How people buy Kpop merch without paying crazy resale prices

Just a quick note: This is mostly for people who are newer to buying merch. If you’ve been doing this for a while you probably already know all this, so feel free to ignore.

1. Buying directly from Korean sites 

If your goal is paying as close to retail price as possible, direct purchasing is usually the best. Kpop is literally Korean pop, so the biggest supply is obviously in Korea unless it’s specifically country limited. Albums and merch are often cheaper on Korean sites like Apple Music Korea and similar websites, though the company usually needs to be physically based in Korea to sell at those lower prices. Most of them do offer international shipping too, but the downside is the shipping cost can be pretty brutal, most times it ends up costing more than the item itself.

2. Buying secondhand 

If a release is already sold out or discontinued, secondhand markets are usually the best place to look. For Japan exclusive items people usually check Mercari, for China exclusives there’s Xianyu, and for Korean merch a lot of it eventually ends up on Bunjang. These days I personally use bunjang quite frequently because i can sometimes find really good deals, especially in bulk. Fans quit collecting all the time and occasionally someone will just dump a big part of their collection.

The tricky part is you kind of have to set alerts and be quick. When something gets listed you need to jump on it immediately, so it does mean checking your phone a lot. But if you’re patient it can really pay off. I managed to get some rare aespa Winter photocards and even a Jjkjik doll plus a signed album and pola that I’d been trying to find for a long time from an ex winter fan who decided to stop collecting.

It’s also where a lot of rarer or older items show up. If something is out of print, secondhand might literally be the only way to get it. Difference with group order is that bunjang platform itself acts as a middle layer. For people who are nervous about joining fan run purchases, buying through a marketplace tends to feel safer. But again you gotta watch out for insane proxy shipping fees that could sometimes add up. What's important here is bulk shipping.

3. Group orders 

Group orders are also extremely common in the kpop community. A group order is when one person(chongdae) organizes a large purchase and multiple fans join to split the cost. The biggest advantage is splitting international shipping, which can get expensive if you order alone. 

Another big reason group orders exist is random merch box splitting. Instead of just relying on luck and hoping you pull your ult, people organize a group order where each participant claims a specific member before the box is even purchased. The downside is that group orders are run by individuals usually on X. That means you have to trust the chongdae you’ve never actually met in real life.

A few things people usually check if the chongdae is credible or not

• Account age (ideally over a year)
• Previous group order history
• Proof photos from past orders

I know this is pretty basic stuff, but there are always new people getting into this sub so I figured it might be helpful to share!