If you’re a fan of subscription boxes and Korean culture then it’s likely that you are already familiar with Daebak Box from The Daebak Company. These boxes are some of the most interesting ways to experience Korea and also to discover new products.
But before I look at Daebak Box further, I first want to answer the question – what is a subscription box? Subscription boxes are a new trend where you can pay monthly, quarterly, or annually to receive a box of goods.
Usually, these goods are a topical surprise. Daebak Box offers a selected variety of goods in every box. While all of these goods are related to Korea the exact items in the box are a surprise that you won’t know about until you open the box.
While the exact items within the box are a surprise, you can know that the products within the box will be related to an aspect of Korean culture. Quite often, you will find products that Korea is famous for – this means snacks, cosmetics, beauty products and often other cute products. Of course, there can be other surprises too!
Daebak Box changes the boxes seasonally. This means that there are four different boxes released every year, and every box will have different items. You can either choose to purchase the boxes one-off, or to subscribe annually for four boxes per year.
With that being said, in this article, I want to have a look at the 2020 winter box from The Daebak Company. I will look at what you can expect from the Daebak Box as well as past boxes, cost, and more. I hope you enjoy this review!
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Box Types
The Daebak Company offers a range of boxes. Although their monthly subscription box (Daebak Box) is the main box they offer, there is also a range of other boxes – some of which include fixed items (in case you don’t like surprises!).
If you are looking to experience Korean foods, then SnackFever can deliver Korean snacks straight to your doorstep every month. SnackFever boxes contain 10-13 different Korean snacks from candies to ramen. They are a great way to try new foods and to experiment and see which snacks you like.
On the other hand, if you are interested in Korean fashion then there are also Jewelry boxes. These boxes are quarterly like Daebak Box and will deliver Korean jewelry to your home. You can expect to find everything from earrings to necklaces in these boxes and they can keep you up to date with the latest Korean fashion trends.
Finally, Daebak Co also offers collaboration boxes. These boxes vary depending upon the currently running collaborations, however, currently, you can expect to find collab boxes with CJ, Etude House, and more. If there is a particular brand that you like, these boxes might be for you!
Overall, there is a wide range of boxes that you can try from Daebak Co. Each box offers unique appeals but they will all allow you to try an aspect of Korea in an interesting and surprising way.
Costs & Shipping
*Not all of the included items
The main box from Daebak, the Daebak Box is a seasonal box that will be sent out four times per year (once every three months). When purchased on a per box basis, the boxes are $55. However, a yearly subscription can drop the price to $49 per box.
Shipping is purchased on top of the price of the box and is free on purchases above $149. For purchases under $149, shipping costs either $10, $15 or $25 depending on your location. Make sure to also check your local tax rules as well to make sure that these don’t apply.
The Daebak Box is the most expensive box, and the other boxes that are on offer are priced lower. SnackFever boxes start at $37, while the jewelry boxes start at $30. Collaboration boxes vary in price but are usually around $35-$40. The same shipping fees apply to all boxes.
I was also curious about the price of the items inside the box. Is the box actually worth it? I’m sure that I’m not alone in wondering about this, so I did some research. Below are the prices I was able to find online for the more expensive items in the box.
| Item | Cost |
| Snow Deep Cleaning Balm | $20 |
| Mediheal Hydrashot | $6 |
| Lihan Spatula | $10 |
| IWP Eco Bag | $30 |
| Kakao Hand Mirror | $10 |
| The SAEM Hand Cream | $20 |
| I-Style Diary | $20 |
| Total | $116 |
*prices according to other websites such as the original vendor and Amazon.
The above list does not include all of the items that were in the box. The remaining items were hard to price due to them being hard to find online, unique to the Daebak Box, or being limited edition (such as the Korean culture Pepsi).
It is also worth mentioning that some of the products inside the box are limited edition (like The SAEM perfumed hand cream set) or only easily available within Korea (such as the I-Style Diary). For this reason, the box has the additional benefit of potentially having items that are very hard to obtain otherwise.
Overall then, the price of Daebak Box appears to make it a great deal. You can save a lot of money and get items that are hard to obtain otherwise. Further, if there are any items that you particularly liked you can purchase them separately on the Daebak Store.
What’s Inside the Box?
The seasonal Daebak Box is a mysterious box full of surprises. When you order the box you won’t know what’s inside – this is part of what makes the boxes so interesting. However, you can get some clues as to what might be inside upcoming boxes.
Contents of past boxes are shown on the Daebak website. Currently the contents of the past four boxes from 2020 are shown, allowing customers to get an idea as to what they can expect to find within the boxes.
Of course, since the boxes are all about Korea you can also expect to find items that Korea is famous for. Things like snacks, cosmetics, and just overall cute items are common within the boxes.
