The Best Music Box Stores

Wednesday, December 4th

2024 Music Box Store Reviews

Music Box Attic

• From $42 to $935
• Hundreds of music boxes and thousands of customizable styles
• Traditional music boxes
• Novelty accessories
• Customizable movements
• 10% off when you sign up for promotions via emails
• Worldwide shipping
• Free shipping in the US
• 365-day guarantee
• Lifetime warranty

With Music Box Attic, you can choose from hundreds of traditional music boxes or make it digital with photos or songs you create - the possibilities are endless for a unique treasure. Contact them via phone or their live online chat to create the perfect music box. Music Box Attic also has beautiful, relaxing, musical snow globes and genuine, German cuckoo clocks for old-world flair.

The story behind Music Box Attic

Music Box Attic, a company based in California, believes that music can change the world for the better. They've been in business since the 1990s and have seen how simple, hand-cranked music boxes can bring delight to the people who experience them. You, too, can bring joy by creating a one-of-a-kind music box as a gift for a loved one or yourself.

You can create your unique music box

You choose the song, you choose the box, and create an engraving for the box. There are hundreds of songs and thousands of different boxes in their selection. If you have created a song or have one from a recital, for example, Music Box Attic can make your special song the music for your special box. The options are endless for your memorable piece.

A variety of choices in boxes

Because there are thousands of box styles to choose from, you can select by price, newest, features available, or best selling, in their dropdown menu. When looking at the sample photo, you'll also see the customer reviews of each box to help you have confidence in your purchase.

From traditional to modern and everything in between

If you loved the little music box with the dancing ballerina and want the same for your young one, look no further than Music Box Attic. There's Italian sorrento music boxes, piano music boxes, watch boxes, and more. If you want a modern flair, they have LCD video music jewelry boxes and photo frame boxes. Take a look at their site: you'll get all the feels, from nostalgic to creative.

More musical gifts

You can choose a musical snow globe, so you can sit, relax, watch the snow, and listen to relaxing music. Celebrate your German heritage or reminisce about your grandparents' home with the luxury of an authentic German cuckoo clock. Music Box Attic carries authentic German cuckoo clocks with animal figurines or other creative images, or choose the traditional style.

Live chat

No annoying bot - there's a live person to chat with you online to help you make your purchase or assist you to make the right choice in music boxes.

10% discount

Sign up for their newsletter which highlights any upcoming sales and promotions, and get 10% off your first order. In addition, you'll be first to receive educational content about music boxes and content related to them.

One-year guarantee, optional life-time warranty

Any purchase you make with Music Box Attic comes with a one-year guarantee. If you'd like to purchase the lifetime warranty on any product, you can contact them regarding which item and they'll let you know what the price and features are in that warranty.

They have a great reputation

With Trustpilot, Music Box Attic is rated 4.7, where more than 85% are 5-star reviews. Even on the Music Box Attic website, you'll see each product's rating, so you can see if customers have liked that item (or not). This gives you confidence and gives Music Box Attic helpful feedback.

High quality, meticulous, and an unbeatable guarantee

These music boxes aren't cheap, with prices ranging from $42 to $935. They are well made and can be personalized. The more details included in each music box, the higher the cost. They have the best guarantee (365 days) and optional warranty (lifetime) we've seen in music boxes. The variety in music boxes, from traditional to customized, makes Music Box Attic our highest-rated music box site.

The Music House

• From $30 to $16,500
• Hundreds of music boxes and even more other musical choices
• In business since 1965
• Experts in music and music boxes
• Domestic and internationally-made music boxes
• Traditional, vintage, with some modern mixed in

For the past 25 years, The Music House has offered music boxes and repairs through their online store. They've been in business since 1965, when they had their offices in Long Island, NY (at that time called the Washington Music House, Inc.), and have served three generations of music lovers.

Super wide selection

You can choose from over 70 categories of music boxes. Whatever the occasion, you will find a music box that would make an excellent choice. You'll see music boxes in every price range, and if you're a music fanatic, there are hundreds of other gifts, 66 categories of them to be exact, for the music aficionado: bookmarks to actual batons.

