Skims Offers Refunds for $148 Advent Calendar After Viral Backlash

By Amara Osei

Skims, the Kim Kardashian-founded shapewear brand, is offering refunds on its $148 accessories Advent calendar after a TikTok haul drew almost 65 million views, according to Today and social media posts.

Negative reviews of the 12-day product surfaced online this weekend. The response became intense enough for Skims to offer refunds to buyers, according to Today and social media posts, though the report did not specify the refund window, return process or payment schedule.

Brands including Dior and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever released luxury Advent calendars that flew off shelves this year, with prices in the hundreds of dollars well before Halloween. Customers have now begun receiving those calendars, and some have found that the contents do not live up to expectations.

What was inside Skims’ $148 calendar?

A TikTok creator emptied the 12-day calendar on camera and appeared to become more frustrated as she moved through the items. Her haul included:

• Six scrunchies and six bobby pins.
• Four keychains and three hair ties.
• Two hair clips and two head bands that looked like bra straps.
• One small, squishy toy in the shape of the Skims logo.

Skims described the calendar online as containing “a mix of playful items and everyday favorites,” including hair accessories, keychains and more. The creator’s haul matched that description. Her dissatisfaction centered on the quantity and quality of the items she received for $148, not on a mismatch with Skims’ listing.

That distinction puts the dispute squarely on value. Skims can point to an accurate description of the assortment, but buyers and commenters question whether small accessories, keychains and a squishy logo toy merit a $148 price.

How did the complaint reach 65 million people?

The creator’s TikTok video has almost 65 million views and more than 8 million likes. It shows her emptying the package, pausing over each item and appearing more frustrated as the contents accumulate.

TikTok users wrote in the comments that they “wouldn’t pay $15” for the calendar’s contents. Several joked that they could find all of the products under their beds anyway. One described the package as a “box full of pranks.”

A separate creator whose review has nearly 20 million views delivered a blunt verdict: “This is terrible,” followed by: “People would pay so much money for a good Skims advent calendar. This is not it. Please do not buy this.”

Together, the videos moved the complaint beyond one buyer’s disappointment. They set Skims’ $148 price against comments that the contents would fetch less than $15, while the brand’s own product description remained the reference point for what buyers received.

What does the refund offer mean for Skims?

The offer applies to people who bought the holiday-themed calendar, according to Today and social media posts. The report did not specify whether refunds would require physical returns, how buyers would submit claims or when the offer would expire.

For now, Skims has answered a viral value complaint with a refund offer while the calendar’s listed contents and $148 price remain in place. Refunds limit the immediate financial exposure for buyers who claim them, but the dispute still centers on whether the listed assortment supports $148 when commenters value it below $15.

Skims’ next test is whether refunds contain the pricing dispute without turning one viral calendar into a broader holiday-sales problem. The company will also need to show that a carefully described assortment can support premium pricing when buyers can inspect every item in public.