8 Surprising Subscription Box Ideas

Move over, gift-of-the-month clubs. These extra-special packages arrive filled with creative (and often unexpected!) goodies. 

Umba Box

Best for: Modern-crafts connoisseurs

A feminine (but not fussy) aesthetic runs through the handmade goods in Umba Box’s monthly mailings. Sometimes a box contains one standout item—say, a leather-and-canvas color-block clutch from Velle Purse—and sometimes a few (a screen-printed tea towel, a letterpress notepad, and a stash of Fleur de Sel caramels).

Frequency and fees: 3-month and month-to-month subscriptions $25 each (plus $5 shipping); 6-month subscriptions $25 each (shipping free); 12-month subscriptions $23 each (shipping free).

Pros: The first shipment of each gift subscription arrives with a handwritten note.

Cons: You have to make a fairly hefty investment before free shipping kicks in.

To order: umbabox.com.