What Is a Mystery Box? The Fun of Not Knowing What's Inside
There aren't many things we buy without knowing what we're going to get.
Normally, we'd call that a terrible idea.
Mystery boxes are the exception.
The whole point is that you don't know exactly what's inside until you open the box. There is something undeniably fun about getting a parcel when you haven't a clue what's waiting inside.
So, what exactly is a mystery box?
A mystery box is a box of surprise products where some — or all — of the contents are kept secret until you open it.
Different businesses do them differently. Some mystery boxes contain products from one particular category, while others mix several types of gifts together.
With our Mystery Box, you choose the size of the box and whether it's for a man or woman. We choose what goes inside.
There will be books, treats and gifts from our range, but we're not giving you the full list.
Obviously.
Otherwise we've just invented a normal gift box with a misleading name.
Why do people buy mystery boxes?
Partly because opening one is good fun.
Most of us have become very good at knowing what's coming. We order something online, receive six emails about it, track the van around the country and occasionally know the parcel has reached our front door before the delivery driver has managed to ring the bell.
A mystery box puts a little bit of surprise back into the process. It's a lovely gift to give yourself as you don't what you are going to receive.
They're also handy when you want to send someone a gift but genuinely don't know what to choose.
Instead of agonising over one particular product, you hand the decision over to someone else.
Are mystery boxes good gifts?
They can be — for the right person.
If your recipient likes surprises, absolutely.
If they inspect a restaurant menu online three days before going out and have already decided exactly what they're ordering, possibly not.
That's the thing with surprise gifts: knowing your audience helps.
A mystery box works particularly well for someone who enjoys trying new things, loves getting parcels or is notoriously difficult to buy for.
And because there are several things to discover inside, the opening itself becomes part of the present.
Mystery box or surprise hamper?
They're similar ideas, but there's a difference.
A mystery box puts the emphasis on not knowing what's inside.
A surprise hamper can be a more substantial gift where you're deliberately handing over the product choices to us.
Our Surprise Gift Hamper is €119 and is designed for those occasions when you want to send something impressive but would rather let us choose the individual gifts. It comes with x5 books and x5 gifts and each item is carefully wrapped so it's literally a box of surprises.
It takes the pressure off you while keeping the surprise for the person opening it.
A different kind of mystery box: 12 Months of Reading
This might be our favourite way of stretching a surprise out.
Our 12 Months of Reading gift contains 12 individually wrapped books, all packed together in one beautiful gift box.
The idea is simple: open one book each month and you've got a full year of surprise reading ahead of you.
They don't know which book they're opening until the wrapping comes off. Inside there's a mixture of recently published books including bestsellers, thrillers and books by Irish authors.
Of course, there's nothing stopping someone from opening all twelve on the first night.
But for anyone with a little more self-control, it's twelve books, twelve surprises and something new to look forward to every month.
Are mystery boxes worth it?
This depends entirely on what you want from one.
If your main priority is choosing every single item yourself, a mystery box probably isn't for you. You'd be much happier with our Create Your Own Gift Box, where you get to make all the decisions.
But if the surprise is part of the appeal, that's where a mystery box earns its keep.
You aren't simply buying the contents. You're buying the moment of opening the box and discovering what's there.
Can I send a mystery box directly as a gift?
Yes.
We can send your gift directly to the recipient anywhere in Ireland, so it doesn't need to come to you first.
We don't put receipts or prices inside our gift boxes, and you can add a message when you order which we'll handwrite on a card to go with the gift.
That means you still get the personal bit without having to receive the box, repackage it and post it again yourself.
Which surprise gift should I choose?
If you want the classic I genuinely have no idea what's in there experience, choose the Mystery Box.
If you're sending a bigger gift and want us to take care of choosing everything, have a look at the Surprise Gift Hamper.
And if the recipient is happiest with their nose in a book, twelve months of surprise reading through a Book Subscription might beat all of them.
Sometimes not knowing exactly what you're getting is half the fun.