They really are experts

Their founder had advanced degrees (we assume all in music) and played bassoon for major symphony orchestras. The co-founder is an advanced student of classical guitar. Her love of music boxes began with her grandmother's collection of them. The company's other key players - get it? - either grew up working with the company, is an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, or is known as the premier North American repair, restoration, and service provider for USA's Reuge brand as well as Swiss companies.

If you can think of it, they probably have it

From the 70+ music box categories, you're bound to find something you like. There are music boxes, musical water globes, musical plushies, and more. There are some modern designs and even a category of vintage designs. They have music boxes for babies, children, wedding celebrations, and then some. You'll even find Carousel Mosques and Judaism as categories to choose from.

Traditional and vintage styles

If you'd like to take a ride down memory lane or look at music box themes of the past, The Music Box House is a great place to do that. Browse any category for the traditional-style music boxes, imports, or vintage, there are lovely ones here. There's not much modern or whimsical at The Music House.

There can be from 18 to 144 notes in the song

There are music boxes with shorter tunes, containing 30 notes. The music boxes with the most notes are those that play 144 and can include up to four consecutive songs.

Intricate inlays available

When you choose a natural wood music box, there's a color chart so you can see the name of the color of wood or stain. If you want an inlay, there are about 30 selections; some have a high-gloss finish and some don't.

Painstakingly made

These music boxes are definitely keepsakes. Many take from weeks to months to craft to perfection.

Even more gifts for the music lover

There are 66 categories of gifts, from bow ties to plushies (both musical and non-musical), candles, keychains, magnets, art, instruments, and miniature instruments, to name a few. Unique gifts are batons, bells, and even a collection of kazoos and all things kazoo.

Not a lot of customization

If you were hoping to completely customize your music box, from choosing the box, the color/stain of the box, the number of notes, the tune, and adding a personal message, you'll not find that at The Music House. However, with 73 categories of music boxes to choose from, there should definitely be excellent choices for your gift. Some have the choice of engraving, and you can request gift wrap.

Shipping worldwide

You can ship your music box anywhere in the US, Canada, or internationally. Shipping internationally isn't a feature that all music companies offer, so if you're interested, take note of The Music House.

15-day return policy

The return policy isn't easy to find as it's under the selection of shipping details. If your music box is damaged, you must report it within 48 hours of receipt and all original packaging materials must be retained for inspection. If you are dissatisfied with your music box from The Music House, you must call or email for the RA number and then insure and mail the item within 15 days - that's a lot of work on your part in a short period of time. Nothing engraved is returnable.

We have confidence in them

Although there are no ratings of The Music House with the Better Business Bureau or Trustpilot, the staff at The Music House are more than highly qualified, are both educated and have practiced in the music industry, and one has been with this company for practically a lifetime. The collections have such a wide variety in theme and are from the most reputable music box manufacturers worldwide. This resume speaks volumes.

A great company

With all the music experts at the helm of this company, one can believe only high quality music boxes are sold through them. Some music boxes are made domestically, or you can choose from their famous internationally-made music boxes instead. Whatever the holiday or occasion, there's likely a music box to commemorate it at The Music House. Their price range should fit most any consumer. The only thing a music box consumer might want that they don't have is a choice for an easily customizable music box. Still, that's a super-small downside for The Music House, and we can easily recommend it the next time you're looking for a classic music box.

The Music Box Store

• From $24.99 and up
• Eight styles of completely customizable music boxes
• Complete personalization
• Choice to upload a tune or record your voice
• Write your own music and punch the notes on music strips
• Add-ons add cost

The personalization you can do with The Music Box Store is absolutely incredible. Even if you're not creative, you can DIY right here and create memories. If you'd rather have a traditional wooden jewelry music box, the spinning ballerina, figurines of famous figures, or plushies, this is not the place for those. We can definitely recommend music box stores that have these, so check out our other recommended stores for a traditional style or vintage.

A warm and fuzzy company

When you click on the About Us tab, the first thing they do is give you a cheery welcome and let you know you've brightened their day. They talk about the magic of music rekindling our memories and helping to transport us back in time with a favorite tune. They just get us.