Winter 2020 Daebak Box
The winter 2020 box from Daebak Company is the first box that I have received. Although I haven’t tried Daebak Box before, I have tried boxes from other companies and I was impressed with Daebak Box.
The box had a wide variety of different goods, some of which were quite unique and unexpected. The boxes have over 10 items (most commonly between 10 and 13) and the winter 2020 box had 11 items as well as a short magazine explaining the items. A full list of the items in the box can be found below.
| Snow Deep Cleaning Balm | Mediheal Hydrashot Patch |
| IWP Mini Fleece Eco Bag | I-Style 2021 Diary |
| Living Lihan Lolly Spatula | Kakao Friends Hand Mirror |
| Appree Bookmark Pen | Breathe QMask |
| Pepsi Special Edition | Pepera Double Chocolate |
| The SAEM Hand Cream | Day Calendar |
Overall there was a very wide range of different items in the box – something which I appreciated a lot! There were some items that I expected such as cosmetic items, but there were also some surprising items like the recycled plastic bag. In this section, I was to discuss a few of my favourite items!
The first of these items is definitely the IWP Mini Fleece Eco Bag. IWP stands for I Was Plastic and it’s a name that describes the item perfectly. These bags are made from recycled plastic and make for a rather unique way to re-use something which is often just thrown out and wasted.
The bag is quite small, being about big enough to fit a large smartphone (such as the iPhone 12 Pro Max or Note 20+). On the website, the bags also have a pocket on the side which is sized so that a credit card fits securely in the slot. The bag I received just had a single pocket, however, so I am not sure if this is random. Along with a phone, it’s possible to fit some other small items in such as lipstick.
Another item that I found particularly handy was the hand cream set from The SAEM. The SAEM is a well-known Korean cosmetics brand and they make many different cosmetic and skincare products. Daebak Box included a set of four hand creams inside which had a variety of different scents.
Winter in Korea is very dry, and hand creams are something that I found myself using very regularly. The SAEM creams smelled nice (baby cotton, citrus, lily and cranberry) and felt very rejuvenating. I only had to use the creams once every few hours and they lasted well. They also make for great gifts!
The I-style diary for 2021 was perhaps the most eye-catching product in the box. Perfectly in time for 2021, this diary is hardbound and has a glittery design. The diary has a range of pages that allow you to easily organise different periods of time (days, weeks, and months). The book feels high quality and I’m not too worried about damaging it when it’s placed with other items in a bag.
While there are many more items in the box, these are some of the items that I picked out as they were the most interesting to me. Although seemingly only Pepsi, I also like the design on the limited edition Korean cultural can – it’s very unique and I wonder if it will be rare in the future!
Conclusion – Is Daebak Box Worth it?
After reading through this article I hope you can make a design about whether or not Daebak Box is a good choice for yourself. Personally, I found the box to have the largest variety of any subscription box that I have tried and this was a good thing!
In regards to the pricing, the boxes definitely appear to be worth it. However, it’s important to remember that the price isn’t everything. Many people appreciate these boxes simply for the opening experience that they offer and that is something I can totally understand… You never know what you will get inside!
Perhaps most importantly, though, is that the items inside Daebak Box are all unique to Korea or representative of Korea in some way. In some cases, the brands are unique to Korea (IWP, Kakao Friends, I-Style, etc), while in other cases the products themselves are unique to Korea (Pepero, Korean edition Pepsi, etc).
If you are someone who wants to try out these boxes but who doesn’t want the surprise, then I recommend checking out the collaboration boxes that are on offer. All of the boxes have different highlights and I believe that most people will find some boxes that interest them!
If you are interested in checking out Daebak Box, please use the link below. If you would like to share your experiences, please feel free to leave a comment on this post as I would love to hear more opinions.
Daebak Box FAQ
Where Can I Buy Daebak Box?
Daebak Box as well as other boxes (such as SnackFever) can be purchased from The Daebak Company.
How Much Does Daebak Box Cost?
The Daebak Box costs $55 for a one-time purchase or $50 per box for an annual subscription.
What’s Inside Daebak Box?
This is the surprise! Every box will have different contents and you won’t know what they are until you receive the box. However, the items will be related to Korea.
Is Daebak Box Worth It?
From my findings, the Daebak Box is less than half of the price of purchasing the items outright. Further, Daebak Box can include limited edition items and items that are otherwise hard to find outside of Korea.
Is Daebak Box Better Than Other Korean Boxes?
Daebak Box is one of the few boxes that covers many different items. Most boxes offer only beauty products or food. For this reason, Daebak Box has the biggest variety and is always an exciting box to receive.
How Often Does Daebak Box Change?
The box will have updated contents for every season. This means that there are 4 unique boxes per year!