Are Amazon Mystery Boxes Worth It?

If you follow anyone on YouTube or Tik Tok, you’ve likely seen unboxing videos where influencers share what’s in their mystery boxes. They come from a variety of retailers usually, but Amazon is one of the top sellers of these boxes.

They seem mysterious (hence the name) and sometimes even a bit sketchy, so how do you know if Amazon mystery boxes are legit and worth it?

Check out my guide so you can see what they offer.

What are Amazon Mystery Boxes?

Let’s start with the obvious. Amazon mystery boxes are boxes filled with surprises. You don’t know what’s in them, with the exception of what category they belong to. For example, you could buy a jewelry mystery box or an electronics mystery box.

Most descriptions say at least how many products you’ll get in the box or the dollar value of each box, but that’s about all the details you’ll get.

How do they Work?

You buy Amazon mystery boxes on Amazon like any other product. You can sort them by age, category and price to narrow down your options.

The items you receive in the box were likely either liquidated (didn’t sell) or returned. Most sellers promise all items are in perfect condition, not damaged, and worth the dollar amount they claim. 

No one is holding them to these claims, though, so it’s important to read the reviews and/or look up the seller to make sure they are legit.

What’s in the Amazon Mystery Box?

Every category and seller has different items in their mystery box. Because they are items the seller hasn’t been able to sell, you may be able to get a good idea of what they may include if you look at the other items they sell and see which aren’t very popular.

Most sellers include one ‘hot’ item in the box to make the purchase worth it while making a little money selling off the items they couldn’t sell the standard way before. 

If you want to ruin the surprise and know what the seller includes in some of the boxes, read the reviews. While no two mystery boxes will be the same, you can get an idea of the type of products they offer and their quality to decide if Amazon mystery boxes are worth it.

How Much Does the Amazon Mystery Box Cost?

Like all products on Amazon, you can find mystery boxes for as little as a few dollars and some as high as a couple of hundred dollars.

It varies based on the category you’re purchasing the products in, the size of the products, and the value the seller claims the products are worth.

Pros and Cons

Like anything you buy, there are pros and cons of buying an Amazon mystery box. 

Pros

You get Surprises

Who doesn’t love surprises? It’s like buying a gift for yourself. They can be fun to buy once in a while just to see what you get. A lot of the time it comes down to luck, but if you do your research and find a good seller that offers valuable Amazon mystery boxes, you may be pleasantly surprised.

You can Sell the Valuable Items

If you get something in your mystery box that doesn’t interest you and it’s worth something, you can throw it on eBay or Facebook Marketplace and make your money back for the box.

The Products are in Good Condition

Sellers can’t sell you damaged or useless products. All products are new and in good condition. They are selling them in a mystery box because they were unable to sell them earlier and they either need to liquidate or need room for new inventory.

You Choose the Category

Some mystery boxes from other retailers don’t have categories so you really don’t know what you’re getting. With Amazon mystery boxes, you choose the category so you at least know you’re getting items you might use.

Cons

It’s a Gamble

You might get an Amazon mystery box that has zero worth to you. Even if you read the reviews and everyone loves their boxes doesn’t guarantee you will love yours. Know that you’re taking a risk when investing in an Amazon mystery box.

Customer Service is Lacking

Remember, sellers sell mystery boxes to get rid of unwanted inventory. If you have a problem with a box or even want to return it, you probably won’t be able to and many sellers don’t even respond to requests on these orders.

They aren’t Necessary

Mystery boxes are more of a ‘gag gift’ or fun item – you shouldn’t rely on them to get items you absolutely need. Even the best mystery boxes may not contain what you need or want, so it could be a total waste of money.

4 Reasons to Try an Amazon Mystery Box

Despite their downsides, here are some reasons to try an Amazon mystery box.

You Might Find Rare Items

You never know what you might find in your box. If you’re lucky enough to get a rare item, you can either keep it and enjoy it or sell it and get good money for it on auction sites. There is never any guarantee, but it’s good to know there is a chance.

It can be Fun

Sometimes we need a little mystery in our lives, right? It can be a lot of fun for kids’ toys or gaming boxes, especially. Women like to try out new beauty products too and a mystery box is a great way to try products without the hard decision of which one to buy.

You Could Save Money

You never know when you’ll get an item you’ve always wanted in your box along with many other items. The box often pays for itself in these situations. You get the product you wanted, usually for a lower price than the item itself cost and you have other fun items to enjoy.

They Make Great Gifts

If you buy a mystery box with items you won’t use, you can always save the items for gifts. Even if you find one item in the box you like, save the other items for gifting and you’ll save money when it comes time to give those gifts.

FAQs – Amazon Mystery Boxes

Are Amazon mystery boxes legit?

Amazon mystery boxes seem like they would be a scam. Who would let you buy a box of goodies for less than the cost of one item in the box? But, they are legit, they are just filled with products the seller either has an excessive inventory of or couldn’t sell and is trying to make a little money on before liquidating them.

Are Amazon mystery boxes legal?

Yes, Amazon mystery boxes are legal. They contain items you could have bought off of Amazon earlier but now the seller is selling them in the mystery boxes to sell them quickly and make room for more inventory.

What is the value of mystery boxes?

The value of Amazon mystery boxes varies by seller and by box. The description usually states around how much the box is worth, but of course, there is never a guarantee, or sellers could inflate their value to get the boxes sold. Go into a mystery box purchase assuming it’s not worth much so you aren’t disappointed when you receive it and hopefully are pleasantly surprised.

Do Amazon mystery boxes include returned items?

Amazon mystery boxes can include returned items. This is a downside of the product. You won’t know if you are getting returned products until you get the box, which can be disappointing if there is anything wrong with the items you receive. 

Returned products aren’t always bad, though. Amazon liquidation centers often sell Amazon returned products for lower prices and people go to these centers quite often to score deals on perfectly good items that Amazon just couldn’t resell.

Final Thoughts – Are Amazon Mystery Boxes Worth It?

In my opinion, Amazon mystery boxes aren’t worth it. Could they be fun? Sure. But if you aren’t looking to waste money, you’re better off waiting until you find a great deal on an item you want.

Instead of taking a gamble and receiving nothing that you would want in the box, you could buy a specific product and know what you’re getting. Amazon runs sales and deals all of the time, so it’s not hard to save money at Amazon, you just need to know-how.

Kim Pinnelli is a personal finance freelance writer and koopy.com contributor. She lives in the Chicago suburbs, writing from home for the last 13 years. Kim enjoys helping people understand personal finances and writes on topics about saving money, investing, planning for retirement, and ways to increase income. In her free time, Kim enjoys hanging out with her 3 children, reading, crocheting, and spending time outdoors.

1 Comment
  1. I got two items from Facebook market manager. One item was a 3″ plastic bowl, and the other was a 5″ unknown gadget. The items come in one box from Amazon prime. For $10 this was a scam. How do these sellers use Amazon boxes to make it look like the purchase comes from Amazon?

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