Have fun creating

Once you choose from the eight possible styles, have at it. Select the shape of the box, and then start personalizing. Choose from about 40 tunes, and decide if you want a personal message. You can choose to have a custom message engraved on the top or you can send them a photo to engrave on the top, or you can do both - engrave message and photo on the top of the music box... or inside the music box lid. For a nominal fee you can add gift box packaging - we think they mean gift wrap - or a gift card (greeting card, not as in gift card/certificate).

Both classic and unique tunes

You can choose from classic songs like Happy Birthday or Wedding March, oldies like Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody or Let It Be, more modern like Hedwig's Theme or Let It Go, or even Anime like Legend of Zelda's Song of Storms or Doraemon No Uta. There may not be hundreds of choices, but the choices you do have allow for tradition as well as creative thinking.

Upload your own tune

Didn't find what you're looking for in song choices? Some music boxes allow you to upload your own tune. This tune will then be played digitally rather than with the traditional tines that a music box normally offers. What's more is they can convert your uploaded tune to make it sound like it's a traditional music box-type song.

Record your voice instead of using a tune

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a recording of your voice or that of a loved one could be played instead of a tune? You could even gift the sound of your actual wedding vows or the baby's coos or first words as the sound in your music box. The possibilities are endless at The Music Box Store.

DIY your music strip

You can literally make your own music for the music box. There's a special strip of paper that plays the notes as the paper runs through the machine. With the instructions from The Music Box Store, you can use their special hole punch and create the music strip. Now that's personalization.

Add ons

Realize that the price you see when selecting your music box is more than likely much lower than you'll actually pay. Each upgrade, including style of box and engraving, will probably carry a charge, so if you have a budget in mind, keep aware that creativity costs money. As an aside, there's a 10% discount if you purchase two or more music boxes.

It's completely outside the box

The concept of designing your music box from choosing the wood to even creating your own music strip is amazing. It's something completely unusual and the utmost in personal. However, if your vision of a music box is a figurine of a ballerina in a jewelry box, a musical snow globe with a Christmas scene, or famous figures circling on a base, well, that's not at The Music Box Store at all.

Rated highly except for a few

The Music Box Store has earned 4.5 stars with Trustpilot. Fans love the customization and how the company worked with them on the design and the right touches. Those who rated them at the lowest end said the boxes were cheap, fell apart, were damaged, or that customer service never returned their messages. Some of the styles of boxes are solid and some are clearly DIY-like assembled ones, and we believe it was this style that may have fallen apart. Our recommendation is to choose a solid box.

Confusing return policy

If you want to return your item, you'll need to email The Music Box Store to let them know, and you'll be responsible for the shipping. You have 60 days from the date of purchase, not the date of receipt, to start the process. The music box must be unused, in the same condition you received it, and in the original packaging. Your request to return may be approved or rejected. Sale items may not be returned. At the time of our research, there was a sitewide sale. This is great, but we're wondering if it means none of the music boxes would be returnable if all of them were on sale. Hmmm.

They've earned an A for creativity, but creativity isn't everything

It doesn't get more personalized than this. Have fun creating a one-of-a-kind music box that will recreate or create memories. But sometimes you'd like a traditional or whimsical music box, and those aren't carried by The Music Box Store. Also, contact them regarding details on their return policy, especially if you encounter the site-wide sale. If neither of those things is a problem for you, shop here with confidence.

San Francisco Music Box Company

• From $19.99 to $109.99
• Fewer than 100 music boxes, additional musical options
• Over 40 years in business
• Their own brand of keepsakes
• Collectibles including Phantom of the Opera
• Reasonably priced

If you're looking for a musical keepsake that isn't found with any other brand, San Francisco Music Box Company offers quite a few choices for anyone on your list and for any occasion. They have a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee and are rated highly. If you're looking for a company gift for your employees or clients and want to order in bulk, your keepsakes can be personalized.

Their long history

Picture it: San Francisco, 1978, a bustling Pier 39 boardwalk. Here you'd find the flagship store of San Francisco Music Box Company. This little store became so popular that at one time there were 300 San Francisco Music Box Company Stores placed in almost every mall across the US and Canada. Although there aren't any physical stores now, you can find their unique products on their site. They ship, just not internationally.

All things musical

This company knows their music boxes and all keepsakes musical. You'll find figurines, water globes, and other beautiful gifts at San Francisco Music Box Company, and all of them are musical.

