You’ve probably figured it out by now: most assumptions don’t survive contact with reality. You expect one thing, you get another. Think about the last time you ordered something online. The ad looked perfect. The product photos were flawless. Then it shows up—and it’s nothing like what you expected. Maybe the sweater fits like a trash bag. Maybe the cake looks like it was frosted during an earthquake.
You’re not alone. There’s an entire Reddit community built around moments like these: Expectation vs. Reality. It’s a place where over 4 million people gather to share the weird, disappointing, and unintentionally hilarious results of misplaced trust. It’s packed with photos of sad party decorations, meals that look like they lost a fight, and knockoff products that barely resemble the original.
So go ahead—scroll through. It’s a reminder that we all fall for it sometimes. But at least now we can laugh about it.
More Info: Reddit
I ordered a sexy catsuit and ended up with a terrifying shadow being.
#1 Ordered a cake for my father’s birthday
#2 A portion from the lawsuit suing Taco Bell for false advertising.
#3 My kid cried
#4 The crystal mug my boyfriend ordered me for our anniversary vs what we actually received
#5 are you kidding me
#6 Handsome.
#7 The inspiration and how it turned out
#8 I’ve been staring at this cutie on FB Marketplace for weeks.
#9 I knew I was taking a gamble ordering from Wish…. but still, I couldnt stop laughing when my blanket finally arrived!
#10 Guess I won’t be reaping that Norway scenery karma
#11 Giant Teddy Bear
#12 Otterly impressive birthday cake from my mom!
#13 I feel like majority of the Applebee’s menu is ExpectationVsReality
#14 My friend bought this costume online and I’ve been laughing all day
#15 My girlfriend spent $100 to get me a White Claw cake for my birthday. She was less than pleased with the result.
#16 Ordered from grocery store. Cupcake ‘cake’ for my daughters birthday. Pleasantly surprised!
#17 Merry Christmas everyone!
#18 What my mother ordered VS what she got
#19 Expectation vs. Reality after a 6-month backorder from West Elm.
#20 The way we advertise our Jack-o-Lantern pizzas vs the way I like to make them for customers
#21 I bought this Bob Ross chia pet . . . These are not happy trees
#22 Some boots from Amazon
#23 Ordered a Champion sweatshirt on eBay. Received a Hanes sweatshirt with a Champion logo glued on
#24 A Texas sized disappointment
#25 Thanks KFC, totally what I expected /s
#26 I ain‘t even mad
#27 Room service at the hotel I’m staying at, I was so excited too.
#28 These things never work out, do they?
#29 Tried making the Momofuku Milk Bar Cake
#30 This is so outrageous, I just had to crosspost it here.
#31 I paid 8 dollars for this at the cinemas…
#32 My attempt on the right
#33 Breakfast jackpot
#34 My mom made an Elsa cake
#35 I got this ice cream bar from a 7 eleven store in Tokyo and it was exactly the same as in picture. Plus it was delicious!
#36 These sly, sly bastards…
#37 The birthday cake my wife made for our daughter
#38 Taken from Twitter “(got me )looking like a gay priest”
#39 I ordered bruschetta from my local pizza shop.
#40 “Extra large” dog pool…
