6 Costly Mistakes When Buying Foreign Products Online in Korea

How to save money, time, and headaches when buying your favorite products from overseas.

Maybe you’re one of those people that can instantly and fully immerse yourself into the local culture. You speak the Korean language. You eat the Korean food. You wear the Korean-sized clothes. You get by without the deodorant. You do it all with no exceptions.

That’s not me.

If you’re like me, there are those little, idiosyncratic niceties that you just can’t find in Korea. They’re things that you don’t think about in the first few months, but then a passing thought becomes an appetite, and the appetite becomes an obsession: I will die without a box of Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries Cereal!

Most likely you are not a crazy person like me, but occasionally you may want to get something shipped from overseas (rather than pay the gray market mark-up). If so, there are a handful of tips you should be aware of in order to minimize the cost. So, here are 5 tips that will save you money when ordering items from abroad.

What I imagine heaven looks like

MISTAKE #1 -  Not using a forwarding service

Sites like BoxOregon, 2fasts, and Fishisfast collect purchases you make from various online stores, package them together, and ship them to you overseas. Some services have direct relationships with Korea, and somehow they are able to offer shipping costs much lower than shipping them directly. The best part is that you can also use them to get items from vendors that don’t normally ship internationally. You can have them ship to the forwarding service’s warehouse (often for free), and then the forwarding service will send it to you! After your item or items arrive at their warehouse, you will typically get them within 4 days.

MISTAKE #2 -  Spending over $250 on an item

Although the customs website states that 150 USD is the threshold for duty-free allowance for “personal use”, individual items up to $250 can qualify as a duty-free “sample”. Anything over that will be flagged for customs tax. If you do not pay the tax, it will stay at customs and you will have to pay for every day your package is stored at customs. In general, if you keep your purchases under $250, not only will you avoid the duty (usually 10% or more), but your package is not likely to be flagged at all (even if your items are for commercial use). It will pass directly through Customs without delay. The $250 threshold is not a guarantee, but it’s a useful guideline. 

MISTAKE #3 - Not paying attention to the dimensions of your items

If a package is too large, the shipping will be calculated from volume rather than weight. This is called “Dimensional Weight”. It’s not always easy to know the size of the package, but online stores will generally give you the dimensions of the product and the packaging. Use these values to calculate your shipping.

From BoxOregon:

Dimensional Weight calculation:

• L x W x H / 166

• L = Length in inches

• W = Width in inches

• H = Height in inches

Example: A child car seat that has a cubic size of 19 inches x 18 inches x 26 inches and weighs 23 lbs. Although the item weighs only 23 lbs, its shipping fee will be based on dimensional weight due to its bulky size.

19 x 18 x 26 / 166 = rounded up to 54 lbs. Thus, the child car seat that weighs 23 lbs would be charged as if it weighed 54 lbs.

MISTAKE #4 - Not reading the fine print

Look closely at the origin of your products. More and more services will import items from other countries. This can be problematic for many reasons. Functions may be different. Electronics could require an alternate plug or a power converter. Accessories may not be available. The warranty may not cover Korea, so there may be difficulties getting A/S. Make sure you know which version of the item you are ordering.

Look out for the “oversea delivery”

MISTAKE #5 - Not choosing the right products!

Size and weight are practical measures for determining what items are good for shipping, but it’s important to pay attention to what items are more expensive, or more scarce in Korea. Custom items from Etsy are great to order. Non-perishable food items like sauce mixes, spices, or cereal are popular to order. Clothing or shoes in “Big”, “Tall”, or “Other” sizes can be a boon. Also, take advantage of deep discounts from Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any other seasonal sales.

The perfect package

MISTAKE #6 - Not checking all of the websites!

Many websites are international. They will offer different prices for the same items. They may offer different items altogether. They even have different sales and deals. Make sure to check all of the options available. Some websites are not available in all regions. You can often access those sites using a VPN. Then you can access all the best deals everywhere!

Those are 6 tips for avoiding costly mistakes when ordering online. Happy shopping!