Here is a breakdown of the subscription boxes I have chosen and not chosen during this time and my reasons why. These are, of course, subject to change, and I will be updating this page as my experiences with them progress.

I’m always looking for more interesting Canadian subscription boxes to try. If you have a recommendation, please comment!

Subscribed:

I looked at Canadian boxes from lists provided mainly by A Year of Boxes & Shop Local Canada. As time went on, some companies were recommended to me.

The Maple Box

This seemed like the premium box, and I like premium things :|.

Let’s Go Eco

Voted one of the top Canadian eco boxes, so thought I’d give it a whirl.

Spiral Rain

I almost cried at the cost of shipping for these boxes, and having to pay for a year upfront was painful, but it is definitely the most unique box I’ve subscribed to.

Acre 75

I liked the idea of supporting businesses from random little Canadian towns.

T Surprise

I love tea, what can I say?

Sockbox

Tony loves colourful socks, so I thought this would be a nice way to treat him once a month.

Tea Runners*

Tony made this suggestion because he loves Jewel Staite, and she and her husband created this box. We’re both tea drinkers and thought this would be a neat one to try. Seeing as Jewel is Canadian, and there is free shipping within Canada, Tony assumed it was a Canadian box. I was shocked when I got to the checkout and it was in USD.
**Update**
They have now released their Canadian site and I am in process of getting switched over.

Pros:

• Customisable subscription. Choose how often (lots of options!), skip a month, choose what types of teas, choose the exact teas etc.

Cons:

• Customisable XD. I don’t want to think about it to be honest. I want to be forced to try things I wouldn’t normally.

Woof Pack

I had been looking for something for my pups, and this one came up. These boxes are themed, which I always appreciate, and they put an emphasis on supporting other Canadian businesses. This one doesn’t have as much value as Fetch Box, but it is overall cheaper.

Fetch Box

Though shipping is fairly pricey on this one (around $23/box) I decided to take the plunge to see how this and Woof Pack compare.

Woof Crate

I have three dogs, so it only makes sense to do three subscriptions… right? 😉

Friday Sock Co.

Socks are a way I show love to Tony. He’s going to be drowning in socks.

DuraPaw

I get a lot of joy out of the joy my dogs get when their boxes arrive.

Waggle Mail

“Canada’s Favourite Dog Box”. At $150/quarter we’ll see about that. They are very personalized to each dog, so I picked Maila for this one as she is old and has the most health issues. This is a vet-curated box, so I’m hoping she’ll get some great products.

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Cancelled:

True North

Why I signed up: It looks like they have cool stuff and they gave me a coupon. Also, they don’t autorenew, which I appreciate. I don’t like having to keep an eye on when I have to unsubscribe from something.

Why I cancelled: The communication was so bad with this company. I never actually got my coupon, I didn’t get a receipt, I never got any shipping notices. Nothing. I emailed Shelley once and she emailed me back apologizing and adding for free the item that the coupon would have discounted. Communication is too vital to me, and not having things progress normally worries me. Maybe I can blame that on my bad experience with Sweet Reads. But it’s not just that. One of the main benefits of a subscription box is getting items for cheaper than retail, and I really don’t feel I got my money’s worth with this one. Nice items, but there are lots of companies putting in more effort into their boxes.

Extraordinary Man

Why I signed up: I thought Tony should be in on the fun, so I got a box subscription just for him.

Why I cancelled: From crappy customer service to old and possibly opened product, this was not worth continuing on with… If it even still exists!

Peko Produce

Why I signed up: I really love the idea of stopping food waste. I read an article about a potato farmer from PEI who throws away 2/3 of his crops every year because they’re not grocery store standard. This is a silly thing that really should stop. One thing I love about growing my own food is all the peculiarities that come with it.