Something for everyone

Whether looking for a gift for a newborn, wedding, holiday, or other celebration, they have quite a few items to choose from. You may find a favorite author, artist, or movie on this site, and they feature the ever popular Phantom of the Opera.

Custom orders for employees or other large groups

San Francisco Music Company will help you design the perfect gift for your company event and can make the gifts unique to your geographical area. There is an estimated minimum order of 480 music or jewelry boxes or 600 water globes or figurines.

Exclusivity

You will find only San Francisco Music Box products on their site as their products are exclusive and unique to their brand. When you see their label, you'll know that the company has stood the test of time and they truly are their own brand.

What you see is what you get

San Francisco Music Box has carefully selected the tune for each of their exclusive music boxes. You won't be able to mix and match music boxes and tunes.

30-day money-back guarantee

If you're not completely satisfied with your product, you can return it in original condition, packed well, within 30 days of receipt. You can receive your money back or pick another product. You are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item was damaged, please contact customer service first to let them know.

Very good customer satisfaction

One site rates customer satisfaction at a 4.4 out of 5. The single 1-star rating was for a damaged product and a couple of reviewers said that the quality of the painting of the figurines was less than desirable. The vast majority of San Francisco Music Box Company's customers are quite pleased with their musical purchase.

Good quality and traditional

San Francisco Music Box Company used to be found in almost any mall across the US and has a long-term reputation of high quality and unique-to-them products. The price range is quite reasonable. There isn't any flexibility, though. If you love a certain Christmas water globe, for example, but would like to change out the music for a different family-favorite, it's not possible. The gifts are lovely and traditional in style, and you're going to get great customer service if you need it. But, if you'd like something more modern, there are other companies we have rated highly that can offer more flexibility and newer-looking styles.

Music Boxes Etc.

• From $24.95 to $4,850
• Hundreds to choose from
• Large selection of other musical gifts
• Hundreds of tunes for your selection
• Gift wrapping available

If you're a collector of figurines or music boxes, Music Boxes Etc. can help you add to your collection. Whatever you enjoy or collect, there are more than twenty categories of music boxes to peruse. Your music box can come in the shape of a box, figurine, carousel, water globe, musical instrument, and more. Music Boxes Etc. carries beautiful, mostly traditional designs and can create memories for years to come.

So very many choices

There are angel gifts, singing animal gifts, carousels, teapots, musical instruments, water globes, Thomas Kinkade designs, and so much more. There are gifts celebrating Christmas or the arrival of a baby. There are even miniature clocks or clocks with rhythm. If you can think of it, Music Boxes Etc. probably has it.

Nice for collectibles

Although you can't customize your music box here, there seem to be a lot of collectibles on offer. If you collect trinkets with birds, butterflies, fairies, or more, this would be the place to find music boxes or porcelain figures with those designs. If you're looking for a keepsake for a Christmas gift that has a Christmas theme, look no further.

Limited customizability

For most of their music boxes, it comes with the one tune that was selected for it. So if you choose a certain ballerina music box, for example, you'll get the one tune it comes with. If that's not a tune you'd care for, you'll have to choose a completely different ballerina music box. There are some music boxes, however, where you can go with the suggested tune or instead select from the hundreds of tunes in their inventory. As an add-on, you can have a plaque engraved.

Music boxes mixed in with non-musical products

Music Boxes Etc. has many music boxes and other gifts to choose from. However, if you're just looking for a music box or a musical item, there's no way to search only music boxes. You choose from a design category such as angels, cats, or teapots, and you'll see all of the choices. Let's say you find a lovely gift: you'll have to read further to figure out if it's musical or not. This has been quite frustrating for our team.

Discounts for bulk

If you order twelve or more of the same item, Music Boxes Etc. will offer a discount. The website doesn't say what that discount is, so we tried to figure it out. We chose an item and selected 14 of them to see what the discount would be. However, while the music box was in the cart, no discount was applied. We didn't continue with the placement of the order, so we don't know if it would have happened automatically later, in the billing process, or at all. If you're interested in a bulk order, you'll want to contact Music Boxes Etc. to find out the details of that discount.

