08. Korea Box

I've decided to end my subscription to Korea Box this past December. It was a good four months, but I just didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth. That and $30 a month is kind of a heavy amount to justify when I'm trying to save up for my Japan trip.

I was subscribed for four months and got the following (all Monsta X themed):

• 2 "blankets" (I think of them more like cloth posters because they're really thin, made of suede, and not really big enough to use as a blanket, and I'm only 5 feet tall)
• 1 pillow keychain (with a low res photo of MX on both sides)
• 1 tumbler (I'm actually quite fond of this and use it pretty regularly)
• 1 clock (glass, just has photos of Wonho in it)
• 1 set of small memos (too small, wish they were sticky notes)
• 1 small pillow (this was just a mess. The pillow is too big for the case and stretches out the photo)
• 1 handkerchief (low res photo, odd material for a handkerchief)
• A variety of stickers and postcards
• Handwritten letter in every box

I really have no problem with the things I received and the fact that they allowed me to get a second blanket since I couldn't decide between a Wonho or a Jooheon blanket at no extra cost was really nice. I'm not here to bash this company. I didn't have to interact with them a lot (a good thing), but when I did they were nice. And the handwritten note on cute stationery was a nice touch. However, my biggest problem was the quality of the items I was receiving. They tell you when they ship the box that the amount they put for the value of the goods ($14) is less than the real value so that you don't have to pay customs. I honestly don't believe this. Everything, with the exception of the memo, was obviously something that could be purchased blank and then customized with whatever photo you wanted. Like the cup. The cup was just plain and they put a picture of MX inside it. Which is fine, but everything I received seemed kind of cheap. I truly believe that the value of the items is about $15 and the rest of the cost is to cover the shipping (which isn't bad given some things can cost $15 just to ship domestically). 

And December was the only month I didn't receive anything made out of suede. I don't know why this annoyed me as much as it did, but almost everything they sent that was cloth-based was suede. The blankets, the pillow, the keychain, the handkerchief, all suede. I don't know what I'm expected to do with a suede handkerchief, but suede is the last kind of material I'd want to touch when my hands are wet. The clock I got was like one of those things from Things Remembered just with Wonho's pictures in it. It's fine, but it makes me think of things you usually put pictures of your kids in, not celebrity idols.

But yeah, that was my experience with KB. They always shipped my boxes at on around the same day each both and I usually received my box within 10-14 days after they shipped it. I have no problems with KB themselves, and maybe it was because I had the Monsta X box the goods weren't as good? Like, I don't know, if I had like a BTS or EXO box, I just wonder if the goods would've been of the same quality or not. But hey, I have all this MX paraphernalia so I really can't complain. I would consider getting another box from them when I have the disposable income to do so. Only issue is I don't have a big interest in Korean culture or K-pop, so I don't know. If they sold individual items in addition to the boxes, I would definitely buy from then again. But paying $30 for something when you may or may not be satisfied with (since you don't get to choose) is more than I'm willing to gamble.