What are your go to sellers for kpop merch?

[kpop_queenie❤]

This year I started buying kpop albums through Amazon, and I may quite possibly be addicted! One of my biggest concerns, though, when buying my albums was whether or not the seller was trustworthy. Kpop albums are not cheap, and I was really worried about getting everything that was included in the description as well as making sure that it was official. So far I have found two sellers that I really like and that are reliable.

The first one is KPOP MARKET.
I have ordered 2 albums from them so far, and I am really impressed with their quality. They ship from Korea, so their packages do take a while (2-4 weeks) to come, and you have to pay for shipping. But everything that I have bought from them has come in excellent condition. I received folded posters with my albums, and they were not extremely creased or torn, despite not being packaged in a box. They also include a free gift of unofficial double-sided photo cards. I have not pre-ordered anything from them yet, but I definitely would!

The second one is BolsVos.
I have bought 3 albums from them so far, two of which I pre-ordered. They have amazing customer service, and I have received everything that was promised when I've bought from them. They also ship from Korea, so their packages take a while to come as well, but, unlike KPOP MARKET, they offer free shipping, which is so nice! Their free gift is a set of stickers plus two unofficial photo cards.

[The third album that I bought from them was ITZY's It'z Me album (I bought it in November). I really wanted to have the pre-order benefits of the album, but I doubted that I would receive any since it had been so long since the album had been released. BolsVos had advertised that the pre-order benefits came with their album, but I wasn't sure if it still applied. When the package came, I was thrilled to find that they had included the pre-order benefits as advertised!! The only thing was that the pre-order benefits did not match the version of the album that I bought due to them being out of stock. BolVos included a note apologizing for it as well as some extra photocards. Because of this I got the poster that I had actually wanted, so I was completely fine with it. But I really appreciated the fact that they apologized for it. Like I said, they have amazing customer service!]

One draw-back, though, is that they don't package their albums in a box. It hasn't happened to me, but others have commented that their albums came a bit damaged. Also, they fold their posters rather hard, and so they come a bit creased and I have also received one that had a tiny tear in the middle. I still would recommend them because they do include what they advertise and they have very nice customer service. But their packaging isn't the greatest.

[There was one album that I bought from Amazon that wasn't through one of these sellers, and I didn't get the version that was advertised. In that case the label with a barcode that was on the album didn't match the actual version that the album was. I was a bit disappointed, but the seller (MOMS HOBBY US) did come through with everything else advertised and the album was official. But the whole experience made me appreciate BolsVos and KPOP MARKET even more.]

Hearing other people's experiences with buying albums and kpop merch has been so incredibly helpful to me, so I wanted to share my experiences and also ask where everyone else buys their albums.

DISCLAIMER: I live in America so the shipping rates that I mentioned are for America. I am not sure what they are for other countries.

 

[OppaIsTrash]

Personally I've been ordering from KPOPMART's website these past few orders. Fast customer service, lowest shipping cost out of the other sites I'd been using (I live in Puerto Rico), and they also have skincare and snacks (when you order them they also give you freebies like simple sizes of skincare, a sheet mask, a small cookie snack). They also had a spring sale last year where I was able to get quite a few albums at a pretty good discount. They also package really well, lots of bubble wrap and they tape their boxes very well, I haven't received any damaged boxes from them that I can recall. My one communication with customer service was about an order that hadn't shipped out in 2 weeks; turns out one of the albums I ordered wasn't in stock anymore. I wish they would have notified me, but the issue was resolved quickly (I had messaged them at night since they're based in S. Korea so they got back to me in just a couple hours) and I was able to substitute for another album of the same price.

I've also ordered from Global Interpark, KPOPTOWN, and Ktown4u. These as well as KPOPMART are based in S. Korea.

Ktown4u used to be my go to, but the packages always seemed to arrive really banged up (not sure if the variable was the shipping method). I used to like them for the discounts they give out for certain artists, but after doing the math I found I was better off paying full price elsewhere because the shipping was really expensive (I did the price comparison after COVID took hold so I was comparing DHL and UPS prices, since standard shipping isn't available still I think).

I only ordered once from both KPOPTOWN and Global Interpark. As well as I can remember both arrived well, in good packaging. Global Interpark I felt took a really long time in shipping out but I may be misremembering (the order included pre-orders that weren't coming out for a week when I ordered, so maybe it just felt like forever). KPOPTOWN I found has comparable shipping prices with KPOPMART, and the last time I price-compared they tended to have concert blu-rays a few bucks cheaper (the one order I made through them was a bunch of concert blu-rays).

