Kidbox - Second Box Review! New Years 2019

Kidbox - Second Box Review! New Years 2019

So, my first review after updating for my positive experience with customer service and the exchange of a damaged item for a different style ended at 17/20 - pretty great! But I was curious as to how the second box would stack up. I just received it today and...well it was OK, but not great. I see why they picked some of the items they did, it just didn't overall seem to pay attention to my notes and only one item was a 'love.' My toddler had fun unpacking the box but didn't want to actually try anything on. Most items were decent, but not spot on styling wise. I didn't think keeping a box of 'OK' items made sense so we only kept the one special pair of leggings. I'm lowering the overall score to 16/20 for now (Very good, definitely worth a try.) I plan to order another box, but am debating whether to push my luck by getting another New Year's Box or just wait until the next box offering.

To re-cap some of the perks of Kidbox vs. other boxes out there:

No styling fee! (This is huge, as many kid subscription boxes charge $20 or more as a 'styling fee' and you are out the money unless you keep at least one item. Free shipping, free returns, and free exchanges for different sizes. This also means no monetary risk to order a box - if you end up not liking anything you can send it all back and not be out any money! Every item you get has a discounted kidbox price to keep (seems to run about 25% to 30% off.) Furthermore, if you keep the whole box it is a flat fee of only $98! This will generally be a discount of at least 50%. If you go through someone's referral code, you will get the first box for $73 if you keep it all, which could be a discount around 75% off depending on the total RV of the box.

My referral code is http://refer.kidbox.com/k-Azg if you want to try it out! 

Further perks of Kidbox, in theory, include that the items are seasonally appropriate and personalized. (How much so is a bit hit and miss.) I really appreciate that it is *not* a monthly sub. You can easily turn off auto-shipments in your profile and always send out an email warning that the next box is coming up. I think you have to manually accept/order the new box as well, but I'm not sure on this - would one come automatically if you never responded? [Fortunately even if it did, you could return the whole box for free.] They come out with 5-6 new box options a year. There's no obligation to get any of them, and if you wanted/needed you could even order multiples of a box! Kidbox also comes in a box the kids can color, with some small bonuses for the kids (I've gotten 'wrapping paper' and coloring crayons/stickers twice now, but theoretically there are other possibilities like books and stuffed animals for the older kids, and bibs for babies, etc.)

You can read my first Kidox blog post for further details on what sets Kidbox apart from other subscriptions. But now for the details of my New Year's Box!

Shipping: Good (14/20) I ordered Jan 3rd and my box shipped Jan 5th. It's expected arrival was Jan 10th, but it actually came the 11th. Generally expect to add 1-2 days from it's first expected delivery date as the boxes go through Fed Ex surepost. Fed Ex takes it most of the way, and the Post Office takes it from there, hence slight delays. They advertise shipping as taking 1-2 weeks, which fits with the 8 and 11 days from ordering that my two boxes took, respectively. And again, shipping is free!

Styling: OK (11/20): Styling was far less spot-on than my first box. Most items were OK, but not great in terms of matching what my daughter likes to wear or what I would put her in or what I asked for in my notes - I even sent them a pinterest board! ;)
https://www.pinterest.com/brokengasket/kid-style/

 My toddler did like the first heart shirt and was drawn to a dress with an all over print - for a few seconds. She showed no interest in trying anything on. I found a favorite - a pair of adorably made leggings I think I will keep for how unique and well made they are they are. But other than that, no item really stood out. The Happy by Pink Chicken dress with it's all over print was cute if a bit busy, and I liked that it had cats and stars and cupcakes and the like on it - but it also had lips. I don't really let my daughter wear sassy items or prints with lips on them. One item, a pair of pleather leggings, wasn't anything I would put her in or that she'd be interested in wearing. All the tops (shirt/dress/sweater) seemed in some extra-wide sort of frumpy style, which was unfortunate since my 2 year old wears 4s mostly for the length, not the width. We returned everything except the polka dot Matilda Jane leggings.

It felt like they might have gave my notes a cursory glance but didn't thoroughly read them. This was disappointing as I'd actually sent an email with a bit more detail on what I was hoping for in the box (such as a durable set of play clothes, a pink or purple special dress for the new year (my daughter's request,) an accessory like a purse or earmuffs, etc,) a warm item or two, and other than the sweater and maybe the jeans nothing really fit that.

That said, I know why they picked some of the items they did, so it's not like they were ignoring me either. As part of the 'Style Quiz' they ask you to look through about twenty outfits and pick ones you like. I picked about 6-7 that I thought fit the generic style of what my daughter wears, but I think I should have been pickier! At least four of the items I got were pieces of outfits I had put that I liked on that list. I would have much rather they paid attention to my email and not that list so much, but I can't fault them for thinking I would love an outfit I'd selected as liking! So next time I order a box I will make sure I only like things I am definitely sure to love if I get.

Variety: Good (15/20) I got only six items in this box, but there were 5 item types (shirt, dress, leggings, jeans, sweater) Unfortunately leggings were the predominant feature again (At least I didn't get five, but they were the one item I got two of,) there was only one warm item again (a sweater,) and there were no accessories even though I really emphasized my daughter loves them in my email notes. This box was a bit more casual overall as well, whereas the first box we got was a mix of formal and casual styles which I liked better.

Quality: Pretty Good (16/20) The items in the box were for the most part pretty nice and looked well made. The jeans had a ton of loose threads that hadn't been cut though, and the cotton dress was pretty sheer. The Matilda Jane leggings appeared to be made with special loving care though, and even came with a spare button! A fun feature of the Vigoss jeans was that the inner waist band was expandable in two places, making it a great 'grow with me' outfit. Unfortunately my daughter is pretty sensitive to bumps and tags inside her clothes, so she likely wouldn't be happy with the little buttons and elastic pieces rubbing against her waist.

Retail value: OK (10/20): My last box had a total RV of over $260. This box had a total RV of $200 ($199.98.) That's a significant difference when you consider that the flat fee for keeping a box is $98 (my first box I got to keep for $73 by going through a referral.) 50% off still isn't bad, but for a subscription box I would hope for a bit more unless every item was spot-on what I wanted/needed.

This time around, the overall value of the box just wasn't there for me. Since I didn't 'love' any of the styles even their kidbox price was more than I would realistically want to pay. The Matilda Jane polka dot button leggings are cute, so we kept those - but even those I would have reluctantly passed on if I didn't have some credit in my account right now. Maybe I am too picky, but I don't want to accumulate more clothes unless they really are a good fit for my daughter - and this box wasn't that. It was just OK, and I already have lots of clothes that are OK for my daughter to wear. The main appeal for me of Kidbox is getting something unique and special, out of the ordinary of what I would normally buy - so this box didn't have as much value for me personally as the last as it just felt like regular clothes.

We returned 5 of the 6 items this time around. To return the five items I marked them as being returned in my account (And gave feedback for them,) printed off a return label, and dropped off the package at a local UPS.

I plan to order another box in future, I just need to decide whether I want to try again for a New Year's Box or wait for their next offering.

I still think overall this is the best kid's subscription box I have come across and worth another try. It's got to be hard to get styling perfect every time, and at least it is risk free for boxes like this where I just don't feel keeping the items is worth it. This box might have even more value for you if:

- You hate shopping, have no time to shop
- You are trying to quickly and easily put together a present for a kid in your life
- Your current budget can already afford around $15 per kid's clothing item, and getting nicer brands for the same price you generally pay is appealing