The Best Candy Clubs

Friday, March 24th

2023 Candy Club Reviews

Old Time Candy

• Cost: Starting at $19.99, plus $9.95 shipping
• Candy Club Selection: 3 clubs to choose from, large (120+ pieces) or small (65+ pieces)
• Duration: Auto-renews until you cancel
• Frequency: From once a month to once a year
• Shipping: $9.95 per delivery

Old Time Candy Company is on a mission "to provide childhood candy memories". Owners Karen and Donny Ray started selling some of their favorite treats from the 50s and 60s in 2000, and for more than 20 years they've been delighting customers with candy that takes them down memory lane. Their inventory comes from 80+ different manufacturers of "candy you ate as a kid".

Three Plans Available

There are three candy clubs to choose from with Old Time Candy:

• Decade Candy Gift Box: for a trip down a specific memory lane, you can choose a decade from the 50s to the 90s. Options include a 2- or 4-lb. assortment of candies, priced at $27.99 and $39.99, respectively. As an added touch, you can choose a "Remember When" booklet for a specific year. Many customers buy this candy club to honor a milestone birthday or anniversary.
• Retro Candy Gift Box: for $19.99 (65+ pieces) or $29.99 (120+ pieces), you'll get a fun assortment of treats from the last 70 years. Every month's selection will be different, but some of the commonly-included candies are Charleston Chews Minis, Pop Rocks, Wax Bottles, Atomic Fireballs, Razzles, Root Beer Barrels, and Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip.
• Retro Candy Assortment: offering the same basic selection as the Retro Candy Gift Box but packaged in a reusable plastic tub (like you might find in a candy store display), this club gives you 175 pieces of candy for $23.12.

Most Flexible Candy Club

This provider offers the most flexibility of any candy club we evaluated. You can set up deliveries to happen every month, every two months, or quarterly; some clubs even have options for shipments just once or twice a year. You can also change the requested delivery date right from your online account. There are no long-term commitments with Old Time Candy either: cancel at any time.

Discounts Only For A La Carte Purchases

You might even be able to score a discount. While we browsed the Old Time Candy site, we got a pop-up offering us 10% off our first order with a coupon code. We liked the fact that we didn't have to sign up for an email list in order to get the savings. However, coupon codes aren't able to be used on subscription boxes, only on regular purchases. You can save that coupon for going back and buying more of the candies that wind up being your favorites!

Free Rewards Program

Another way to save at Old Time Candy is with their rewards program. Earn "Candy Coins" with every purchase, plus get 200 coins just for signing up and another 1000 every year on your birthday. You can redeem points for a discount on future orders, with $1 off for every 100 coins used.

Hand-written Gift Announcements

Old Time Candy makes it easy to give their candy club as a gift. Look for the option to include a gift card during checkout. We think it's a particularly nice touch that the gift enclosure cards are "hand-written by actual people": no generic printed message on a packing slip here!

Stellar Satisfaction Guarantee

The company offers a fantastic satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with your candy club for any reason, you can get a refund of your purchase price - including the shipping fees.

Customers Love This Candy Club

But, chances are good that you'll never need to ask for a refund. Old Time Candy has a great reputation, including an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. Out of more than 2000 shopper reviews, an impressive 96% give the store a rating of 4 or 5 stars, citing excellent customer service and delicious candy as their reason for giving Old Time Candy such high marks. Many of the reviews were from repeat customers, who return to the online store time and again to get all of their sweet favorites.

First-place Winner Among Candy Clubs

Old Time Candy is our favorite pick for candy club subscriptions, with classic favorites that are sure to delight candy lovers of all ages. Their memberships are affordable and flexible, and the company's gift-giving options make it an easy choice for that hard-to-please person on your list. You won't be disappointed if you choose Old Time Candy for your candy club membership.

