June Little Black Bag Review

After seeing and hearing a ton about Little Black Bag, I decided to give it a try myself.  My first try didn't go so well--I wasn't in love with the items I got, and I was having difficulty trading for what I did want, so I cancelled that bag.  But then I tried again a little over a week later because their gallery had a better selection, and I remembered I had a Klout perk for an extra item.

My Little Black Bag came in a big white box

All I can say is that I'm glad I gave it another shot!  I found Little Black Bag to be as addicting as I kept hearing everyone else say.  I'm in love with it, and I can't wait to open my next bag!  Here's a quick rundown of the service:

• Each bag costs $49.95 per month, with a new one created for you on the first of each month.  After tax and shipping to New York, my bag cost me $59.30.  You can also do a one-time deal for $59.95 if you don't want to commit to a monthly subscription.
• You have the option to skip a bag if you sign up for the monthly subscription, which is a great feature for me because I don't want to spend $60 each month.
• Little Black Bag is currently only ships within the United States.

So basically, each month you can pick one item that you really love, and then 2-4 more items will be placed in your bag based on your style quiz.  Your bag will total at least $100 in value, with the possibility of it being worth $150.

All of my items came wrapped in black tissue paper

The real fun starts after you open your bag, because that's when your trading period begins.  You can trade your items with other members on the site for the next 7 days, and you won't be charged until your bag ships.  You can cancel without being charged within 5 days of opening your bag.  I love that LBB offers an easy option for cancellation if you aren't happy with your items.  When I cancelled my first bag, all I had to do was email them and within 24 hours I received a reply saying my order had been voided.  So simple!

During my trading period I was glued to my phone and computer.  I don't usually like being one of those people with their phone constantly in their hands, but I couldn't help it.  I put in a lot of offers, but the most fun was seeing what other people offered me.  I actually ended up with none of the original items in my bag.  I wanted to check my trades often, too, because I didn't want to miss out on something awesome by having someone else accept the trade before me.  I highly recommend keeping your trading period open for the full 7 days (as opposed to having your bag shipped before then) because you never know what someone might offer you.  I actually nabbed one of my favorite items on the last day before my trading ended.

But enough of that, I'm sure what you really want to know is: what did I get in my bag?!  Here are my items:

• Betsey Johnson Cat Drop Earrings, list price $40 - These earrings are so cute!  They're larger than I envisioned them to be and are a bit heavy, but I love cats and I don't care.  I have to figure what I'm going to wear them with, though.  Suggestions?
• Melie Bianco Sandy Tassel Tote, list price $94 - I LOVE THIS BAG!  Someone offered me this bag in a trade and I instantly snatched it up.  I love big purses, and this one fits all of my stuff, with room to spare.
• Collection 18 Wildberry Burst Square Scarf, list price $28 - I'm a scarf addict so I was really glad I was able to trade for this.  The colors are so pretty and it's really lightweight.  It's perfect for summer.

Total all of that up and you can see that I spent $60 for $162 worth of items.  Granted, I may have been able to find them discounted individually on sites like Amazon or Ebay, but the fun of it is really in the trading period and the joy of opening up your box when it arrives.

The only downside I found to LBB was that a lot of their stock is jewelry, and I'm not much of a jewelry girl.  I usually prefer dainty, simple items, and a majority of what they have is big, bold, and trendy.  Some of it is even, dare I say, gaudy.  But then you see that I ended up with pretty gaudy cat earrings, and I love them! So maybe it's a plus, since I chose an item that was outside of my comfort zone that I ended up being very happy with.

• Check out Little Black Bag, I would be so thankful if you used my referral link!

Bottom Line: If you're willing to commit the $49.95 to this service, I think it is absolutely worth it!  Little Black Bag is so much fun, and the number of items to choose from is pretty expansive.  It's also easy to cancel your order if you aren't happy with the items you have; the customer service is excellent.

Bonus!  The Little Black Bag team was kind enough to provide a unique coupon code for my readers!  Enter "SEESHOPLOVELBB" to receive 10% off of your first bag -- this is only valid for first-time users.  It expires on 10 July 2012.  If you are thinking of joining, I would love if you could use my referral link!

More photos of my items up-close are after the cut.

*Disclaimer: I purchased this Little Black Bag with my own money.  I was not asked to review it, and the honest opinions here are entirely my own.