Repair service

If you have in your possession any water globe, music box, or musical figurine that's broken, make an appointment with the repair service. Most repairs on music boxes can be completed in seven days. Send their team photos to accurately help them determine if it's fixable. Be sure to read the fine print as there may be a charge for the estimate, especially if they take the time to plan it and then you decline.

The website is pretty basic

While using this site, we were first turned off at the antiquated look of the site. The font and setup wasn't attractive, but it didn't cause an issue.

No significant reviews

There aren't any significant reviews of Music Boxes Etc. That doesn't mean it's a bad company or has bad service or products, it just means it hasn't been flagged, which can be a good thing.

Return policy

Music Boxes Etc. doesn't have a return policy that we could find. When you make your order, you can email Music Boxes Etc. with any questions you may have. Still, it would be much more reassuring to know that the company backs its music boxes, or at least makes it easy for people to get a refund or an exchange if something isn't quite what they expected.

Good for collectibles and some personalization

If you're looking for a collectible figurine or music box, there are so many on Music Boxes Etc. to choose from. If you need repairs to a figurine, music box, or water globe that you already own, contact them for a quote. However, for the creative person who wants to customize a music box, this isn't the place. It's a very good option overall.

Wooderful Life

• From $44 to $89
• About 30 music boxes to choose from
• Music boxes ideal for children
• Various themes and holidays
• Pretty but unnamed music selections

A single dad had a hard time coming up with the ideal gift to give a child. He met up with another dad who had the same issue, and Wooderful Life was born.

Unique music boxes

These rounded, wooden music boxes are unique, reasonably priced, and offer various themes for holidays or to coordinate with the child's bedroom decor. They go above and beyond to make sure their factory in China is ethical to their employees and the environment. Just be sure to read the fine print or call customer service regarding shipping costs and their "guarantee”.

Two dads

Each of these dad owners, single at the time, happened to discover that it was challenging to find unique gifts for children's birthdays and other occasions. The dad who had owned a furniture store and traveled to find furniture for his business found beautiful, wooden music boxes, and so their music box journey began.

Cute, wooden music boxes

At Wooderful Life, all of their music boxes are made of wood that's from natural timber and recycled wood. You won't find music boxes made of porcelain or resin. All Wooderful Life music boxes have a unique look to them, all made of wood. The boxes and figurines are all or mostly rounded, which is not only attractive to young ones, but without sharp edges, they're safer.

Pretty tunes without titles

Oftentimes when purchasing a music box, you'll see the title of the tune. With Wooderful Life, there's no tune name, so either it's not a well-known tune or they created it. What they do offer is a 15-second sample of the music. This is a nice and unique feature of their site. The tunes are relaxing and peaceful. If you want to switch out tunes, though, you cannot. They themselves match the tune to the music box.

Mostly for children

If you peruse their collections, they are beautiful designs that a younger child would be quite attracted to. There are a few wedding-themed music boxes for the newlyweds; however, we wouldn't suggest these music boxes for most adults or especially collectors or music box connoisseurs. There are other, highly recommended sites we can suggest for that kind of customer.

Safety first and fair labor

Their strict manufacturing guidelines help them to protect the environment. They have an ISO 14001 certification which controls the effects on the environment and uses energy and waste more efficiently. Their SMETA certification protects workers from discrimination, overwork, low pay, and unsafe conditions. And their ISO 18001 certification assures good health and safety management systems. That said, all their music boxes are made in China.

Limited free shipping... we think

If your order is over $90, there's free shipping. At least that's what the banner at the top of the website says. Yet, halfway down the page, it declares "Free Shipping on ALL Orders.”

Return policy, but questionable

The FAQ section says they have a 30-day return policy, but when you click on it, it says there's a 14-day return policy. Before sending your item back, they have to approve the return. If there's damage to your item, you have to notify them within three days. Certain items aren't returnable, such as personalized items, custom orders, special orders, or sale items. If your item is approved for the return, they'll let you know if you can get a refund or not, and you will not receive a refund for any shipping fees.