Japan Candy Box

• Cost: Starting at $19.90/month, free shipping
• Candy Club Selection: 10 Japanese snacks in each box
• Duration: Auto-renew, 6 months, or 12 months
• Frequency: Monthly
• Shipping: Free worldwide delivery

Directly from Tokyo to your door: that's what you'll get when you choose a candy club from Japan Candy Box. Seasonal snacks, limited edition Japanese candy and flavors you won't get in any other subscription plan are just part of the fun with this membership. Whether you're already a fan of all things Japan, like Pocky sticks and crazy KitKat flavors, or you just want to try candy you probably won't find on your supermarket shelves, this candy club is pure joy.

Free Shipping Around The World

With Japan Candy Box, you'll always get 10 treats and snacks in each delivery, so the only thing you have to choose is your preferred club length/membership. If you prefer to pay month-to-month, you'll pay $24.90 per delivery. Paying for a 6-month club brings your per-delivery price down to $21.90, and a 12-month prepaid subscription is just $19.90 for each package. Huge perk: Japan Candy Box covers the cost of shipping, anywhere in the world! You won't find that with other international candy clubs in our review.

No Refunds On Prepaid Candy Club Plans

One downside to paying in advance is that there are no refunds once the first box has been shipped. If you choose a 6-month subscription and decide you don't like it, you'll still get all of the candy club deliveries until the membership runs out because you can't get your money back. If that makes you nervous, you should consider the month-to-month club first: yes, you'll pay a little more per delivery, but you can make sure you absolutely love Japan Candy Box before committing to a non-refundable subscription.

No Gift-giving Options, But Cute Packaging

Still, this candy club makes a great gift, especially with its cute packaging and fun pamphlet in each delivery that explains the origins of each treat and more. However, there isn't anything in the checkout process that lets you include a note or other gift announcement. Your only option is to enter a different shipping address than your own billing details.

Keep An Eye On Delivery Timing

Shipping arrangements can also make it tricky when sending a Japan Candy Box subscription as a gift. They try to send the first box as soon as you place the order, and all subsequent boxes ship at the end of the month. That means there's no way to know if your gift will arrive by a certain date, and you might need to let your recipient know that a box of sweet treats is on the way. In other words, if you start a subscription in January, the first box will be the February candy club, shipped out at the end of January and arriving sometime in February.

Definitely A Crowd-pleaser

According to customers, though, it's worth the wait! Out of more than 250 reviews, 91% of customers gave Japan Candy Box a rating of at least 4 stars (with lots of 5s too). Even though you get fewer items in each box than most rival candy clubs, the novelty and cuteness factor are high, and most customers love every shipment they receive.

Best International Candy Club

Japan Candy Box earns our highest ranking among the international candy club options we evaluated. You can't beat free shipping on an assortment that is also one of the most affordably-priced, and this membership should definitely be on your list if you're a fan of Japanese culture - or you just love trying new treats from another country.

Treatsbox

• Cost: Starting at $20/month, plus shipping fees up to $25
• Candy Club Selection: An assortment of lollipops, hard candies, gum, salty snacks and chocolate, with options for Regular (10-12 treats), Epic (20-24 treats) or Colossal (32-36 treats) sizes
• Duration: Auto-renews every month until you cancel
• Frequency: Monthly
• Shipping: Up to $25 per delivery

Treatsbox is a Canadian candy club supplier, with both subscription plans and one-off gift boxes. They've been around for several years and have a loyal customer following (that you can see on their social media channels).

Get Familiar And Unique Treats

You don't get to decide what comes in your candy club, just the size of the box you'd like to receive. The Regular box sells for $20 and contains 10-12 items, the Epic has 20-24 treats and sells for $38, and the Colossal has anywhere from 32-36 products and is priced at $55. Your box will have a variety of tasty things, not limited just to candy but also chocolate and salty snacks. You may get familiar sweets like Skittles and Jolly Ranchers, as well as new-to-you candies that are only available in Canada. Ever tried chocolate Pop Rocks? How about chewy fruity Lemonheads? Every month offers new surprises!

Expensive Shipping From Canada

Treatsbox ships from Canada, so customers in the US can expect some fairly hefty shipping fees. For example, on the Colossal box, our delivery cost was $24.16 per shipment for a total monthly fee of $79.16. We spotted a discount code at the top of the site as we browsed, offering 15% off specifically on candy clubs, which made the membership more affordable.

