Analysis of my 2014 Liz Lisa fukubukuro (Liz Lisa x My Melody collab trunk)

Last year, I did a similar post looking back at my 2013 Liz Lisa fukubukuro when deciding what to order for 2014. I thought it worked reasonably well to help me sort of my thought process and also provided a bit of information about those LPs since I wasn't blogging back then. I do have blog posts relating to my 2014 Liz Lisa fukubukuro already (and if you've read them this might be mildly repetitive), but they were more focused on the sharing contents at the time. I think it is useful to look back about one year later and think about whether I had made a good choice at the time and what I would do in the future based on last year's purchase/decisions. I will try to follow a similar format to last year's post. However, in 2013 I had ordered 2 different types of Liz Lisa fukubukuro from 2 different sources, so I had a good opportunity to compare and contrast which I don't have this year since I only ordered 1. I will try and pull information from the 2013 bags/experiences as well to make this post a little more well-rounded.

Last year, I reserved a spot with Tokyo Pirates shopping service for the 2014 Liz Lisa x My Melody collab trunk carry fukubukuro in early December. [Photos from the official blog.]

 

Here is the sample reveal -

I received the items exactly as pictured - one coat, one dress, two tops, two bottoms, one cardigan, one blanket and one pouch for a total of 9 items and then the luggage makes 10. The cost of the LP itself was 26250yen with tax. I paid about 44541yen for the whole process with Tokyo Pirates (including item cost, travel fees, commission, EMS shipping and PayPal fees). I also had to pay about $55 in customs fees when I received it. I would have been happier with my total if not for the customs fees (which can't really be helped apparently). I thought Tokyo Pirates commission and travel fee were reasonable for the kind of item I wanted. I felt lucky that she was even able to snag it for me.

I was very excited to have gotten my hands on this particular fukubukuro at all since it was a very popular but limited item. However, upon seeing the clothes in person, I knew that there were some I would immediately want to try to sell because they were not suitable for me at all in Hawaii, but also some pieces I really loved and would want to keep.

Positives for ordering with Tokyo Pirates(/a shopping service) -
all options (makes it possible to get in-store only fukubukuro)
English (I was able to communicate quickly and easily with Tokyo Pirates through email in my chosen language)

Negatives for ordering with Tokyo Pirates(/a shopping service) -
the price (this can't really be helped and I don't find it unreasonable, but it does add a significant amount to the total you'll be spending) 
uncertainty (you're not sure if your ss will be able to get it if the item is super popular and if it sells out before they have the opportunity to buy it for you)

[Please see my 2013 analysis post for my noted positives and negatives for ordering from VENT/now Tokyo Kawaii Life and also from MARUQ. Please see my Tokyo Pirates Shopping Service review for a more thorough review of the service.]

The results of this LP about one year later -

The items I kept - Ahhhh I just love the blanket for some reason lol. I like the print, and it's just so so so soft. I knew I didn't want to sell this even if I didn't use it regularly for anything. I also quite like the pouch even though I think it's still too precious to put anything in it in case it gets ruined. It's been a year, and I haven't gotten over that yet, but I think I will soon. Right now it still has the price tag attached lol.

The items I sold - Once I looked/felt the material of the dress, I knew I would be selling it despite liking the design, length and print. I was hoping it might be a little thinner, but even then, anything long sleeve I tend to try to sell just because I don't ever see myself wearing it here. I'm glad someone wanted it and scooped it up right away. The sukapan was another item I thought to list early on because I didn't think I would wear it. Although the material was thin and not unsuitable for Hawaii, it just wasn't my personal style. The suspender skirt I thought I would like based on the reveal photo, but after trying it on, I didn't think it was right for me. The material was a little unusual as well and kind of heavy. That was sold to a tumblr friend, and I know she's enjoying it more than I would have. I liked the ruffle detail pink top a lot more than I thought I would after trying it on, but it was a little snug in the arms, and again the material was a bit thick. The white button down I considered keeping for a bit because it was very lightweight, and I thought it would be good for pairing with skirts/simple styling. However, it was never my first choice, and I soon realized I wasn't going to use it as I thought I would. I held onto the coat almost all year and didn't really have any intentions of selling it, but someone approached me about it recently, and I had a hard time saying no since I knew they would actually be using it where they lived, and I wouldn't be using it any time soon, if at all. Plus I still have the coat from the 2013 trunk so I definitely didn't need two. I was sad to part with it because I loved the slim design and the pink color, but it just didn't make sense to hold onto it for myself.

