Mythili Devarakonda
The Hallyu wave has spread its wings far and wide into the world with talented K-pop idol groups and binge-worthy K-dramas making us enthusiastic consumers of their content. South Korea’s soft power extends (but not limited) to fashion, skincare, makeup and so much more. But it is not entirely easy to access some of these goods outside of the country. So, we have compiled an efficient K-Merch shoppers’ guide to help you out from where you can grab your favorite idol or drama’s merch the next time you shop!
COKODIVE:
Based off of in South Korea, Cokodive is one of the best places to shop online for some K-pop goodies. A wide variety of official products are offered along with the option to pre-order albums. But once the albums are ordered/bought, they cannot be refunded. They have great customer service and decent delivery times depending on your location. But experience tells us Cokodive is much faster at delivering than other online stores. Also, while the website says free shipping, it also states that import custom fees and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer so beware of this while shopping!
Authenticity: ★★★★★
Shipping: Free + Custom charges
Delivery speed: ★★★★☆
Customer service: ★★★★☆
Albums count towards Hanteo and Gaon charts: Check!
KTOWN4U:
Tight on budget? This might the right K-Merch store for you! What’s interesting is this store even offers official magazines featuring a spread of front covers of idols and other Korean celebrities, usually a rare find for international fans. And DVDs and Blu-rays of Korean movies, another collectible that can’t be found outside of South Korea. This site is definitely worth looking around if you’re being swept by the Hallyu wave, like us.
Authenticity: ★★★★★
Shipping: Proportional to the number of products being bought, i.e., as the number of goods purchased increases, the shipping price increases too.
Delivery speed: ★★★★☆
Customer service: ★★★☆☆
Albums count towards Hanteo and Gaon charts: Check!
MWAVE:
Mwave is another subsidiary run by the leading entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM in South Korea. Like Mnet, the channel where we watch all our cherished idols’ performances and shows, the Mwave website is commonly visited during voting trips for events like the MAMA awards. But they also include an online store that offers authentic signed albums and other printed products for sale. The signed albums are always high on demand (no surprise there!) so if you want to own one of them, speed is the way! The albums are sometimes out of stock but often restocked so keep an eye out.
Authenticity: ★★★★★
Shipping: Paid + Custom charges
Delivery speed: ★★★★☆
Customer service: ★★★☆☆
Albums count towards Hanteo and Gaon charts: Check!
KPOPSHOP:
Who loves free gifts? We sure do! Kpopshop offers its customers multiple discounts and offers, one of them being free gifts when one signs up for their newsletter. How cute!
It is easier to list all the things you won’t find in this store than what you will, they make all kinds of K-pop merch accessible except albums to fans everywhere. They have excellent customer support who speak many different languages to help shoppers efficiently. Kpopshop definitely seems like one of those thoughtful Etsy sellers.?
Authenticity: ★★★★☆
Shipping: Free + Custom charges
Delivery speed: ★★★★☆
Customer service: ★★★★☆
Albums count towards Hanteo and Gaon charts: Doesn’t Apply
Honorable mentions:
YESASIA and Kpopmart are honorable mentions who sell both albums and merchandise related to K-pop and Korean culture. The reason they didn’t make it into the main list is because of their notorious reputation for late deliveries. But if you are not in a hurry, both are certified authentic online stores and albums bought from them count towards Hanteo, Gaon and Japanese Oricon charts. Unique features include other East Asian products available (on Yesasia) and Korean snacks (on Kpopmart).
LVBangtan is an online store that sells exclusive BTS apparel to not only raise awareness about the #BTSLoveMyself campaign in partnership with UNICEF’ #EndViolence campaign but also donates 5% of its proceeds directly. So ARMYs if you’re interested in buying some cool sweatshirts, go for it!
Do you find this guide helpful? Let us know where you shop K-pop and K-drama merch by tweeting us @Fuzzable.
