Promobox Review

Vistaprint is quite versatile with their products they offer business owners. With the subscription box trend, it was no surprise they had something in the works. In the post below, I will review my first promobox. Please note, this was not a sponsored product or review and all thoughts are my own. This product was purchased of my own free will.

​A little about the Vistaprint Promobox​; the first thing that drew me in was the first box was only $5. Every box after that is $24.99. Each box contains up to four items, ranging from pens and notepads, to t-shirts and mugs. The items all feature your logo or brand as specified by the info you provide.

As outlined in the image below, you can see my answers for the survey I filled out. They give you a wide range of options and the ability to control the information that goes on your promo material.

You can upload multiple images and let the designer choose. You can pick colors to compliment your brand, and you have the option to provide instructions. For example, while on the site they offer product previews using recently uploaded images and my face was constantly cut off, or white edging had to be added to fill in space. So it was important for them to not do that here.

​When it arrived (earlier than estimated), the box itself was fairly small, but it was well packaged. Right on top was a few brochures and promo cards along with a handwritten note from my designer. The back of the card showed the products I received, mostly for clarification, I'd assume.

The first item I saw was my face on a postcard size paper with some envelopes wrapped in a ribbon. Apparently, it's pretty standard for postcards to come with envelopes. The front of the card had a grey border with my cosplay name and the back had the same border with my website. I didn't really like the paper texture as it created a weird shadow and ripple across the photo.

The second thing in the box was two sheets of round stickers. They added a grey line border around the edge of the sticker and a grey line with my name across the centre. It just came across as way too busy and the name line cut through my chin, which is a design and aesthetic no-no.

​The last thing in the box was a t-shirt, which I literally prayed I wouldn't get because I knew it would not look good. And I was not wrong. Rather than taking my image which is visual and adding it to a shirt.... they just wrote my name. The print was really poor, the shirt is basic, rough cotton, and really? Just words in small print on a t-shirt? Come on.

​Only three things? I thought it was kind of a bust even for $5. So I started piling everything back in and realized I pulled out a pen without even noticing. I looked at it, and it was pretty bad, but in the opposite way of the shirt. They took everything possible and tried to wrap it around this pen. It looks ridiculous.

​Overall, for $5 I will get my use out of the postcards and stickers, but the shirt is basically a paint shirt now, and the pen is just a pen. The purpose of the box - "promo" doesn't really come across as it's more for personal use rather than distribution and really promoting my brand.

Luckily, Vistaprint is very dedicated to getting this box right and working with users to get it right. In the reviews they're very interested in feedback and I can only assume they're willing to credit or work with the customers to perfect the box.

I will be submitting a review and my honest feedback. If they label themselves as designers, they really should know better or try harder with a few of their efforts. Logos and images are not drag and drop and don't work on all products. So it will take a bit more effort to curate these boxes and make sure that customers are happy. 

BUT! For $5, it's basically a steal for your first box. If you're looking for cheap giveaway items, or just want to see what they offer, it's worth a try! Let me know if you get one! I'm curious if they have basic items and premium items that they try to limit with each purchase.