Gift-giving Option Available

You can send a Treatsbox subscription as a gift. Add a personalized note during checkout (in the shipping details) and it'll be included in the box. Be aware, however, that all orders are shipped on the 5th of the month, and it can take up to 2 weeks for delivery to addresses in the US (or 5-7 days in Canada). You can't customize the ship date, so plan accordingly if you're sending the candy club in honor of a special occasion.

Inactive Social Media Channels, But Responsive Customer Service

We were happy to see how quickly we got a response from the Treatsbox customer service team. When we looked at their social media channels, we didn't see any new posts in the 3 months prior to this review - so we reached out to make sure they were still in business! We got an answer within 30 minutes, apologizing for the lack of posts and offering us a 15% discount. Great customer service and a discount? Win-win!

Spendy Shipping But Tasty Candy

Although this company's shipping fees make them a more expensive option than many of the candy clubs we evaluated, Treatsbox is a good choice if you want variety that goes beyond different types of candy and you love to be surprised with each delivery.

Candy Club

• Cost: Starting at $29.99/month, plus $9.99 shipping
• Candy Club Selection: 6 candy cups; choose between 6-oz and 13-oz and between Mostly Sweet or Mostly Sour
• Duration: Auto-renews until you cancel
• Frequency: Monthly
• Shipping: $9.99 per delivery

Candy Club wants you to "live sweetly" by having an "extraordinary candy experience". Their monthly deliveries feature treats made by small artisans and well-known candy brands alike, giving you a unique taste adventure with each delivery.

Choose Size And Sweet/sour Preference

When setting up your candy club membership here, you'll only need to choose between the Fun Box (six 6-ounce candy cups) and Party Box (six 13-ounce candy cups), and then indicate if you'd prefer for your treats to be Mostly Sweet or Mostly Sour. Pretty easy! You'll pay $29.99/month for the smaller size and $39.99/month for the larger one.

Fun Shapes You Won't Find In Stores

What kinds of candies are included in Candy Club's memberships? On the sweet side, some customer favorites have been Grape Laces, Cookie Dough Bites, Jelly Pretzels and gummies in all shapes and sizes. Sour treats have included Pineapple Rings, Sour Belts in multiple fruit flavors, and gummies shaped like dolphins and even pink Cadillacs!

Look For Discount Offers

While you browse the Candy Club site, keep an eye out for pop-up offers. During our most recent visit, we got a discount of $15 off and free shipping on our first box, just for providing our email address. Later, we got another pop-up offer of $5 off our first box, no email address required.

Hard To Find Shipping Fees

Candy Club doesn't make it obvious how much you'll pay for shipping on each order. You'll either have to enter your credit card information to see it on the checkout screen or send a message to customer service. We did both, just to compare the process. It took Candy Club representatives two business days to reply to our question (not impressive); in the meanwhile, we went ahead with the checkout. Both resulted in the same information: $9.99 in shipping costs per monthly delivery.

Glitches With Gift-giving Options

In theory, this company makes it very easy to send their candy club as a gift. Go to the "Gifts" page and choose the club you prefer, and then pick an occasion (e.g. birthday, anniversary, thank you, etc.). Then, enter your own gift message in the box below. Sadly, when we clicked the "next" button to continue our gift subscription, the following page said that all of the gift clubs were sold out. We're not sure why, because we had no problems placing the same order - a monthly candy club subscription, sent to a different location than our billing address - by going through the main page on Candy Club. Just keep an eye out for any glitches like that if you're trying to send this membership as a gift.

