FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my order is sold out?

When an item in your order is sold-out, it is credited to your account. If you paid more than our minimum fee, you would receive credit for the cost associated with the item. You may use this credit immediately to replace the sold-out item. Otherwise, you may also use it on the shipping invoice. If the credit exceeds the shipping cost, the remaining amount will stay on your account unless requested to be refunded back to you. You may request to withdraw the remaining credit within 90 days of shipping. Otherwise, the credit will be locked onto your account for use on a future order, and you will not be able to withdraw the remaining credit. You will receive a full refund if your entire order is sold out.

Why is my order cancelled?

There are two main reasons why your order might be canceled. First, all the items in your basket have an invalid link. Second, you did not update the pending order for more than two weeks. In both cases, we will let you know before canceling the order.

The item I received is not what I ordered

It is an extremely rare occurrence, but it has happened that shops send us the wrong items even though we purchased the correct ones for you. For this reason, please always check the photo we send you with the shipping invoice carefully. Once the item has been shipped overseas, it is very difficult for us to do anything about it as we would need to return the faulty item to the store. If from the photo we send you it can clearly be seen that the item is not correct and the customer goes ahead with paying the shipping invoice anyway, the responsibility lies with the customer.

Can I check the exact ETA of an item in my order?

Yes! After you have paid the invoice and we have ordered your items, we made it possible for you to check the order status in real time. You can check which items have arrived at our facilities and which ones we are still waiting for. Once all the items have arrived, the status of your order will be updated automatically and we will issue a shipping invoice for you as soon as possible.

Is there a fee to return my item?

If the item you wish to return has not shipped out to us, you will not be charged anything to cancel the order. However, suppose the seller has already shipped. In that case, we charge a 10 USD (or equivalent in your currency) return fee + the return delivery fee (typically 5,000 KRW) + the cancellation fee by the seller (if any - typically also 5,000 KRW to 10,000 KRW).

Can I return my items from overseas?

No, you may not. The legal deadline that we have to return an item is seven days. Shops in Korea do not accept returns on items shipped out of the country. However, if the item is faulty, this may be an exception. It may not be worth it to return, though, as it will cost you the shipping back to us. The chances of an item being faulty are extremely low, but it happens occasionally. We strongly recommend confirming the item's condition through the photos we send you, and if you are unsure, please send us a message to check an article specifically.

What is the difference between removed and credited?

Items marked as "Removed" are items that were removed before issuing your product invoice, and hence these items will not be included in your invoice. Items are typically removed if they are sold out or are not purchasable for various reasons. Credited Items are those that have been paid and ordered but canceled at a later stage. The most common reason for this would be a lack of stock. Smaller Korean sellers (not the large franchise sellers) typically don't manage their inventory very well, and their lists are usually not in sync with their online shop.

Can I return an Item?

Yes. However, it must not be more than seven business days since we received the item. The customer is responsible for checking their order status frequently as we do not notify you with an email or messages when an item has arrived. You can view the status of each item within the Order Details of the Order History page. Please note that if you ordered an item that is not returnable (order made / custom items), it cannot be returned (Vendor Policies). Please message our staff if you are not sure. In most cases, KoreanBuddies charge a $10 USD returning fee.

Do you handle second hand orders?

We only accept requests for second-hand items from places like Aladin, Yes24, and Kyobo. We do not handle orders from Bunjang for customers without a membership. Bunjang orders are incredibly time-consuming to do safely (the only way we do it) and hence delay others. If you must order from Bunjang, please consider getting the membership.

Why is my order taking so long?

Slow shipment of items by the sellers. Especially since COVID, there have been frequent delays across several stores. If it seems like a particular item is taking a long time to arrive at our facility, don't hesitate to contact our staff so they can double-check with the seller for you. Although we try to check orders as frequently as possible, due to the volume of placed orders, we might not notice as quickly as we hope to.