What the hell is Loot Crate

Randomly scouring through my YouTube subscriptions I happened to see some trends, dead channels everywhere, and the other was the opening of Loot Crates in the vein of haul videos.

I ask you guys if you've purchased these or received them and if so how did you feel about it, did it improve your life? Did you feel a deep sense of regret? Has science gone too far in the marketability and apparent profitability of geekiness?

I thought this seemed like a cool idea at first glance. I think I first saw it in March when they had a Titanfall themed crate going on, and since my T-Fall hype was irrepressible, I came very close to ordering it.

In the end I decided not to, as the shipping to Australia makes it a bit more expensive for the sort of stuff that came in box.

boxes of garbage you have to pay for, shipped directly to your house

I've had that Mario energy drink and it tastes like boiled urine and despair.

Boxes full of tat. You get maybe one cool thing that's worth 5 bucks in every box (which cost 14$ each plus shipping) and if they do a theme you don't like but signed up for 3 months you are just fucked.

Loot Crate might be useful if I had a shelf like this:

But I don't.

@hamst3r said:

Loot Crate might be useful if I had a shelf like this:

But I don't.

Now that's a shelf!

I got my first LootCrate box last month. It was Transformers themed. The items sent weren't really all that great and I'm not a big Transformers fan in the first place. But it did come with a pretty great BTTF/Transformers mash up t-shirt. So that was cool.

They actually have instructions on the inside that you should film your unboxing and post it on your favorite social media sites. It's almost like a "My Little YouTube Channel" startup kit.

I think Idle Thumbs had them as a sponsor once and it sounded kinda dumb. Seems like they're pretty clever about getting their face out there though, nothing people love more than showing random internet strangers what they got in the mail

Oh, you mean Squarespace? Or maybe Alpha BRAIN™ from Onnit Labs? How about the Sumo Gigantor from Sumo Lounge? No, wait, hold on. It's Stamps.com. That's what this is.

Me and my brother split a 6 month order, and I probably wont do it again. The stuff you get is neat, but I think the price to sign up is way too expensive.

Seems like a marketing tool that you pay for. Always sounds to me like you're paying to get the tchothkes that reviewers complain about getting with their review discs.

Garbage in a box for "geeks" with the most conventional tastes and interests imaginable.

I don't know, I got two boxes and thought it was kind of neat. The Adventure time and Skyrim figures were worth it for me. I did cancel though as I didn't want to keep receiving boxes of stuff I have nowhere to put/ don't want. Also, I'd rather put that money elsewhere.

Oh yeah. Here's something else I found called indiebox. I haven't put down a sub, because of the random element, but it's a service where they send you boxed versions of cool indie games on steam. They've done two games so far (Teslagrad and Escape Goat 2). It looks kind of cool, especially for people who can appreciate the novelty of having a boxed copy of stuff that traditionally shouldn't have one.

Not trying to advertise or anything. Just trying to point it out to all you duders, as I thought it looked interesting.

A monthly rip off which is designed for people on youtube and people who like the horde things. I liked the sound of the idea in theory but every video I've seen of these has made me think 'well this is just a collection of stuff that couldn't be sold in poundland' I like the Ashens videos on them though.

arent there a few of these types of services? a snack one and a more high end stuff one?

I watch boogie2988 lootcrate unboxing videos as a kind of nerd rubbernecking and I'm amazed by the overall low quality of what gets shipped out every month. As a quick aside, boogie's videos are great if you've ever wanted to see a guy half heartedly argue for the value of this stuff while also fumble and struggle with basic cartoon character recognition.

But yeah lootcrate is a waste of money. If there was anything in them that you'd actually want you could easily find them on bidding sites after they shipped if they're not already available as an individual purchase. If you wanted to fill up your living space with a bunch of geeky trinkets that's your own prerogative, but your money would be betters spent being your own arbiter of that stuff and not handing it off to some marketers who think "teh cake is a lie! XD" is still a geek cultural touchstone.