Lackluster Reviews From Recent Customers, Despite Guarantee

Since our last evaluation, Candy Club has dropped in our rankings. Why? We found too many customer complaints to ignore, with an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars across 500 reviews . We appreciate that the company offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and we were happy to see that most negative comments got an apologetic, appropriate response from Candy Club representatives - usually with a refund or a reshipment of a particular candy. Unfortunately, there were many customers who said that the sweets they received were stale or hard, or that they didn't taste nearly as good as expected for the price they paid, and that they didn't match the sweet/sour preference indicated at sign-up. Couple that with a "B" rating from the Better Business Bureau, and you'll see why Candy Club is no longer our first choice for subscriptions.

Decent But Not Great

While we love the variety of treats included in every Candy Club delivery and are happy to see that the company stands behind its products with a strong refund policy, that's not quite enough to keep them as one of our most recommended candy club providers. You might have a "sweeter" experience with a higher-ranked candy club in our review.

British Candy Box

• Cost: Starting at $26.58 per month, plus approx. $14 for shipping
• Candy Club Selection: 3 clubs to choose from, with just candy or candy + snacks
• Duration: Auto-renews until you cancel
• Frequency: Monthly
• Shipping: Approximately $14

British Candy Box is the creation of siblings Kate and Alex, who love all things food, travel and lifestyle. They curate a monthly delivery of the most-loved brands in Britain, like Walkers, McVitie's and Cadbury, for a unique flair in the candy subscription marketplace.

Change The Currency Display First

Before you start browsing the British Candy Box website, you may want to change the currency: look for the British flag in the upper right corner of the page and choose the one for your area (e.g. US Dollar, Canadian Dollar, etc.). However, be aware that when you go to check out, prices will still be in GBP - so what you'll actually pay will vary based on the exchange rate when you place your order.

3 Clubs To Choose From

There are three clubs you can choose when getting monthly deliveries from British Candy Box:

• The Great British Box: priced at $26.51, this club gets you 10-12 items. This usually includes four full-size chocolate bars, three smaller chocolate bars, two snacks or potato chips, and three smaller sweets like candy or lollies.
• The Ultimate British Box: the "big sister" of the Great British Box, this club is priced at $37.67 and includes most of the same types of products as the other plan...but more of them! You'll typically receive one large chocolate bar, four full-size bars and three smaller bars, four snacks/potato chips/biscuits, and four sweets like lollies or candy.
• The British Snack Box: if you want a candy club that's also suitable for tea time, this plan is the one for you. You'll pay $34.18 for each delivery, which includes two individual tea bags, two full-size packets of biscuits (we call them cookies), four snack bars made of granola or cereal, four chocolate snack bars, and four packages of crisps, chips or crackers.

No Gift Options

All clubs are delivered monthly until you cancel. There's no commitment required. Unfortunately, there are also no gift options with this candy club. You can specify a different shipping address from your billing address, but that's it: no options to include a gift note or anything else. It also seems that your deliveries will happen based on when you order, not according to a monthly shipment calendar. So, while you can't specify a future date for your gift to arrive, you also don't have to wait for it to roll into a new month to have your candy box shipped out.

Shipping Costs Are High

As you might expect, shipping your candy subscription from England will be expensive. For The Great British Box, the smallest plan offered by BCB, our delivery fees were £10. That worked out to be just under $14 on the day we placed the order. If you want tracking once your box reaches the US, you'll pay an extra £7 - and, at that point, you're spending almost as much in shipping as you're paying for the candy itself!

Not Many Customer Reviews - Positive Or Negative

That's a tough sell, given that there aren't many reviews to be found for British Candy Box. The store's social media channels are almost exclusively for promoting the owners of the company - nothing wrong with that; there are some fun videos there, and you can get to know the team behind your candy club much more intimately than with most subscription plans. But, if you want to find out if customers think this membership is worth the money, especially with costly shipping fees outside of the UK, you'll only find a handful of comments on all of their channels combined.

Good Club For Fans Of The UK

For that reason, British Candy Box earns a respectable 3-star rating but winds up at the bottom of our rankings among candy clubs. It looks like an entertaining way to get tasty treats from across the pond; if money is no object and you're an Anglophile, you probably won't choose any other candy club! On the other hand, if you just want a fun, affordable array of snacks on your doorstep every month and you're on a budget, there are better options out there for you.