

Blake Griffin's startup: 12society - richf
http://www.12society.com/

======
samstave
A couple thoughts:

This is a neat idea, I think the price is right, but:

Are there categories of "stuff" that I can reject? What if i am not ever
interested in cologne picked by these guys.

I do NOT think they should be including things like gift cards. I am paying
you $40 per month for these guys to pick great stuff and a best buy gift card
is on there? WTF. Unless that gift card is worth more than my $40 bucks -
thats a hassle to convert my subscription fee to a gift card that I then have
to spend time and energy converting into stuff, without the ability to convert
it back to cash! Thats retarded. (I have a $100 best buy gift card in my
wallet I have had for 8 months because I cant think of anything to spend it on
that I absolutely need and that is <$100)

Aside from these guys having a ton of money, what am I getting by subscribing
to receiving their picks, they have money - most are young, what sort of taste
do they have? Am I not just subscribing to a selection of stuff picked by an
army of assistants and paying some % premium to have these guys celebrity tied
to the service?

How much time are they spending actually evaluating this stuff? Do they get 5
minutes a week with the assistant to say "Tim, pick one pair of socks from
these 5 pairs"

Or do they all get the stuff they pick and are using it and then say "yeah
these are great socks!"

Otherwise, a hell of a twist on the idea of endorsements.

~~~
neeraj12S
These are helpful questions. Let’s address them one by one.

Question: Are there categories of "stuff" that I can reject?

Answer: While 12Society doesn’t allow for individual items to be returned or
exchanged, we are highly focused on keeping subscribers satisfied and excited
about the contents of each box. We do this in two ways: 1\. Each box contains
a wide variety of premium products. Our Style Board is intent on making the
product selection in each box as unique and diverse as possible. While you may
like a certain product more than another, every item is vetted and curated and
the collection of products is carefully constructed. Each box is guaranteed to
retail for $125+, as well, so even if you do prefer some products to others,
the great value of the box as a whole makes it a great bargain regardless of
individual preferences you have. 2\. Every month, 12Society will learn more
about your specific tastes and style preferences, and will begin to customize
the box you receive accordingly. Through recurring Style Profile
Questionnaires (new subscribers fill one out at sign up, for example) and
requested feedback on every item a member receives, the 12Society team will
soon customize the product offering in each box to match the preferences of
each respective member. You may enjoy technology more than fashion, or
identify more closely with either Blake Griffin or Nick Cannon, and we will
use this developed knowledge to personalize your 12Society box.

In addition, if you are ever unsatisfied with a particular box, we take pride
in our hassle-free return policy. No gimmicks or fine print - simply return
the box in its entirety to our team and we will provide a full refund and even
cover the return shipping.

Question: Will I receive gift-cards in the box?

Answer: 12Society is not a gift card company. The style board takes great
pride in providing 12Society members with actual products that they themselves
find joy in. That said, there may be an occasion where a gift card may provide
for an increased level of customization or personal service, and may be
worthwhile in those situations. Regardless, you can rest assured that you will
never receive a product that doesn’t have significant monetary or pragmatic
value.

Question: What am I getting by subscribing to receiving their picks?

Answer: The 12Society Style Board is comprised of some of the world’s
preeminent athletes, musicians, and Hollywood stars. While some may be young,
they unquestionably lead very unique lifestyles, and are all tastemakers and
trendsetters within their respective verticals and professions. They will give
you not just an inside look into items that they use and love on a day to day
basis, but they will actually share that item with you so that you can
experience it for yourself.

It is an innovative business model, and helps eliminate some of the barriers
that separate you from the athletes and artists you admire.

In regards to the quality of the products included in the box, as we mentioned
earlier, each box is guaranteed to contain at least $125 of retail value. Our
Co-Founders (Michael, Tim, Nasir, Blake, Kevin and Nick), are all extremely
motivated and excited to create a platform through which they can connect and
interact with their fans. They are entrepreneurs in the truest sense, and are
the decision makers of the company. In terms of time spent "evaluating" and
sourcing - these are products that the style board actually uses and enjoys,
so there is not necessarily need to spend time evaluating different products
as these are already items that our co-founders use.

Feel free to shoot any additional questions to info [at] 12society.com!

~~~
samstave
Great, thanks.

WRT the giftcards, I'd suggest you remove the best buy gift card from the
example images on your site if I'll never receive a gift card, as this is
where my question came from.

Also, in my review of the site, I missed the "guaranteed . value of $125" I'll
take a look again, but that is an important piece of info that I totally
missed in my review.