Why I cancelled: Peculiar food is not rotten food, and this stuff was as bad or worse than the stuff that grocery stores donate to the soup kitchens. I used to volunteer in one, which taught me a lot about what can be reused, but that food is donated. I don’t want to be paying for rotten produce. Also, sending 8 bunches of slimy green onions was really the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Loti Wellness

Why I signed up: The original inspiration as of 2022. Through another job of mine I saw that they had included Blush silk hair ties in one of their boxes, and the subscription had good reviews. I thought that I might as well try it out as I’d never done a subscription box before and it was very highly rated.

Why I cancelled: Loti says on their website that they focus on premium natural wellness products, but that was not the case. There were so many artificial products, and the majority were not sourced from Canadian companies. It was a big letdown overall and I learned that I do not even like wellness products. I also noticed the quality of the items decreasing over time and a general lack of communication from the company. They stopped sending us information sheets in the boxes saying they would move online, but then always posted late, or most recently, not at all. Unfortunately I was locked in an expensive 12-month subscription. I was naive at the time.

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Not Subscribed:

This is the list of boxes that I looked at and my reasons why I did not subscribe, at least at this time.

Sweet Reads

I am a bit of a bookworm and was definitely intrigued by this box. As it is on the more expensive end, I was a bit hesitant and decided to order 5 of the “Buy now,” “Ready to ship”, boxes that were more than 50% off in order to get a sense of what the items were like before locking myself into a subscription. One worry that I have with books is that I may already own a copy, or have already read it.

First off, the box I was most interested in ended up being sold out. That was disappointing, but they promptly refunded me for it. However, they didn’t ship the boxes. I ordered them on July 23, and as of August 15 they have not yet shipped. I emailed about it on August 5 and was told that they are not shipped out immediately, and they would let me know their ETA. I find it ironic that if I had ordered the July box instead, it would have already shipped. Based on the misleading information, poor communication, and delayed shipping, I will not be subscribing any time soon.

*Update*
On August 16 they sent me a shipping receipt and apologized for any inconvenience. The shipping receipt says they only shipped 2/4 boxes, so I’m hoping that’s a mistake. I am very grumpy at this company.

Ma Petite Box

I wasn’t interested in the items they had sent out in previous boxes.

Precious Coco

Website doesn’t work and they did not respond to my email. Too bad because one my dogs’ name is Coco.

Local Artist Boxes

Sadly, they don’t do subscription boxes anymore. August 2022 was the final month.

Elctrk

Shipping too expensive for the value of the box. The value of the box is apparently $30, but with shipping and tax I’d be paying $47.41 per month. Not a great business model, but I wish her luck.

Nature’s Wellness

Inconsistent and misleading pricing and poor customer service. At least they responded to my email. Although they did toot their own horn about how much value one gets per box. They don’t know I have a spreadsheet comparing the cost of boxes with the included values, and this is one of the worst.

Sam & Lance

Shipping is $17 + tax per box. That brings up the cost to $80.80 per box for a value of $100-$150.

Little Shop Box

I actually tried to subscribe, but their discount code didn’t work and the “contact us” form also didn’t work.

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Considering:

The Gift Refinery

At $379.80/year (+ tax?) this is one of the more expensive subscription boxes, but it does offer really good value. At an estimated $105-$112 per box, you get $230 of value. They must have some good connections. I haven’t subscribed yet for two reasons: 1) It’s expensive and I already have some pricey boxes. 2) You have to create an account to even go to your cart. This is annoying.

Hygge in a Box

This sounds adorable, and I would love to try it.

Essentials Eco

Seems like a decent price for receiving *hopefully* cool eco-friendly products. I will most likely subscribe to this one at some point. They quote 15-20% retail savings pre-shipping, so it’s not a great value, but I’m a big fan of eco-friendly products.

Reset

Home decor is something they include in their boxes, and I don’t really want more decor in my house. I’m trying to get rid of stuff as it is. But they do say they offer samples, and I like samples, so there’s that.

Ended:

Clove Pink

I’m a sucker for free things, and a subscription included a free box. It touts itself as a box for women 50+, but so far I want to keep everything. I know plenty of women 50+ that I can gift items to if they end up being not for me.
**As of December 2022, Clove Pink is on a temporary or possibly permanent break**