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Although living overseas offers us all a unique opportunity to explore a new culture and to live like the locals, sometimes it’s nice to get items from home. No matter how much you want something, however, finding it can be difficult on our island.
Your Korean language skills might be limited, or you might not know where to start looking. At these times you have no choice but to go online, but you quickly learn that EBay, Amazon, and Wal-Mart.com are not going get you what you need, at the right price. Enter The Weekly’s guide to affordable online shopping for expats!
Foods
For some people it’s immediate. For others it takes a few months. Sometimes it strikes you without warning. What is it? It’s the craving for those special foods from home. If you’re looking for particular spices, a box of PopTarts, or a big ol’ block of real cheese, then there are a couple websites you need to know.
iHerb.com – iHerb.com offers a variety of vitamins, supplements and whole food options. It’s a great place to get things like spices, teas, beans, and flour that you’re missing from home. Be sure to check out their freebies and shipping promotions. First-time users can apply the coupon code IKU571 to save $5 on their first order.
EZshopkorea.com – EZShopkorea.com is a mainland outlet that stocks goodies that are hard to find on Jeju, such as cheeses, salamis, Pop-Tarts, cereals, Hamburger Helper, and many other ‘home’ items. EZShop is connected to a Costco store in Seoul, where the items are picked up and shipped to you. It is best to to order with friends as orders over 250,000 won receive free ground shipping (including Jeju). Jeju residents must pay by bank transfer, rather than credit card.
highstreet.co.kr – High Street Market has similar goods to EZShop, but a lower limit for free shipping to Jeju at 150 thousand won. Currently a 10 percent discount is offered to customers posting pictures of themselves wearing a green shirt to their “High Street Market” Facebook page for St. Patrick’s Day. Be sure to include the time and date in the photo to receive the discount.
Books
On Jeju it’s not always easy to find English books other than your school’s textbooks. Luckily, there are more and more options arising every day to get a hold of English titles.
Jeju Book Swap – Jeju Book Swap is a Facebook group created by one of our very own expats to expand the sharing of books on the island. Join the group to trade, swap, borrow, buy, sell, give and get books that you’d love to read. Be sure to keep “paying it forward” by offering your own mini-library!
whatthebook.com – What the Book is an expat-owned bookstore in Itaewon, Seoul. It’s a great place to visit in person but their vast collection is also available online. They even offer discounted used books.
bookdepository.co.uk – The Book Depository is a UK online bookstore that offers FREE! shipping worldwide. With thousands of books to choose from, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. The great prices and free shipping make the Book Depository a fantastic online resource for English literature.
Clothing, Electronics, Furniture, and Miscellaneous Items:
As old-timers in Korea know, many things are cheaper and easier to buy online. For example, electronics and furniture are often cheaper online and if you’re bigger than the average Korean, websites can provide sizes to suit your build.
Home-country websites – When ordering from foreign websites, be aware that if your combined weekly purchases total over 100 US dollars, you may be required to pay import tax. One way to avoid this fee is to have a family member or friend at home receive your online purchase and send it to you marked as ‘gift’. Another way to diminish the fees is to order with friends and share the import taxes and shipping.
Gmarket.co.kr – At Gmarket you can find anything from clothes and books to food and furniture, plus a lot more! There is an English option and if you’re able to navigate the flashing pictures and frequent bad translations - if translated at all - then you can find almost anything. However, it is best to have a Korean-speaker with you when ordering as there is a lot of Korean form-filling to wade through.
11st.co.kr – 11street is very similar to Gmarket and has a large variety of items including clothing, jewelry, sports equipment, and electronics. Again, even though an English option for searching is available, it is necessary to have someone with workable Korean to help with selection and ordering.
asos.com - this is a UK clothes outlet offering free shipping worldwide. If you want your clothes a bit earlier (within 4-7 days) you can pay 45 thousand won for the privilege. UK styles are expectedly cutting edge and discounts are as high as 70 percent.
Although living overseas offers us all a unique opportunity to explore a new culture and to live like the locals, sometimes it’s nice to get items from home. No matter how much you want something, however, finding it can be difficult on our island.
Although living overseas offers us all a unique opportunity to explore a new culture and to live like the locals, sometimes it’s nice to get items from home. No matter how much you want something, however, finding it can be difficult on our island.
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