Great for kids

If you're looking for the perfect gift for a child, like Wooderful Life's two dads were, they've found wonderful, wooden music boxes for you to select. There aren't a ton to choose from - about 30 in total - but that's okay because the selection isn't overwhelming. It's just one style, which in this case follows the Keep It Simple, Silly method. At the same time, we were frustrated at the contradictions in their "guarantee” and free shipping qualifications, and that lowered their rating with us. All of this combines to make Wooderful Life a great option if you're specifically shopping for a gift for a child, but not so much if you want something heirloom-quality or high-end.

The Bradford Exchange

• From $59.99 to $139.99
• About 160 designs to choose from
• Lovely messages on most
• For the older consumer
• Many musical choices other than in music box form
• 365-day money-back guarantee

Employee-owned, the Bradford Exchange takes pride in the more than 160 music boxes they offer. Their unique features are either original designs or are from famous makers like Disney or Thomas Kinkaid. Most have beautiful messages or poems on them. If you're looking for an older style, this is your place. If you're looking for a more modern style or if your gift is for a younger audience, try another of our highly-rated music box stores.

Employee-owned

The Bradford Exchange is employee-owned and they take great pride in their work and uniqueness of their products. Based in Niles, Illinois, they offer unique treasures and keepsake music boxes, some of which are limited-edition collectibles.

One of a kind

The designs you find at Bradford Exchange are unique to them, so you won't find them anywhere else.

Passion is their theme

They put passion into everything. The Bradford Exchange has a passion for family, art, memories, and uniqueness. They seek out the most creative local artists as well as thematic partners to make each piece special to them and special to you or your loved ones.

A preview of their boxes

Their music boxes are themed and many have beautiful, loving messages on them, perhaps in the form of a short poem or thoughtful note. Some you can personalize at no cost. Many of the music boxes are hinged keepsake boxes. Many others are in the shape of a Fabergé-like egg, there are jars for wishes, and a few open up to a lovely, winter scene. The styles don't really vary too much, but if you're looking for a music box with a message on it, you'll find quite a few to choose from.

Famous brands

Among the over 100 music boxes to choose from, you'll see some famous-themed ones as well, such as Disney, Harry Potter, or Thomas Kinkaid. You'll find Elvis and Queen Elizabeth designs as well.

Payment plans

If you would like to choose to make payments rather than pay in full when ordering, you can make monthly payments without interest. The item will be shipped once it's been paid in full.

Amazing money-back guarantee

On selected items there's a 365-day money-back guarantee. You can return the item for any reason for a full refund. Use their return postage label and even return postage is free.

For a select audience only

The Bradford Exchange's music box designs are beautiful, and some are quite intricate. Most would be appealing to either an older person or someone with quite traditional tastes. While perusing the different music boxes, it felt like we were looking at all the trinkets on a grandmother or great-grandmother's dresser. The prices were reasonable, the guarantee was phenomenal, but the variation in product was lacking. This puts The Bradford Exchange solidly in the "just average” category among music box stores.

The Music Box Shop

• From $14.95 to $12,999
• Limited selection of rare music boxes
• All or mostly all traditional
• Possible to change tunes for a fee
• Mother-daughter-run company

If you'd like to find that rare or limited-edition music box, or are a fanatic of traditional music boxes, The Music Box Shop is the place for you. They are replicas of centuries' old music boxes.

Traditional is the word

The tunes are by far mostly traditional as well. In fact, if you're not attuned to old-timey music, you'll want to search online for the song to listen to it to see if you like it. Whimsical would not be a word we would choose for the music boxes found here; so, for whimsy, check out our other recommended music box online stores.

Mother-daughter team

The founders of The Music Box Shop, Nancy and Dawn Cox, have been selling on the internet since 1995. They work out of Phoenix and sell music boxes and musical gifts almost exclusively.

For the serious shopper or music box collector

There are antiques, collectibles, and music boxes that would whet the appetite of any experienced music box lover. If there's a piece in your collection you've been missing, try here. Would a Victorian mother and child or a cameo add that "something” you've been looking for to put on your mantle? Search no further.

Traditional themes

There are themes such as wedding/anniversary, baby/children, ballerina, cameos, carousels, and Christmas. There are several of each, yet still in the traditional, or older-looking motif. There are only a handful, if that, of somewhat whimsical styles.

