J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World Loot Crate — May 2018

Loot Crate is a subscription box service that provides exclusive, quality items for fandoms — this is my review for the May 2018 Wizarding World crate. I am not sponsored by Loot Crate. All opinions are my own.

Shipping: This is May's box, which I received right on time with Loot Crate's estimation. This is my third crate and the first time I ever received my package on time, so I hope that Loot Crate makes this a regular habit to combat recent decline in customer satisfaction.

Overview: Six Magical Items, Ravenclaw

This is the crate that I have been looking forward to most this year: the Hogwarts House Pride 2018! As a Ravenclaw, I feel that my house is under represented in licensed merchandise for Harry Potter — alongside my dear Hufflepuffs, who I'm sure feel the same way. So, the idea of a house-based subscription unboxing is a huge factor as to why I subscribe to Loot Crate. This magical unboxing included very few surprises, in my opinion, and lots of wearables. I was anticipating more exclusive items, in the sense that the items are different from what you can purchase elsewhere. However, I was charmed by the practicality of the items and how I can use/wear them regularly. I also like the new Wizarding World logo that is now featured on all J.K. Rowling's licensed items including her official website, Pottermore.

Item #1: Hogwarts House T-Shirt

Starting with the first wearable, this house t-shirt is a modern and minimalistic design on all house mascots. The unfortunate curse about being a Ravenclaw is that the movies decided to use the obvious raven as the mascot, when in fact the real Ravenclaw mascot is an eagle. However, I am a big fan of Loot Crate's quality t-shirts, as they're very soft and feature very wearable designs. This is probably my favorite wearable I've ever received in a Loot Crate, as I wear it often and it's the only Ravenclaw shirt I own; I love the original design.

Items #2 and #3: Hogwarts House Crest and Crest Socks

Next we have two more wearables, simple crew socks in two designs. The first pair are house-based, so I received Ravenclaw Crest socks. The second pair are simple Hogwarts Crest socks which I will more likely wear than the Ravenclaw pair. In my honest opinion, these crew socks are nothing to be ecstatic over. They could have been made special by adding a little more unique designs to them; I would have been floored with excitement had these been a Molly Weasley knitted gift kind of concept. I will wear simply because now I have them. But really, these aren't something I personally would buy and these are just the beginning of my disappointment in Loot Crate.

Item #4: Hogwarts House Patch

Here we go, the disappointment is now in full effect.

Next item is a house based iron-on patch. Really. After the last Loot Crate, which included a similar item just in magnet form, I really didn't expect to find such a small and insignificant item this month. I can't help but wonder what the actual value of this patch is, but I know it certainly isn't making up for how much these crates cost — each one is $39.99 but Loot Crate advertises that each box has $65+ value inside. I'm not a huge fan of "one use and it's done" kind of products (ex. stickers/decals), so I will most likely never use this item. At least with the magnet I am able to move it and use it regularly...

Item #5: Hogwarts House Pocket Watch

This next item is a Loot Crate exclusive pocket watch. The design and detail is very pretty, and it's unlike anything I've ever seen before in Harry Potter merchandise. The chain features a house mascot charm and it can be used as a real pocket watch or be worn as a necklace. This item just barely made this month's crate worth purchasing, I think this item has novelty but is not really a Harry Potter fanatic's must-have. As for house pride, I appreciate the thought that went into the structure of these pocket watches as I have seen these for all four houses and the color/metal scheme is well done. This item does make for a beautiful prop if put on display, it adds sophistication to any HP collection.

Item #6: Lightning Bolt Enamel Pin

Last item as always is the pin- unfortunately, mine came damaged, so my apologies for the poor photo. This lightning bolt pin is supposed to say "Neither can live while the other survives," which is semi-visible on mine but the enamel is a little warped. I didn't want to bring this up to Loot Crate's customer service because I don't really care for the pin itself. However, this is a unique pin design that is subtle and perfect for showing your Potter Pride. These pins are usually what makes these boxes worth the whole experience, but I just wasn't thrilled with this one, even though it is a neat concept.

That concludes the J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World Loot Crate for May 2018! Overall, I wasn't extremely impressed with the content of this box. Many updates have been made to this particular subscription box, including the new logo and updated shipping for faster delivery. As a customer I appreciate how Loot Crate has listened to the general feedback and has made these updates to increase quality/satisfaction. But I believe this is will be my last Loot Crate for 2018; I would rather save up my galleons for different Wizarding World merch than take chances with this particular subscription box to be worth my Gringott's savings.

Thank you for reading my review! Hopefully this isn't the last product review ever, but for now it's my last Loot Crate unboxing.

Alexandria ☽