The items (I'm thinking about) selling - The cardigan has been sitting on my clothes rack with the tags attached since I received it. I like it, but now that I'm taking the time to reflect and a year has passed, and I haven't reached for it once, I think I will list it. I already have a lot of cardigans (not all from Liz Lisa though) and wear one almost every day for work, but for some reason, I just haven't found the need for this particular one which is sad because I like the design lol. If you're interested, let me know. SOLD! Thank you :)
Okay, so this trunk. I LOVE IT. I love it a lot. But I think I love it too much to ever use it, and I already have another Liz Lisa trunk from 2013 that I do use/have used. I definitely don't need two especially in such a similar design. I didn't really think about it that way when I was ordering it in December 2013. Or, well, I did, but I let myself convince myself that it didn't matter that it was a second trunk, and I just absolutely needed it because of the print. A year later, I've come back to reality a bit, and I think I'm ready to potentially let it go. (Maybe.)  
Just FYI, I do have someone I promised it to on the occasion that I was going to sell it way back in January and another person (Cindy, I believe) who is second in line in case that first person decides to pull out. I am giving the first person time to think about the purchase, but I did not want to delay this blog post for the decision as I wanted to publish before 2015 fukubukuro sales. Since I am talking about possibly selling it in this blog post, I want to offer the third and subsequent places to you (blog readers) and then Tumblr followers after that before just outright listing it on storenvy. This is only on the chance that it is available after discussing with the first and second person, and they have declined. I'm not sure if anyone here is interested, but if you are, please leave a comment with the best way to contact you (email preferred), and I will get in touch with you in the order that you comment if it is available. I haven't yet decided on a price, but that information will be provided if you are interested, and it is still available. Sorry, I know this isn't the best way to do it, but I think that's the most fair way I can think of right now. 

Final verdict - 9/10. I liked a lot of the clothes in this particular fukubukuro (especially compared to the contents of some of the others), but I ended up selling a lot of pieces because I thought they would be better used elsewhere and wanted to give others the chance to own/wear some of these pieces instead of just leaving them collecting dust on my clothes rack... I never buy with the intention of selling or profiting on what I bought, but I do like that I have it as an option, and I'm glad people wanted these items and could make better use of them than I would have. I absolutely adore the print on the trunk and the pouch and blanket which I find pretty unique for both Liz Lisa and Sanrio/My Melody. Even though I don't use it very often, and it's somewhat on the "small" side (although technically average for these things), I'm really really happy they decided to include a blanket in the 2014 fukubukuro as the "accessory" item. It's something that I couldn't see myself buying from Liz Lisa on its own (if they sold blankets regularly), but I love to have. Even though I didn't end up keeping any of the clothes item from this fukubukuro, I still feel really satisfied with it and the contents, mostly in part to the results a year later, and that's why I rated it so high.

2014 trunk/contents compared to 2013 trunk/contents -

Just based on my "final verdict" rating, you can see that I liked the 2014 Liz Lisa x My Melody collab trunk carry LP (9/10) a lot better than the 2013 Premium Trunk Carry LP (6/10). It's a bit odd because I probably won't end up keeping as many items in the 2014 LP, but I think overall I was just happier with it. I'm glad that's the case anyway since I paid a lot more for it and went through a lot more trouble. I think it might also have to do with the fact that I knew I wanted the LLxMM trunk very early on and was very determined to get it. The 2013 LP I just kind of bought without really knowing what was up, and it was my first experience. I do love that trunk and have used it on a few trips so far, but overall, I was just more enthused about 2014.

Considerations for 2015 -

At this point, the type of bag (tote? trunk? duffle? boston?) for each fukubukuro has not been announced yet. (In a few days though!) I'm just hoping that I will not be tempted to get another trunk lucky pack. It would be generally great if they did another trunk option, but I just hope I don't feel compelled to buy it myself wtf lol. This year it is a bit different because the 10000yen option is gone, so I am curious as to why they upped the price to 15000yen and what makes it worth the higher price point. I'm also very intrigued by the 25000yen web-limited option...Before I knew Liz Lisa was making these changes (and assuming the options were the same as last year's), I had convinced myself to just get the 10000yen tote or the 5000yen boston. Now I'm very conflicted lol. I definitely want to get one though. I can't wait to see what changes they've made and what the bags look like! [BUT PLEASE DON'T LET ME GET ANOTHER TRUNK D:]
__________________________________________________________________

I'm not sure if this little review was helpful to anyone else, but I found it nice for myself lol. If anyone wants to share their experience from 2014 as well, please do!