ZenPop Japanese Stationery Pack is a subscription box brought to you by ZenMarket filled with unique Japanese stationery and studying goods handpicked by their staff in Japan.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About ZenPop Stationery Pack
The Subscription Box: ZenPop Stationery Pack
The Cost: $29.50 a month with free international shipping. Save with longer commitments.
The Products: 10 or more cute and useful stationery items like pens, notebooks, stickers, and more.
Ships to: Worldwide
Good to know: Starting in January 2019, ZenPop will become a subscription-only service so they will discontinue the inclusion of subscription-only bonus items. Past boxes are sometimes still available via their marketplace.
ZenPop Stationery Pack January 2019 Review
The box includes a thank you note with a coupon code to use on their site.
The ZenPop’s info sheet is really helpful since a lot of the packaging isn’t in English. It gives you a rundown of each item and this month’s theme is “Pastel Magic Pack.”
Sanrio Correction Tape - Estimated Value $4.45
This is a small device which you can use to apply precise strips of white-out to cover up mistakes. I’ve used similar correction tapes before and vastly prefer them to the old bottle and brush correction method. Although I couldn’t find this exact item, I was able to find a similar correction tape which lacked the cute addition of the Sanrio characters but would serve the same function. I love how small this is so that I can bring it with me and give in to my perfectionism when I inevitably goof something up in my bullet journal.
Sanrio - Little Twin Stars Scented Double Highlighter
In last month’s box, I was taken by surprise to receive an adult scented marker but this scented highlighter makes me feel like maybe they’re more common than I thought! Each end has a different aroma, pink for pancakes and purple for blueberries. Both ends are quite sweet smelling and definitely fit into the pastel theme for the month. There’s a pen test included at the end of the review.
Sailor Moon Washi Tape - Estimated Value $4.90
Sailor Moon was my all time favorite show to try and catch as a kid and I didn’t realize that this year is the show’s 25th anniversary. Although I couldn't find the exact same washi tape, I found a similar one here. The tape is a very pale pink with all the Sailor Scouts.
Dream Cats Clear File A6
Apparently, this item comes from a picture diary “showing mysterious lives of cats” and I sure wish I could see them all because this design is so surreal. It’s a small plastic envelope which you could use in your bag to protect small photos or stickers. If I were the kind of person who held on to receipts, it would crack me up to use this to store them.
Sparkle Poo Stickers
Whoever invented the poo emoji gave the world a true gift. These stickers are assorted sizes, some small and one quite large, and about half are sparkly. The non-sparkly ones feel more like paper so I’m curious how long they will last without scuffing. All of the stickers have a sweet peach aroma and I can only imagine they were inspired to choose that scent by the peach emoji.
Photo Decoration Cards
These paper photo frames would be great for someone who loves to scrapbook or for a nice way to include a photo in the inside of a card you’re mailing. You can easily write on these to personalize them more. This style is giving me a real Saved By The Bell vibe.
Magic Universe Stickers - Retail Value $3.15
These are some of the most delicate stickers I’ve ever seen. The pastel coloring is set off with gold foil stars and constellations. I think I’ll find a lot more places to use these than the poo stickers, to be honest.
Collection Notebook - Retail Value $4.51
This looks like a regular small notebook but the pages have a glossy coating (similar to a whiteboard’s texture) that makes them ideal for collecting stickers here or using washi tape to create collages. While I find the cover delightful, with cats inside of various beverages and atop a pancake stack, I would find more use for it if you could write on the pages inside.
COLOREE Mechanical Pencil - Retail Value $1.80
This mechanical pencil feels nice to hold with a good sized barrel and it holds .5mm lead. The hidden surprise is that when you remove the end cap there’s a spindle for you to twist which raises and lowers the eraser! The eraser has a hexagonal shape which can help for erasing small marks.
Sakura Deco Cute Metallic Photo Marker - Buy a pack of six pens $12.00
Most pens aren’t up to writing on glossy surfaces like photos but this metallic marker is designed to do just that. I think this rosy hue will be a jazzier choice than my reliable black Sharpie. Although all of my photos are digital these days, I’ll be on the lookout for places to use this pen
Here is a writing sample for the highlighters and metallic marker.
Verdict: ZenPop Stationery Pack was a little bit of a letdown for me this month and I didn’t think the value was as high as past boxes. I don’t think I’ll have any use for the collection notebook or the photo decoration cards just because they don’t match my own style. That being said, I was delighted by the Magic Universe Stickers, the sheer goofiness of the Clear File design, and the very practical correction tape. I do like how ZenPop Stationery boxes really stick to their chosen monthly theme.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, new subscribers can still receive the February box and may be able to find past boxes via their marketplace.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $29.50 + free shipping, which means that each of the 10 items in the box has an average cost of $2.95.
Check out all of our ZenPop Stationery Pack reviews and more stationery reviews in the Paper and Stationery Subscription Box Directory!
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What was your favorite item in the ZenPop Stationery Pack?
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