Kim Kardashian’s $148 Skims Advent Calendar Backlash: Refunds, Viral Videos and What Was Inside

Kim Kardashian‘s Skims brand has issued refunds and pulled its $148 accessories advent calendar after buyers flooded social media with videos showing hair ties, bobby pins and loose bra straps inside a box advertised as “12 fun days of surprises”. The calendar sold out quickly, then turned into one of the holiday season’s loudest consumer complaints, with TikTok unboxing videos drawing tens of millions of views and shoppers calling the product a “scam” and a “box full of pranks”.

What Happened: A Sold-Out Calendar and a Fast Backlash

Skims released its limited-edition 2026 Accessories Advent Calendar in late October, priced at $148 in the US and $276 in Canada. The product promised twelve days of small accessories, with the brand’s website describing a mix of “playful items and everyday favourites” including hair accessories and keychains.

The calendar carried only 12 doors, not the traditional 24, which meant buyers were paying roughly $12.33 per item. Skims promoted the box as a festive countdown, and it sold out with a waitlist attached. Complaints started almost immediately after deliveries arrived in early November, and the volume of negative posts pushed the story from TikTok into mainstream coverage within days.

The brand removed the calendar listing from its website after the criticism spread, according to Bloomberg and The Straits Times. Archived versions of the product page still describe the contents as “twelve days of fun surprises” featuring hair accessories and keychains.

What Was Actually Inside the 12 Days

Unboxing videos and buyer posts laid out the calendar’s contents day by day. The list included a tartan teddy bear key ring on day one, hair bobbles and scrunchies across the next two days, and hair clips on day four, with only some of the clips carrying Skims branding.

Later days brought a Skims-branded comb, an oversized red keyring, more scrunchies, additional clips that one reviewer said arrived broken, and an item that looked like two bra straps repurposed as headbands. The final door contained a furry flat keychain that appeared to be a small mirror.

The Independent summarised the box as “cheap accessories including loose bra straps, hair ties and bobby pins”. The New York Times described a buyer opening “loose hair ties, scrunchies and pink bobby pins” and later finding what looked like “two extra bra straps or headbands”. One viral comment compared the contents to “everything that falls between my car seats,” while another said the box held “maybe $20 worth of stuff”.

The Viral Videos That Drove the Story

The backlash found its audience through TikTok. Creator @wetsloppyswollen posted an unboxing that passed 65 million views by Monday, November 9, according to Page Six and CBC News. The creator opened each day with growing frustration, at one point saying, “Kimberly, you’re genuinely about to p*** me off. This is way too expensive”.

“Kimberly, you’re genuinely about to p*** me off. This is way too expensive.”

Influencer Kayla Ryan posted a separate unboxing that reached more than 20 million views by the same Monday morning. Ryan opened day four to find three pink bobby pins and called the calendar “the worst advent calendar I have ever seen”. She later shared the refund email she received from Skims, which drew another 9 million views.

Comments under the videos turned into their own reaction cycle. One user wrote, “This is straight up disrespectful,” while another asked, “WHAT IN THERE IS 150 DOLLARS KIM?”. A third comment described the box as “junk drawer chic,” and a fourth joked, “Did she say Skims or scams?”.

Skims Responds With Refunds and an Apology

Skims moved to contain the damage within days. A spokesperson told Page Six and Today.com that the company was “aware of the feedback some customers have shared” and had “listened carefully”. The brand confirmed it had “personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar” and offered a choice between a full refund or a Skims credit toward other products.

“We understand that the calendar didn’t meet expectations and we have personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar and offered them a choice of a full refund or a Skims credit to put towards other products.”

Customers also received a direct email apology. The message, shared by multiple buyers, read: “We understand the product did not meet customers’ expectations, and we are truly sorry. We want every customer to be happy with what they receive, and we fell short this time”.

The refund options were specific: shoppers could return the calendar with shipping costs waived for a full refund, or keep the calendar and receive the full $150 in Skims store credit, according to the Edmonton Sun and Calgary Sun. Skims said customer feedback “will directly shape how we approach future releases”.

Kim Kardashian herself has not publicly commented on the calendar controversy. The statements came from Skims representatives and customer service messages, not from her personal accounts.

The Business Context: A $5 Billion Brand’s Holiday Stumble

The calendar episode lands on a brand that has grown far beyond shapewear. Skims was valued at $5 billion in 2025 after raising $225 million in a funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, and the company has made Kardashian a billionaire, according to Forbes.

Skims has expanded into loungewear, apparel and partnerships, with beauty planned for 2027 and collaborations involving Nike, The North Face and Fendi. The advent calendar was a small, limited product in a much larger portfolio, but the reaction showed how quickly a holiday item can become a brand-level story when the price-to-value gap is visible on camera.

The refund response also drew its own commentary. One X user wrote that contacting every customer was “a solid move,” while another said the gesture was “the bare minimum”. A separate commenter pointed out the oddity of asking for the calendar back when many buyers considered it junk: “Them making you return it is crazy”.

What Shoppers Are Saying Now

Reaction has settled into a mix of refund confirmation, continued mockery and a few defences of the brand. On X, one user wrote, “Nah this is a solid move. people really out here glad they are actually reaching out to every customer to offer their money back”. Another posted, “That’s good cause I actually found those exact same items behind my couch”.

A more critical comment focused on the gap between packaging and product: “Its sad that the packaging looks so good, but the inside is pure trash”. One viral line summed up the refund announcement itself: “$148 for an advent calendar full of hair ties and bobby pins. SKIMS offering refunds is the only surprise worth opening lol”.

The calendar remains off the Skims website, and refund emails are the main route for buyers who want their money back. The episode has become a reference point for holiday shoppers comparing advent calendar value, with the Skims box joining a longer list of pricey calendars that drew complaints over contents versus cost.

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