For those bored by the traditional process of buying something (select a product, find the best price, make the purchase) there are many options for added excitement these days.

American Express is currently running its Going Once promotion, where you can watch the price of a “dream vacation” drop into your price range before pulling the trigger. The risk is that you can’t predict when inventory will run out, so if you wait for the price to go too low, you’ll be shut out.  It’s essentially a reverse auction.

While Going Once adds intrigue but creating uncertainty around the price and availability of a product, some companies take it to the next level by adding uncertainty about the product itself.

Alex Rainert wrote a great post on EverydayUX about “Blind Faith” a promotion where Coudal Partners is offering early access to its latest product. The catch: you pay before knowing what the product actually is. Alex draws a great parallel to Monty Hall of “Let’s Make a Deal” fame.

Another site, Something Store, builds an entire business of selling mystery products. You pay them $10 bucks and they send you a product. You don’t find out what you’ve paid for until it arrives.  The site provides examples of the types of things other people have received (hand made earings, goggles, a knife set) and some firm guidelines on what you will not receive (body parts, alcohol, an endangered species).



So far, 11,727 “somethings” have been delivered. Interestingly, other than showing a ton of real examples, the site doesn’t do much to fluff the value of the products. There is no claim that you’ll receive something worth far more than $10, rather the site issues the sober statement that “we believe eventually it’s your perception that will decide what your something is worth.”

Regardless, in these three cases, the value of the product takes a back seat to the thrill of the transaction.