nothing. While I haven't had the heart to get another pup yet, I have referred them to my neighbors who drool (both the doggies and the humans!) over how great the products are and from what they've shown me, they just get better!
- Which subs, in your opinion, have gotten worse since you started subbing?
- Which subs in your opinion have stayed consistent since you've started subbing?
- Which subs, in your opinion, have gotten better over time, since you started subbing?
The subs that got worse for me were Wantable and FabFitFun. Wantable had high end brands, advertised them, then after a few boxes, it got terrible on their redesign at the start of the year. Both suffered from the same problem in grossly inflating the "retail value" of items, FFF was the worst and my last box with them, the value was less than the cost of the box. (This is a sticking point across all full-size subs with me, I go out of my way to search the retail prices, so I know the real value, I start to have problems when the retail price found online is more than 15% off the stated price.)
IMO, consistent subs are Ipsy and Birchbox. I'm a 1yr+ sub to both. While Birchbox has issues with the full size products being on sale, I always have good finds in their samples, so I can order them elsewhere so it works as it intends - exposing me to new products. Ipsy has always given consistent value, and though a rare few boxes are hit and miss, since we are personal people, that will always happen and the items are good quality for swapping. My kids love "earning" the bags, I have so many, they are a little useless. Birchbox man comes with these amazing, hard cardboard boxes with drawers that I implemented for makeup storage, which women's did.
Subs that have gotten better for me are Wal-Mart (surprising, I know). Each box has a little bit more and more in it, by way of extra samples, and often I get full sized products. I've never had a thing broken, loose or leaking either. Barkbox is another. I posted here separately on their amazing customer service, but before that, the boxes were getting better and better with the items and curation. They were exactly appropriate for the size of my dog I put in my profile. Everything lasted so, so long. When my doggie had to be put down, they refunded the entire balance on my annual sub, no questions asked, no bill to provide, nothing. While I haven't had the heart to get another pup yet, I have referred them to my neighbors who drool (both the doggies and the humans!) over how great the products are and from what they've shown me, they just get better!