When “Everything Bundle” Doesn’t Mean Everything: My Cricut Joy Xtra Experience
I went into this with so much excitement.
I had a plan — a good one.
The idea was simple: use a Cricut Joy Xtra to create custom, themed products to bundle with my books. Think Reborn In Shadows–themed stickers, bookmarks, and maybe even special edition packaging for signed copies. It would be a fun way to add value for readers while giving me another creative outlet.
So, I bought the Cricut Joy Xtra “Everything Bundle.”
The Purchase
On August 2nd, I clicked “buy” and paid full price — over $217 after tax. The word “Everything” in the bundle title gave me confidence I’d be able to open the box and get to work. After all, the whole selling point of the Joy Xtra is that it’s beginner-friendly and ready to go right out of the box.
I unpacked it, plugged it in, registered it in the Cricut Design Space app, and prepared for my first project — printable stickers for book swag.
The Surprise Missing Piece
That’s when I learned the irony: the “Everything Bundle” didn’t actually include… everything.
Printable stickers require a mat in the Joy Xtra, and the bundle didn’t come with one. Without that mat, I couldn’t cut the sticker paper I’d bought specifically for my first project. Cricut’s “cut without a mat” marketing only applies to their proprietary Smart Materials, which is great if you’re doing vinyl or iron-on — but useless for printable sticker sheets, cardstock, or other common materials.
I was already looking at another purchase just to make the machine functional for what I bought it for. That rubbed me the wrong way.
The Return Roadblock
I decided right then: nope. I wasn’t sinking more money into this. I’d return the machine and look for a different solution.
That’s when Cricut’s return policy hit me like a brick wall.
If a machine is registered in the Design Space app — even if it’s never actually been used for a single cut — Cricut will not take it back. Period.
Because I had powered it on and linked it to the app, they considered it “used” and ineligible for return. The fact that it was still in brand-new condition didn’t matter.
Adding Insult to Injury
The very next day, Cricut dropped the price. If I had waited 24 hours, I could have saved money. Now I was stuck with a brand-new machine I didn’t want and couldn’t return, trying to resell it just to recoup part of what I’d spent.
When I posted it for sale — at $200, already below what I paid — I got one of those classic “I’m not trying to be rude…” comments pointing out the current sale price, like I was price gouging. Never mind the fact that I bought it before the sale and am already taking a loss.
The Takeaway
I bought the Cricut Joy Xtra to create beautiful, themed products for my book bundles — something fun and personal for my readers. Instead, I got an expensive lesson in how “Everything Bundle” doesn’t necessarily mean everything you need, and how a restrictive return policy can trap customers into keeping or reselling something they never even got to use.
So now, the Joy Xtra is for sale — $200 firm, brand new, never cut a single thing. My loss, someone else’s gain.
If you’re thinking about getting one, here’s my advice:
Double-check exactly what comes in the box.
Understand the difference between Smart Materials (mat-free) and regular materials (require a mat).
Don’t register it in the app until you’re sure you’re keeping it.
Because once you do, Cricut will make sure it’s yours — for better or worse.
