Introducing Nerd Block - A Monthly Subscription Service for Geeks

Are you a nerd? Do you love collectibles or comics? Are you an avid watcher of shows and movies such as Doctor Who, Star Trek, The Avengers or Family Guy? Is there a distinct lack of printed tees in your closet? Would you like to treat yourself?

If you answered yes to any of these questions (I certainly did!), or if you have a significant other, friend or kid who would, then Nerd Block might be for you! Nerd Block is a monthly subscription service for anyone who likes nerdy gear and collectibles. Each monthly box (block) contains one printed tee in the size of your choice and 4-6 other items like collectibles, toys or apparel. Each box costs $19.99 plus shipping and they ship to a range of countries around the world including, but not limited to, Canada, the US, the UK and my own home country Sweden.

There are a couple of other services similar to Nerd Block out there, but there were several reasons why I picked Nerd Block for myself:

• The Nerd Block website is well-made, the sign-up process simple and the FAQ section contains all the information I felt I needed before deciding to sign up, presented in a way that was easy to understand.
• After checking out several reviews for Nerd Block and similar services, it seemed to be that Nerd Block was the one with the most "bang for your buck", with box values usually totaling $50-$60 despite the $20 price tag.
• Nerd Block is the only service I found that offered shipping to my home country, Sweden, as well as many other European countries.
• I found the shipping ($12 to Sweden, presumably less to some other countries) to be perfectly sensible.

Another good reason to chose Nerd Block, although it didn't affect my own choice much, is the variety of different Blocks they offer. There's the Nerd Block Classic for the general interest nerd, the Nerd Block Junior (in a boy and a girl version) for kids aged 6-11, the Horror Block for the horror fanatic and the Arcade Block for the avid gamer. I personally subscribe to the Classic (although I'll admit I've been eyeing the stuffed animals in the Junior blocks with some envy).

I received my first Nerd Block in May 2014 and was, obviously, very excited to open it. Before you get your Nerd Block, you get an email saying when it will be shipped and approximately how long it will take for it to arrive so I had been waiting with anticipation for about a week or tend days.

What I first noticed about the product was the very professional-looking, printed especially for Nerd Block with their colors and logo. The boxes are also very sturdy so this immediately knocked any worries about products getting damaged while shipping out of my mind.

To give you an idea about what Nerd Block is like, here is what the box contained (including approximate values):

The central, and only recurring, item in each Classic Nerd Block is the printed t-shirt. In the May box, it was the awesome Game of Thrones/Star Wars crossover t-shirt you can see to the right. Isn't that just the coolest thing? I'm a big fan of Game of Thrones and although I'm not as big of a Star Wars fan I think this is a very well-executed mash-up. The shirt was also very comfortable, and the print appears to be high quality and wasn't affected by washing the short.

It's approximate value is $12-$18, depending on where you buy it (and it seems to be hard to find outside of eBay).

The box also features a special Fan Expo edition of Vol 1 of The Amazing Spider-Man (seen below on the left), made in exclusive collaboration with Nerd Block. Since it's Vol 1, it is suitable both for old fans and prospective new fans like myself. Below on the right is a Funko Boxos Star Wars paper craft set, which is adorable and could provide fun for any age, whether you have kids or not.The retail price for the Boxos set varies greatly depending on retailer, but stays safely over $10. The comic, being a limited item, is harder to price but I've seen it sold on eBay for between $20 and $30.

The third and last Star Wars item in this box was an adorable little plush Chewbacca, worth about $10. There was also a small Super Mario Bros. dangler, one of six possible collectibles. I got one with Luigi and Yoshi. These are worth a couple of bucks. Lastly, the box contained something called a Stick-it Pad. This is a handy little adhesive pad that can be placed for example on the dash in your car and you can stick your smartphone on it for easy access. I'm sure there are a lot of other uses too. These don't appear to be sold anymore, not any place that I can find anyway, but the price should be a few dollars.

Since a lot of these items are limited or hard to find, the values I've listed for them are approximate, but the total value of the box still appears to be $50-$60. Not bad for the price of $20 plus shipping!

I was really happy with the items in my first box. I've now been a subscriber for several months, and so far I've never been disappointed. Lately, the company has started having themes for the Classic Nerd Block, which makes it all the more fun to wonder about what goodies you'll find in your next box.

I highly recommend this service to anyone who likes these types of items! I think you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of them, and if you end up with products that you don't personally want (for example, products from a franchise you're not a fan of), they're a great source of gifts for friends and family! Give it a try!