Illumicrate Omdömen 

I've been a subscriber to Illumicrate on and off for years and I would like to say how incredible their team is, from design and execution of products right down to the kind and helpful customer service team.

PRODUCTS
Illumicrate products are high quality and stunningly designed. Any errors or reasonable faults are simply replaced within the confines of their policy. I've personally never had any issues with replacements and the rare occasion when product quality was not met, the item was recreated and replaced for all purchasers.

CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM
The team, while incredibly busy, always get back to you within a few days with helpful insights. I've skipped boxes, requested last minute cancellations (my own fault), and had items replaced when damaged in delivery and every time, the team have been incredibly kind and helpful. I have spoken to many members of the team including Caitlin, Lauren, Bec and Yas, all of whom have been exceedingly generous and supportive with anything I needed assistance on.

HIGH DEMAND
Illumicrate is obviously an organisation whose subscriptions are in high demand. They have very specific rules about duplicate orders for pre-ordering (partially to stop people bulk buying and selling on for high prices when they sell out, which is completely reasonable) and they have been trying to get a new website set up from what I've read online to help orders go through more smoothly. As a relatively small business that is in high demand, they work incredibly hard and well to keep customers happy.

Overall, I think the work Illumicrate do is exceptional and while trying to place orders can be frustrating, this is due to high demand and not their fault. Well done Illumicrate for a being brilliant business to buy from and a joy!

I placed an order a few days ago and because the website kept crashing, I had to place 5 separate orders. Illumicrate canceled and refunded the orders without even consulting me. I emailed them that it was intentional and this Customer Service "Manager", Caitlin, kept on sending me one-liners, just saying "we will not reinstate these orders". I got upset, of course, because we stayed awake until 1AM our time just to wait for the sale, and it was such a struggle ordering because the website kept crashing, and they canceled my orders and won't reinstate.

Now they are refusing service because I wasn't "nice" to them and canceled the one remaining order that I have. Caitlin said "I’m not really sure why you think that would help your case here?" because I was upset in our emails. Who wouldn't be?! She is really rude and i'm not sure how she's the Customer Service Manager of this company.

I probably will not do business with them anymore.

I’ve been subscribed to Illumicrate for about 9 months now, and so far it’s great!

Their special editions are also good, and sales usually go without crashes and issues.

Positives:
- Books are a mix of YA and Adult, sometimes less well-known picks
- Shipping is 48 Hour Royal Mail
- Nice book customisations
- Always good communication about delays etc.
- There’s a book only option

Negatives:
- Sometimes they won’t replace items that are damaged (like if you have minor dents in the hardback, or if your dust jacket has a hole in it).
- Items are hit or miss, but luckily they have a book only option; and
they said they will reduce the number of items this year and put less, but higher quality things in the boxes, so we shall see.

Amazing customer service - excellent quality and value for money

I've been subscribed to Illumicrate for over a year now, and I've had a really positive experience. They pick highly anticipated books for their monthly boxes, and they highlight fan favorites for their one-off boxes. They also offer a book-only subscription option (most of their competitors don't), and they don't seem to have as many growing pains as some of their competitors. Some of their books do come damaged, but that's the case with any book subscription box. And like other companies, Illumicrate keeps a reserve so they can offer replacements for heavily damaged books. I've tried a few book subscription boxes, and Illumicrate is the only one I've never unsubscribed from.

Bought a special edition box and received instead a damaged ordinary box, with its content also took some damage due to poor packaging and handling. I have paid a hefty flat rate for shipping and was ready to be patient for any delays due to covid or shipment processing. The box itself was pricier because its a special edition. But after receiving the package, my heart sank upon seeing its condition. The contents as well as the box itself was not protected and was simply put together ‘as-is’ in a small ordinary brown box. No bubble wrapping, no paper padding to prevent creasing, nor was the box itself put into a protective box. As a result, the book paper cover has many scratches and torn edges as well as the poster. have written to their support team about my experience but never received any response. Given that they advertise the product as a book box experience and so much hype put into these book boxes, the product itself and the service did not match the expectations set.

The book itself was lovely, however my copy arrived pretty battered and ruined. For a special edition of a book it is kind of worthless, I cant even put it on my book shelf without seeing the significant inward dents to the top and bottom of spine. I had seen that most people receive their books in a tough case, but mine came in a cloth bag, probably causing the damage. I received some cute stuff like pins and prints, but I also received a jigsaw puzzle of a really poor illustration. I'm not a child, that is not something I would ever want. Point is it was fun to try it out but once I have been let down like this by a company whose whole thing is special editions of books, I will not trust them again. I have a beautiful book that arrived in a very ugly state. Would not recommend, find special editions somewhere else.

I was super excited to try out this subscription box. I had seen some of the beautiful books that came from Illumicrate and as book lover I was greatly looking forward to adding some to my shelves. I joined the waiting list and then immediately joined the subscription plan when my invite was sent. I waited patiently (okay impatiently lets be real) for over a month for the box to be sent. No big deal, I know Covid has delayed shipping times. I met the mailman at the mailbox the day that my Illumicrate arrived and dashed back inside to finally open it....only to find an ugly book and 3 pins. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. With all of the hype surrounding Illumicrate, the waiting list, and the price tag of this box, I was expecting a lot more. Especially when compared to the other (cheaper) subscription box (Owlcrate) I had received that same month. I cancelled my plan, though unfortunately by the time my box arrived Illumicrate had already billed me for the next month. My advice, if you want a pretty book without the let down of the box, join their newsletter instead. They do sets outside of their subscription plan and it gives you a better idea of what you're getting for your money.

Bought the witcher exclusive edition, they give you a ten day notice to ensure your address is correct then ship the book out pretty fast, book came in a lovely little yellow illumicrate bag, I've bought a lot of fancy books but never got such a personal touch added which was nice. The book Came in perfect condition, I hope they do the whole series as exclusive editions.