It's just not fun

Even as you scroll and click on the site, it's not fun and attractive. It's serious music-box business. The main focus of the collections seems to be for styles of music boxes, and frankly, it was hard for us to tell the difference between the style categories without looking quite deeply into each section. It wasn't entertaining to shop here and it didn't keep our attention. When looking in the children's section, there were some cute choices. There are some Precious Moments and a couple of Disney-themed gifts, and Christmas has a better variety of figurines and water globes, but not enough to keep our attention. That's just one area where The Music Box Shop left us feeling underwhelmed.

Frustrating to search only music boxes

When we put "music boxes” in the search box, more than 200 choices popped up. However, many weren't boxes and even more weren't musical. You'll have to peruse each beautiful gift choice to see if it's musical or not.

Possible to select a tune

On certain music boxes you can select a tune from their list. The charge to do so is usually $10, and there are hundreds of songs to choose from. Some are quite old, so you may want to use YouTube to hear a sample. Clearly, your YouTube sampling won't be the same as how you'd hear it on the tines of the music box, but at least you'll have heard it.

Would you like personalization? There's a fee for that

With The Music Box Shop, adding an engraved plaque will cost just over $30 and gift wrap will cost an extra $5. And as you may know, swapping out a tune, when possible, will run $10 or more, depending on the music box.

Rare pieces

A unique reproduction of a 19th century music box, double-combed with 144 teeth, plays four long tunes spanning five octaves. This gem is $12,999. You can also search for the oldest piece they have. It's #185 Music Box. It's a lovely piece with a price of $279, but doesn't list its year or history. We found it strange that there's no history on their oldest piece.

Undisclosed warranty

There's no stated warranty nor satisfaction guarantee that we could find. Before you purchase your music box from The Music Box Shop, we recommend you contact them to find out their return policy, if there is one.

Serious shoppers only

If you are a serious music box collector, The Music Box Shop could be your niche find. If you'd like whimsical, fun, modern, and themes like Disney, Harry Potter, or Star Wars, there are other sites where you'll have fun shopping for that perfect music box gift.

The Music Box Company

• From $19.95 to $995
• About 100 music boxes, most are traditional
• Wide range of prices to meet your budget
• Based in California
• Musical snow globes and plushies as well
• Name-brand collectible musical figurines

Lisa Baker's dad collected music boxes for her, and this started her love of music that's lasted a lifetime. She opened The Music Box Company in the California gold rush town of Sutter Creek. If you stop by, say hello to Lisa and Mark, Lisa's husband, while you're perusing the thousands of lovely music boxes, clocks, and figurines that Lisa has chosen for her store. If you're not in Sutter Creek, you can browse her collection online, like we did.

Holidays and more

You can see the collections within themes such as Christmas, Halloween, Mother's Day, babies and children, angels and churches, ballet, mermaids, fantasy (such as fairies, dragons, and unicorns), animals, music, eggs, and more.

If you have an eye for detail

The porcelain music boxes have beautiful detail and run between $63 and $74. Their three, lovely musical eggs are wedding themed, all play "Wedding March,” and cost between $175 and $195. The Music Box Company has about 60 beautiful music boxes with Italian inlay. Intricately made, you can choose your own music, and it will cost between $160 and $995.

More musical gifts

You can gift music in different forms, too. Choose a musical plush for a little one or a musical snow globe for anyone on your list. There are musical lanterns and delicate, musical eggs, to name a few.

Each music box comes with a specific tune

When you choose the music box or other musical gift, the tune is chosen specifically for that item, as most of them come that way from the manufacturer. The Italian inlay music boxes have the feature that allows you to choose your tune from the many that are offered.

Slim pickings for musical Disney, Peanuts, Star Wars, and more

The Music Box Company is excited to promote their lovely collections of movies, Broadway, and classics like Peanuts, Harry Potter, and more, but alas, the figurines they offer that play music are slim to none. Even "Beauty and the Beast's” Belle and the Beast dancing to "Moonlight Waltz” or "Tale as Old as Time” figurines are non-musical, which was a bit heart-breaking. That said, we did find music boxes for Phantom of the Opera and Peanuts. Just don't get your hopes up when you find your favorite character and want them on a music box.

Gift wrap

Complimentary gift wrap and gift cards are available with your purchase at The Music Box Company.

