Nerd ao Cubo

What's in the box: A surprise mix of officially licensed geek products, either general or themed around a single franchise or apparel.

Nerd ao Cubo is a Brazilian shop that sells mystery boxes of geek merchandise. Instead of one generic box, it offers several themed 'cubos': the general Nerd ao Cubo box, Camisetas ao Cubo built around t-shirts, and franchise boxes for The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Starting prices run from R$ 59,99 for the shirt box to R$ 169,90 for the Harry Potter box, and the main box starts at R$ 139,90. The company says its items are official products from major franchises and that the contents of each box together are worth more than you pay. It does not publish a breakdown of past boxes on its main pages, so you can't easily check that claim. The site also doesn't make clear whether these are recurring subscriptions or one-off purchases, how often boxes ship, or what shipping costs. Read the FAQ and terms before you buy. On the plus side, the business is open about who it is. It lists a registered company number, a street address in São Paulo, an email address and a WhatsApp support line. That support is only available on weekday afternoons, which is a narrow window. Because the contents are a surprise, you are trusting the curation. Fans of a specific franchise will probably get the most predictable value from the themed boxes.