All my other albums I either got in person at the mall (I've since found it's cheaper for me to buy them online, but some of the albums I've gotten there had pre-order benefits or were first press, and there's just something about in=person shopping that I prefer); or through twitter: a signed gugudan album I got second-hand from someone I follow, and some SEVENTEEN japanese albums through a group order (saved a lot on shipping but it's not for the impatient).

I am looking around for other places to maybe order from, but so far my go-to's is KPOPMART, KPOPTOWN, and group orders.

 

[kpop_queenie❤]

Personally I've been ordering from KPOPMART's website these past few orders. Fast customer service, lowest shipping cost out of the other sites I'd been using (I live in Puerto Rico), and they also have skincare and snacks (when you order them they also give you freebies like simple sizes of skincare, a sheet mask, a small cookie snack). They also had a spring sale last year where I was able to get quite a few albums at a pretty good discount. They also package really well, lots of bubble wrap and they tape their boxes very well, I haven't received any damaged boxes from them that I can recall. My one communication with customer service was about an order that hadn't shipped out in 2 weeks; turns out one of the albums I ordered wasn't in stock anymore. I wish they would have notified me, but the issue was resolved quickly (I had messaged them at night since they're based in S. Korea so they got back to me in just a couple hours) and I was able to substitute for another album of the same price.

I've also ordered from Global Interpark, KPOPTOWN, and Ktown4u. These as well as KPOPMART are based in S. Korea.

Ktown4u used to be my go to, but the packages always seemed to arrive really banged up (not sure if the variable was the shipping method). I used to like them for the discounts they give out for certain artists, but after doing the math I found I was better off paying full price elsewhere because the shipping was really expensive (I did the price comparison after COVID took hold so I was comparing DHL and UPS prices, since standard shipping isn't available still I think).

I only ordered once from both KPOPTOWN and Global Interpark. As well as I can remember both arrived well, in good packaging. Global Interpark I felt took a really long time in shipping out but I may be misremembering (the order included pre-orders that weren't coming out for a week when I ordered, so maybe it just felt like forever). KPOPTOWN I found has comparable shipping prices with KPOPMART, and the last time I price-compared they tended to have concert blu-rays a few bucks cheaper (the one order I made through them was a bunch of concert blu-rays).

All my other albums I either got in person at the mall (I've since found it's cheaper for me to buy them online, but some of the albums I've gotten there had pre-order benefits or were first press, and there's just something about in=person shopping that I prefer); or through twitter: a signed gugudan album I got second-hand from someone I follow, and some SEVENTEEN japanese albums through a group order (saved a lot on shipping but it's not for the impatient).

I am looking around for other places to maybe order from, but so far my go-to's is KPOPMART, KPOPTOWN, and group orders.

This is good to know! Thank you for sharing!

 

[pika_chuu]

Personally, I use Facebook and Mercari. Merch is usually pretty cheap and of good quality. I got two VIXX Albums signed by N for $10 each, and the shipping was amazing! Definitely worth looking into if you want to build your collection for a more affordable price.

For new merch, or signed albums that are coming out, I use MWave, LA Music (something, cant remember exact name but it's in US), as LA Music has better shipping prices and generally better retail prices. MWave, because, of course, signed albums.

 

[stanloona]

if its like official merch then like amazon mostly or the group or companies official site
but for like stuff people make on their own (like custom photocards) i use etsy since its always usually good and you support small businesses and cheaper compared to the real real stuff

 

[fvedolls]

I’ve never shopped for kpop merch online but there is this one place in New York where you can get awesome kpop albums and merch. It’s called Koryo Books. They have many artists and most of the albums and merch have a discount. They also sell books for learning Korean and great skincare items. Sadly, I’ve never gotten an album there (but my friend did get my album there^^) either because I was only carrying a few bucks or I was just tagging along with friends.

 

[kpop_queenie❤]

That is so cool! I'd love to go there!

 

[sanasideup]

i usually just use kpopusaonline bc their prices are decent and the shipping costs aren't too high (tho they usually take a long time to get the albums to you). i've also used one other site that i think had decent prices and even included 2 extra (unofficial) photocards, but i can't remember what is was :c