From a wig to an iPad: the Barcelona store where you buy packages without knowing what's inside

BarcelonaThe process is simple: choose the box you want, pay for it, and take it home without knowing what's inside. The Surprise Box store on Carrer Ferran in Barcelona doesn't go unnoticed. It's a warehouse (or a pit) of lost packages from e-commerce giants like Amazon, Shein, AliExpress, or Temu: products that haven't reached their recipients. Pedestrians constantly come and go, intrigued by the items hidden on the shelves, packed in boxes of different sizes and origins. Many rummage and shake, trying to figure out the contents of a package, but few risk paying for a random surprise. The price is around 24 euros per kilo, calculated on the scales scattered throughout the store. Intrigue is the key to the business, and ARA has tried the experience.

Ronaldo, a store worker, gives us some advice on which boxes to choose: "It's better not to take anything that has the label fragile, "The contents may be broken," he warns. After rummaging around a bit on the main shelf, the one that runs from end to end of the store, he takes a box wrapped in black and shows it to us. We choose another one and pay for it: the total weight is around two kilos. Although he has explained to us that most people are writing. There is anticipation in case a high-value object turns up.

The first one we checked, the one we'd chosen, contains a peculiar mix: a water sprayer with a fan, a DIY tool (like a cable sheath), and a black wig. With the other, we hoped for a little more luck, and when we removed the wrapping, we saw a shoe box. When we opened it, we revealed the real contents: a massage pillow, one of those electric ones that fit on a chair. Although it lacks a battery, it comes with its corresponding charger.

Surprise Box opened about three months ago, and according to Ronaldo, new packages arrive every week. Some of them even include their origin: "Many are of foreign origin and come from countries like Holland, France, Poland, or Italy," he says. He explains that the contents are very varied and may include "useless things," but says that most contain products worth more than the package price. "Since we opened it, I've seen three cell phones touched," he assures. He believes there are people reselling the products for profit.

Ronaldo assures that the packages are not tampered with beforehand. "It's a matter of luck. You might get a cell phone, an iPad, or a designer handbag." This message has resonated with customers, because a young Italian woman comments that rumors have it that among today's packages you might get some. airpods. Her mother says she came "out of curiosity." "My daughter had heard about the place on social media, and we wanted to check it out," she explains. It's a similar case to Carme's, who found out about the place through FacebookAlthough he came to browse, he likes the store's location—in the heart of the Gothic Quarter—as he thinks it's a good way for tourists to spend money. Ronaldo agrees, saying he sold "many boxes" today.