Blew $80 on a subscription box of anime merch, total regret

I signed up for one of those monthly crates that promised rare figures and exclusive items. For three months I got keychains of characters I didn't know and a cheap plastic poster that ripped when I tried to tape it up. The only thing I actually liked was a pin of a show I already watch, and even that came scratched. I canceled after losing $80 total and now I just buy a single figure I actually want from a con. Anyone else fall for one of these mystery box schemes?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_julia29d ago

Oh wow, so you paid $80 for a scratched pin and some regret.

hugo_craig29d ago

Right, but think about it this way: you also paid for the story and the thrill of the hunt, right? That scratched pin probably has some weird history, like it fell out of some collector's pocket at a con or something. It becomes more about the memory of overpaying than the actual item. We all got those purchases that are more about the lesson learned than the thing itself. Guess that's just part of the game.

robinson.leo11d ago

That reminds me of my buddy Mark who spent $150 on a "vintage" video game at a flea market. Case was cracked, disc looked like someone used it as a coaster. Turned out it was just a burned copy with a printed label. He keeps the thing on his shelf though, and tells the story every time someone comes over. Honestly, I think he got more laughs out of that stupid disc than he would have out of a clean copy. Sometimes the sting of getting ripped off is part of the story you end up telling more than the item itself.