‘We do not need to physically own these cars or houses to include them as prizes’
Mystery Brand, the contentious loot box-style website encouraged by YouTube founders like Jake Paul and Brian”RiceGum” Le, has verified it doesn’t own some of the awards offered to users, also collects others via a public online marketplace.
The caliber of prizes offered through Mystery Brand to customers fluctuates into California mansions and luxury automobiles from fidget spinners. Mystery New teamed up with Paul and Le for sponsored videos, allegedly paying $100,000 for both creators through real estate deals. The movies showed Le and Paul winning an assortment of prizes, including a set of Off-White Nike Air Max 97 shoes (valued at $835) and also an iPhone XS (valued at $1,000). Quite a few Mystery Brand consumers on Twitter and Reddit have raised concerns regarding the company, accusing it of giving away fake items or not providing prizes. Both Le and Paul faced harsh criticism against the YouTube community for encouraging the website, including videos from major creators like Ethan Klein and PewDiePie.
Currently, Tim Perk, a representative to the company, is addressing a number of complaints. Perk told The Verge via email that the company does not have some of the prizes offered on the website, such as a mansion recorded for about $250 million or pricey luxury cars. The house in question is a Beverly Hills home listed on Zillow for $188 million. Top-of-the-line Lamborghini and Ferrari versions also look on the website of Mystery Brand.
Perk told that the Verge that although specific mansions and models may appear on the website, the firm doesn’t actually have the rights to provide them away.
“We do not need to physically own these cars or homes to include them as prizes in the box,” Perk said. “If the consumer were to win such a prize, we’d either provide them the exact money value of this prize, or our agents would fly into the city of the winner and help them with the purchase price of a vehicle or house.”
Prizes just like a $188 million mansion are extremely rare, according to Perk, who added Mystery Brand’s staff can”afford to attend the winner” in case somebody should happen to win. None of that is recorded anywhere on Mystery Brand’s website, such as within the conditions of service or FAQ page. There is not any sign that Mystery Brand does not own.
Claims that Mystery Brand delivered”bogus winnings” or failed to deliver goods at all are”completely untrue and unjustified,” Perk advised The Verge. Perk noted that Mystery Brand is based on StockX, a reselling platform frequently used by sneakerheads.
“Occasionally, shipping can take around a couple of weeks because we largely use the StockX platform for buying and delivering prizes to the winners,” Perk wrote. “StockX includes a longer delivery time because every item is completely checked for credibility, and we would happily sacrifice delivery time to make sure our clients only receive accurate products of the highest quality.”
Reached from The Verge, a StockX representative stated they were totally unaware of Mystery Brand, and no formal partnership exists between both companies. Consequently, any products were obtained via a frequent user account.
StockX, that bills itself as”the Stock Market of Items,” allows consumers to place buy orders for deadstock items at a specific price. That new approach to the streetwear marketplace has attracted a number of high-profile investors. A $55 million Series B round this summer included investment from Google Ventures, SalesForce, and Steve Aoki, Amongst Others.
“I Got a fake Supreme by North Face Baltoro mountain jacket,” one StockX user said”
Despite ample funding and its scale, StockX has struggled to keep products outside the marketplace. A quantity of consumers have reported receiving knockoffs throughout the platform, often recounting the experience in YouTube reviews .
“I obtained a bogus Supreme x North Face Baltoro mountain coat from Stockx earlier this season,” another person on Reddit stated . “It is so frustrating to see a multi-million dollar business do nicely despite numerous episodes of imitation items slipping through the authentication process. Their lack of customer service can be a joke.”
StockX says it confirms that the authenticity and condition of each product until it’s sent to buyers, but scammers have often discovered creative ways around those constraints . StockX advised that the Verge it maintains a 99.85% authenticity rate, and that any substandard merchandise can be returned via a customer support line. But since Mystery Brand buyers would have had no idea it would have been difficult for them to make the most of the service.
StockX CEO Josh Luber said the firm had made significant strides to maintain counterfeits. “StockX prides itself in providing its customers an anonymous, transparent, and authentic market. We have four authentication centers worldwide with highly-trained, highly-skilled authenticators on employees,” Luber said. “We respond to every message and and will always do whatever is required to resolve a problem — simply email [email protected].”
The reliance on StockX of mystery Brand may also explain why buyers had to wait long for their own goods. Some Mystery Brand buyers reported not getting goods for more than a month following their purchase, stoking concerns about the corporation. But unlike a traditional shop, StockX does not guarantee that a product will be available at a given time. It’s completely possible that the products that are applicable simply weren’t available on StockX at the time they were won.
Mystery Brand’s own conditions of service also expressly state that while people are”with the services of the site You may encounter circumstances in which Your won items will not be obtained” The terms say that the business is going to try to rectify the situation.
“In this case, the Web site will make every attempt to Resolve this situation and attempt as soon as possible to resolve Your problem. The maximum term of consideration of the defect/error is 45 working days.”
After several testimonials on Reddit and wider backlash in the YouTube community, Perk informed The Verge he wanted to address concerns Mystery Brand was a scam.
“Our site provides everyone with equal odds of winning Certain prizes,” Perk said. “We also incorporated an independent agency’Provably Fair’ into our site, a service often used by online casinos to ensure that everything is fair and transparent and provides guarantees that the winnings were arbitrary and not predetermined in any way.” A report from The Daily Beast discovered that the odds for winning luxury things — like the $188 million home — have since been removed.
Perk’s statement also raises new questions regarding whether Mystery Brand counts as gambling. “Provably honest” services are heavily connected with online casinos, primarily used to show that a given match isn’t overly skewed in the house’s favor. YouTube’s neighborhood guidelines for videos, advertisements, or founder sponsorships specifically state that links to”online gambling casinos” are prohibited as the company considers it harmful content for audiences. It is still debatable whether Mystery Brand matches with that description, but the presence of a audited odds-making agency could have a significant impact. The Verge has reached out to YouTube for Additional comment.
Earlier this week, since the controversy began, both Le Statements have been issued by and Paul . Le printed a video telling viewers they ought to do research for themselves before using Mystery Brand addressing the controversy, for potentially misleading them and apologizing. Paul tweeted concerning the scenario , telling kids not to bet.
Perk called out one creator involved in the circumstance, Daniel”Keemstar” Keem, in his own email to The Verge, noting that Mystery Brand never approached Keem to get a sponsorship deal despite Keem’s claims on Twitter.
“He notified his tens of thousands of followers through twitter We provided him $100,000, which is a blatant lie,” Perk said. Keem confessed his mistake on Twitter after a journalist for Storyful asked him to get more details on his documented offer from Mystery Brand.
“wasn’t contacted by that specific site,” Keem tweeted. “However a similar one via email. Apparently there are lots of like Mystery.”