30-day money-back guarantee

If for any reason you're not satisfied with your purchase from The Music Box Company, return it within 30 days of purchase. Note that they say 30 days from purchase, not 30 days from receiving the item. Follow their instructions to assure you meet their return requirements.

Less than meets the eye

When perusing The Music Box Company's site, you're led to believe that with the company's name being Music Box that there would be a large selection of music boxes. The challenging part is that most of their inventory isn't musical. Go to Harry Potter, for example, and none are musical. Go to the music section, and you'll find the Grateful Dead or other music, and they're clocks in the shape of guitar picks. Not all of the choices for children are musical, nor are the holiday items. Be sure to read the item's description to determine if it is musical or not.

Lovely choices, just not enough

For a company named Music Box, The Music Box Company just doesn't have the quantity or selection of actual music boxes we were hoping for. We do like the wide price range, that they include plushies, snow globes, and many other musical gift choices. We do have other music box stores where your creative juices can run wild and focus solely or mostly on music boxes rather on non-musical figurines and ornaments, so check out all our recommendations if you don't find what you're looking for here.

Wrapboxx

• From $55 to $120
• One style of whimsical, wooden music box
• About 25 music boxes to choose from
• For children
• Limited return policy
• Other gift choices available

Wrapboxx has a selection of about twenty wooden, amusing musical boxes, ideal for children. And that's about all there is to their music box collection. There aren't traditional music boxes with ballerinas, and there's no box that opens to store jewelry, watches, or other mementos. There's nothing for the adult collector of traditional music boxes, and if you're looking to customize your box and tunes, Wrapboxx isn't the place for that.

Whimsical

Their music boxes are made of wood, are round or have rounded corners, and have lovely, curved features on their designs. Wrapboxx's music boxes are ideal as a keepsake gift for a child.

More than music boxes

In addition to music boxes, Wrapboxx has carefully handcrafted wooden toys, pop-up cards, educational toys, children's keepsake silverware, and more.

Searching is limited

Your only choice for searching is for new items, customer favorites which is basically everything, gifts which are basically non-musical, and Sanrio (Hello Kitty). You can't search according to occasion, holiday, theme such as ballerinas or trains, or even according to price. You have to look through all the items, and that can make you feel trapped. There is a search magnifying glass, so maybe that will help you.

There's not a lot of info on their website

There's so much we don't know, and what we do know we had to really look for. Looking through music boxes should be fun and relaxing, but Wrapboxx doesn't make it so. In looking for the price range, we had to look at each and every music box Wrapboxx sells to give you their pricing.

There aren't a lot of music boxes

We saw about 25 music boxes total, and that included a couple of sold out items. Most of them were for children, there was maybe one or two for a younger or younger-at-heart adult or married couple.

Email sharing: benefits and cautions

If you share your email, you'll receive 10% off your order. You'll also receive the latest Wrapboxx promotions and offers, and by sharing your email or making a purchase, you offer to have them sell your personal information unless you remember to ask them not to. Yikes.

Discounts and free shipping

You'll receive a 10% discount for sharing your email, or there may be a code on the top banner for a 10% discount. They offer free shipping with a purchase of $79 or more. Many of their music boxes are $80 and up, so you should be able to meet that free shipping quite easily.

Return policy is quite strict

If you change your mind, you cannot return the product. If your product has been customized, it cannot be returned. If the item was damaged, however, within 48 hours you must report the damage. Wrapboxx will let you know if they accept the return, then will tell you the steps to take to return it. Since the steps are not listed on their website, you will find out how to return it, but only if and when you have the issue and make the request. If the item has been used, it cannot be returned. This is quite confusing, as it sounds like the musical mechanism cannot be returned if you've tried it and it broke with use. They will not refund the shipping costs of the purchase nor the return.

Lack of variety, lack of flexibility on returns

Wrapboxx's wooden music boxes are cute, whimsical gift choices for children, and that's about all we can say. There's not a variety of holiday or theme choices, nor are there a large quantity to choose from. You won't find the lovely musical jewelry or watch boxes, choice of material, or choice of tune. There's only one style of music box, period. There are other music box store choices that sell a seemingly unlimited number of styles, a much larger selection, and a better return policy. Wrapboxx, we love your mission, but the music box choices are lacking.