We previously wrote The Truth About BUYING Mystery Boxes so today I wanted to write this post for Sellers who are debating selling Mystery Boxes. Let’s begin:

As a seller I'm sure you already know about Mystery Boxes, hence the reason you are contemplating if you should list some.  Let’s review the Pros and Cons of Mystery Boxes as a seller, then I will share my personal experience and why I stopped listing them:

PROS:

- Fantastic way to liquidate merchandise that has been a slow seller ("Slow Seller" DOESN'T MEAN "Bad" or "Junk")

- Excellent way to get rid of things that don't really go with anything you sell.  Every seller has that pile of stuff.  You know, that stuff.  The stuff that you just don't feel like dealing with.  The random fishing lure.  The couple pieces of Tupperware.  The ballerina shoes for dogs. Yep, that stuff. 

- Great opportunity to dump seasonal items or items close to expiration, especially if you are tight on space.  

- It’s often better to sell something at cost (or a little below) than to keep storing it, because every sqft of storage space is cost, whether you believe it or not. By getting rid of this stuff you can replace it with merchandise that actually sells and pays for the shelf space.

- In general, it’s a great way to flip stock.  

- People love variety.

- People are often indecisive and like someone else to make a choice for them

- People love Mysteries and Surprises. Opening a Mystery Box is opening the lid on a treasure chest because you have no idea what will be inside. This is seriously exciting for the buyer.

CONS:

- It doesn't matter how many photos you post, people will look at the photos and see specific items they want then PLAN on getting them. When the item they dream of doesn’t arrive, they are livid.

- Your version of “This is a stellar Mystery Box” is GOING TO BE DIFFERENT than the buyers opinion. You can assemble a Mystery Box that is so damn good you think to yourself “This lady is going to immediately order another one!”, then 7 days later you will get a paragraph long email about how all of the items are junk. Why? Because everyone's version of “Amazing” is different. Like the old saying goes “One mans junk is another mans treasure”, which also means “One mans treasure is another mans junk”

- Mystery Boxes absolutely lead to the highest rate of dissatisfaction. You risk not only getting bad feedback or chargebacks but also losing someone who would have been a long term customer, but has now boycotted your company because they feel screwed over due to the items in the Mystery Box.

- No matter how many times you tell them it’s a Mystery Box, they truly do not understand it because, reality is, HOW CAN YOU UNDERSTAND A MYSTERY? ←- think about that for a minute.

WHY WE STOPPED SELLING MYSTERY BOXES

We sold a sh*t ton of Mystery Boxes from 2005 - 2014/2015. In fact, it was one of our top sellers and this is way before Mystery Boxes were trendy and cool.

The main reason we stopped selling them is because it was exceptionally time consuming due to the customer service inquiries, “Why didn’t I get any body spray?”, “Why are there so many size Mediums?”, “This only retails for $9.99!”, “I would NEVER use any of this!”. Quite frankly, it was becoming more of a pain than it was worth. We decided it was better to be very clear about what the buyer was receiving and have 99.999% of people love their purchase and come back for more.

IF YOU WANT TO SELL MYSTERY BOXES, HERE’S SOME TIPS

- Be VERY CLEAR about what the buyer is receiving. Don’t just say “Clothing”, say “Womens Clothing from Macys, Saks, Nordstrom”.

- Include Brand Lists if possible. Unfortunately, just saying “Walmart” isn’t enough. You want to make sure you provide a full list of brands or potential brands people will receive. Be thorough!

- Add size info if possible; “Sizes run XS - XL” or “Sizes run XXS - 4X in womens.”

- Are people getting duplicate items? “You may receive up to 4 duplicates of an item” or “NO EXACT DUPLICATES!”

- Add any potential imperfection information, including expiration dates, “Pieces may expire this year”

- Include an absolute TON of photos showing REAL Mystery Boxes you have packed / shipped. Never fabricate a Mystery Box, meaning, do not puff up the listing by making someone think they will get prime items then “cut” the parcel with lower end items. If you want it to be 50% Walmart items and 50% high end, get photos showing exactly this.

- If at all possible, show videos of numerous Mystery Boxes you have shipped. We do not currently sell “Mystery Boxes” but check out how clear our listing is for 10 pairs of High End Sunglasses. Scroll down the listing and you will see numerous videos of REAL 10pc High End Glasses Grab Bags we shipped. Videos are always better than photos, but you will also notice that this listing includes approximately 20 photos. Each photo features “zoom” so the buyer can really analyze each piece.

- If possible, provide a “Retail Value Estimate”. Obviously each Mystery Box is going to be different, but you should still be able to give people an idea of what they are buying. Is the Mystery Box worth $100 - $200? Or is it worth $700 - $900?

- Let people know if the items have clearance stickers. “May contain Clearance Stickers”

- The more thorough you can be, the less unhappy your buyers will be.