Why the eBay Mystery Box Fad Needs to Die ASAP

Let's talk about YouTubers, shall we?

This year, creator Zoella, who boasts over 12 million subscribers on the media platform, released a new product called "Zoella 12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar." Retailing for £50, (roughly $65 USD), the calendar offers 12 days of gifts, which the website describes as "amazing and exclusive treats."

In reality, you're paying £50 for a box of novelty items which can be found in absolutely any corner store — the difference lies solely in the personalized "Zoella" branding. These "treats" include a Christmas bauble, a pen, two candles, and a bag of confetti, among other trinkets.

Why do I bring up Zoella and her ridiculous calendar? Because, dear reader, we must recognize this holiday product as a scam. While keeping in mind the cost of personalization can be a bit hefty, Zoella has marketed a product which is quite severely overpriced, only to offer several "surprises" of absolute garbage inside.

Unless you're in need of cheap confetti, in which case the calendar will not disappoint.

Such in the way the calendar has scammed consumers, so has eBay managed to scam the like as well. However, in this case, a great majority of those consumers happen to be the same YouTubers whose products we so eagerly purchase.

Has there been a tasting of one's own medicine in this instance?

I recognize that it is unfair to generalize all YouTube creators' products as being equally as overpriced and useless as Zoella's newest creation. And a quick search has also shown me Zoella herself has not bought into the eBay mystery box craze. But I do feel it noteworthy to point out that an increasing number of YouTubers have begun releasing more and more personalized merchandise which we are quite quick to buy into. This can include autobiographies, dishware, apparel, school supplies, beauty products, and home decor, to name only a few.

We can spend all day attempting to calculate what YouTubers make, but it would be quite difficult to figure out an exact number. Views and advertisements account for a certain percentage of the creator's income, but we must also take into consideration their other entrepreneurial ventures.

For example, Zoella has released a fictional book entitled Girl Online, with a sequel already published and a third installment on its way. She also has produced a beauty product line under the brand name "Zoella Beauty," ranging from soaps and fragrances to something called "Bath Milk Powder." Her website offers an entire section devoted to shopping her favorite products, most likely allowing her a percentage of their sales.

In short, YouTubers have powerful, entrepreneurial spirits which they offer to the world, and the world offers their money in return. It is a cycle of give and take, wherein the YouTubers create empires off their own branding.

How do they choose to spend this money? By indulging in frivolous and positively ridiculous fads, of course. The latest indulgence taking over YouTube is the "eBay Mystery Unboxing" trend, which in my opinion should just stop already.

If you type "eBay mystery box" into the YouTube search bar, you are greeted with 246,000 results.

Buzzfeed, Shane Dawson, grav3yardgirl, Joey Graceffa, and Ricky Dillon are only a few of the thousands of YouTubers who actively participated in the fad.

If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, I'm surprised you've read this far. eBay Mystery Boxes seem to have appeared out of nowhere, and while I can't seem to find who exactly started the trend, I can safely assume their channel was popular enough or their box exciting enough to have ignited this flame.

People on eBay are posting "mystery boxes" for sale, ranging from $10 to $10,000, and even higher in some cases. The content of these boxes are, of course, a mystery. Herein lies the supposed excitement and allure — will your box prove to be worth the money spent, or will it be full of garbage?

Spoiler: It's almost always garbage, and never worth the money.

Youtube creator grav3yardgirl was unfortunate enough to receive the latter. We see in her video that her $950 USD 90s themed mystery box turned out to be a hugely disappointing dud. She received used clothes and dirty toys, as well as dead bugs and grime. While not the most expensive box I've come across on YouTube, it is one of the worst results I've seen. Some people are lucky enough to unbox a used iPhone. However, this was not the case here.

So why do I think this fad needs to end?

To put it quite simply, there is nothing more infuriating to witness than someone spending obscene amounts of money on something so pointless, simply because money is no object to them.

YouTubers earn their money their own way, and we must respect that. But there is a point where the entertainment value does not make up for the emotional pain of watching someone waste great amounts of money like it's nothing.

Youtuber Guava Juice spent $10,000 USD on a mystery box, from which he revealed a pineapple, toaster waffles, a can of Spam, the card game UNO, and a bottle of glue, among other useless items. He also received an old laptop without a charger cord, a small baggie reading "24k gold," and a Rolex watch.

I don't want to make it sound like I think YouTubers should make absolutely no money. I know a number of them put a lot of hard work and pride into their content. What I do think is that making a video of yourself spending ridiculous amounts of money in pursuit of a box which, statistically, will contain junk, should not be considered entertainment. What is so entertaining about watching someone waste money away?

Before I wrote this, I made a point of watching as many YouTuber mystery unboxing videos as I could. Ricky Dillon made a parody video in which he convinces us, the viewers, that he has spent $3,000 USD on an eBay mystery box, only to reveal at the end that it was all a hoax.

There were also some YouTubers whose boxes were in the lower price range (between $10 and $100 USD). The majority of these boxes contained decent items. They certainly weren't worth their price, but that's how the economy works. You don't sell to break even, you sell to make a profit. Why market your box honestly as being worth $5 when you could make it $10, or $100, or $1,000? The mindset seems to be, why not produce a scam while there are wealthy YouTubers desperate for the views following a fad will offer?

I suppose we could be spiteful here and feel a bitter sort of satisfaction at watching YouTubers, the same people who take our money in exchange for often useless products, offer their own money in exchange for a box of trash. But there is then the reminder that a majority of their earnings come from us, the consumers, the ones who eagerly purchase their merchandise. While ad revenue and the like certainly contributes to their earnings, there is no denying that we as consumers play a part in funding these eBay mystery unboxing videos.

So maybe remember that next time you watch Guava Juice drop $10,000 on a box of toaster waffles. Might not be so funny then.