Category Archives: K-Shopping (Online)

K-Shopping Online – Gmarket

Finally my toiletries arrived !

Now they are all stacked up in boxes on top of my front load washing machine!

1 year supply of toiletries. Buying in bulk is cheaper and easier for us to manage our yearly expenses on household cleaning agents and toiletries etc. So we wont be going for such buying spree every month and all the small small things add up tog can cost alot leh. So i usually stock up every June and Dec since June and Dec are usually the SALES period and have discounts.

This time it came in a huge box !

This time i shipped it by CJ logistics since there is discount. But they screwed up my first delivery…it was delivered to wrong unit ! Somemore left it outside gate.

Also funny leh. Usually Ems or Singpost will call me to cfm if i am ok to leave it outside my unit or shoe rack. But CJ one never call or text me. I just came home and got 1 huge box. Somemore my level have a common garden so many pple have to walk past my unit. What if it got stolen. *face palm* .

Saw very good reviews and raves on the Baobab treatment so i want to get it. It was on 1+1 sale ! About 1.2L. Damn huge. I think can last me damn long. I may give away the white one. Cos i think too much liao.

My favourite Happy Bath 축축 Natural Body Wash. Moisturising and smells good! Got freebies also leh. A body sponge and travelling facial care set. It was on sale. 8 bottles of body wash for ₩30,000 before using discount coupon.

Love this lotion ! Tried the sample before and indeed it is moisturising! Esp if u apply right after shower. No milky smell. But it smells like this particular wet tissue brand which i cannot remember. I cant remember how much is it in total but per bottle is about $9-$10 after shipping fees. Each bottle is about 1L to 1.2L .

I think i got blog about the discount coupons here few posts back or dayre. Cannot remember where lol.

All bought direct from the brands.

K-Shopping Online – Gmarket *Edited w add-ons*

Just to share some tips on shopping for Korean skincare and make ups !

My orders from gmarket last December for the whole of 2018. I got myself eye shadows, lipsticks and skincare products.

Hubs has friends who works for big cosmetic firms like Amore Pacific and LG in SG and Korea. So some of them warned me about buying “fake products” online. And a friend of mine who is a licensed distributor in Korea and Asia told me that some shops in SG and other countries do not want to import direct from Korea because they find the cost price more expensive and they got it from elsewhere because it is cheap and China is one of those countries. Not saying that all products from CHINA are fakes or no good. But if you are getting products from unregistered distributors then is fishy. Oppa’s Korean friend and hyung (older bro) who works in SG’s Amore Pacific also spoke to me about fakes being sold online. Cosmetics are something you apply on your face and you spend that $$ for that brand to expect some results or to look good. So becareful when you buy any cosmetics online.

So when i buy from Gmarket , i buy direct from the brand or department stores.

Here are some shops i go to :

AmorePacific_Living (for toothpastes , shampoos etc )

APmall (Amore Pacific Mall for brands like Mamonde/Laneige/Aritaum/Verite/Primera/Sulwhasoo/Hera etc).

Amore_Pacific

Through Amore Pacific , you can buy from brands like Iope, Laneige sales event or sets , Mamonde etc.

I got Mamonde lipsticks in Jan during 1+1 event for KRW 15,900

(you will see”1+1″ often on Korean street shops and websites. It means buy 1 get 1 free)

GlobalHmall (Hyundai Department Store Global Online) and AKPlaza. GlobalHMall is where i got my AHC skin careproducts

and for brands like Innisfree , Nature republic , Etude House etc i will go direct to their online store on gmarket.

Is it more expensive to buy from them than other small unknown shops ?

Not really. Infact these shops sometimes have discount coupons which you need to download with your gmarket account. In Jan and Feb, Gmarket was having alot of discounts and i saved almost KRW 20,000 for everything.

Are the shipping fees expensive ?

It depends on the weight of item. Of cos if you buy shampoos and body lotions , your shipping fees will be more expensive and not worth it because you are paying for the weight. However Gmarket do have discounts on shipping fees ! They ship via EMS and it is very fast. Your orders will go to the gmarket head quarters which will then be combined with all other orders and they will be sent out via EMS straight to your home. It is quite fast. Let’s say if Gmarket ships out your order on Monday , it will arrive SG on Tuesday or Wed so you can expect to receive your parcel from EMS by Wed or Thurs. It comes with EMS tracking number.

You can choose using EMS or SF Express .

What is the payment method ?
You can pay via Singapore’s credit card , debit card or paypal account.

So what is the difference between buying in SG or in Korea ?
I will say for some things are cheaper even after factor in the exchange rates and shipping fees.
What i do is that i only buy when i need it and in bulk when the exchange rate floats around SGD 1 = KRW 830 and when there are discount coupons and shipping discounts. And also buying online allows me to buy brands that are not available in SG.

However , i go Korea once or twice a year. So most of the time i buy when i go over and stock up a year supply. Unless i used finish my skincare or my blushers/eye shadows broke into pieces (happens often esp in public toilet when it slips and dropped into the sink or floor. I will also make use of these discount coupons or events to order and ship to my MIL’s place and i bring back to SG since shipping in Korea is free and is very efficient. I can order from Hyundai Mall / Lotte Mall or Shinsaegae this morning and receive it next afternoon or evening. Their shipping is damn fast and efficient. The stuff can be shipped out within few hours after you made the payment. Also , you can cancel your order before they ship out. The $ will be refunded back to your credit card quite fast.

Yup , that is how i got some of my Korean skincare when i ran out of them.