It's a pyramid scheme of cheapo tat in boxes (thanks, Ashens). I know it appeals to some peoples' sensibilities more than mine, but I never like the t-shirts they include, I don't like blindbox/bag anything (especially chibi-esque figures, which are the only thing they ever have) and then it usually seems like most of the other stuff is marketing garbage like stickers for Maker Studios and whatever. If I'm ever going to pay a monthly fee for any of these services, it'd definitely be for Candy Japan, not Lootcrate.

@dorkymohr: I actually enjoy watching his Magic cards unboxing videos even though I've never played it. Don't know what it is, but it soothes me.

@artofwar420: All you need to know about MtG is that Jacewinslol.

I watch the Ashens videos on the Loot Crate. The items in it seem like a bunch of crap. They don't see worth it. Occasionally they come with one or two cool items.

@hamst3r said:

Loot Crate might be useful if I had a shelf like this:

But I don't.

Fucking dusting nightmare!

Loot Crate is a waste of money that I got sucked into and regret it.

Loot Crate is a brilliant scam. For X amount of money, you get a box of what would otherwise be free "swag". You are then instructed to film an unboxing and put it up on youtube creating free advertising for something you paid for that was also an advertisement. The advertising firm that came up with this idea must be throwing daily cocaine partys after this.

I have been getting Loot Crate for the past eight months. Here is the deal: If you like little vinyl figures, tee shirts, stickers, and stuff....it about $14 a month to get some of that. So, for about the cost of a Tee-shirt you can get some themed stuff in the mail. I spend about as much on coffee each week...so what's $14 really.

I have a nieces and nephew, so each month I take what I want and send or give the other stuff to them. You are assured to have a draw full of pencils, erasers, bracelets, pencil cases, or vinyl figs you don't want to them for a kid...that's for sure! Yet, I find it enjoyable and fun. I use it as a reminder to be a 'good uncle' and send the kids stuff.

My niece is now 13, so I got her a subscription to Glossy Box. (Any ladies (or guys) who want makeup/facial care/products should take a look at Glossy Box.) Moreover, If you don't like Loot Crate, there is also Nerd Blocks. They have Nerd Blocks Jr and Nerd Blocks Jr Girl as well as a Horror Blocks. I think many little girls would just like Nerd Blocks Jr, but that's up to your kid and you. (Just look up "Unboxing our Nerd Blocks!" and you will see what those are like too.)

Seems like a lot of people are super cynical. I know a few people who get them and like getting a surprise once a month.

From what i've seen, the stuff in those boxes is probably worth what you're paying. Probably not worth it to you guys, but it really doesn't feel like a scam.

I tried it out and while it wasn't horrible, it's honestly just was not worth the money. I wouldn't call it a scam though. Are they getting a lot of money for very cheap items that are usually given away at Comic Con? Yes. You're bound to not be interested in at least a couple of the items unless you just like everything. I really get the idea that it's fine to just be surprised and it was initially fun. It wasn't until I looked at how much I spent vs how much the items realistically cost vs how much they estimated they're worth. I'm not trying to be a downer here. Just more realistic. If you want some neat nicknacks for your shelf, you'd be better off buying specific things you like from Amazon or the specific website for that company. I like to buy Double Fine products directly from their website because I know they will get more of the money that way for instance.

Yeah I agree. On the other hand, if you have kids in your life (yours or someone else's) having some 'neat junk' on hand is helpful. I honestly give away half the stuff I get...but I do like the tee-shirts...and the kids like getting the other stuff. I gave away some Titanfall codes, some Astro headset coupons, and some other game stuff to friends. I try to re-use, re-gift, and re-cycle everything I get in the box.

I was thinking about signing up, but I feel the price is far too expensive for what I've seen people getting. Some stuff can be cool, but most of the loot crates I've seen don't even appeal to me.