Top 7 Online Marketplaces to Sell and Buy Used Items in South Korea

If you’re an expat moving soon or simply want to declutter, or if you’re on a budget and need affordable finds, buying and selling secondhand goods in Korea is easier than you think, and often more cost-effective.

South Korea has a thriving resale culture, with both locals and expats regularly trading used items online. It’s especially common among international students or anyone living on a tight budget. However, be cautious, scams do exist, especially on unverified platforms.

To help you avoid the hassle, we’ve rounded up 7 trusted online marketplaces that make it safe and convenient to buy and sell secondhand in Korea.

Top Online Marketplaces to Sell and Buy Used Items

Recl App | 리클

Play Store Link: Recl Android
App Store Link: Recl iOS
Categories: Used clothes, shoes, fashion accessories
Languages: Korean

Recl App Highlights

Recl is one of Korea’s most innovative platforms for secondhand fashion and clothing recycling. It’s especially popular among Gen Z and eco-conscious users. The app allows users to easily schedule a pickup for unwanted clothes, without any in-person handover. Just register in the app, leave the bag at your door, and Recl takes care of the rest.

Once collected, your clothes are professionally washed, sorted, and either donated or listed in Recl’s curated secondhand shop. You even get paid by weight, with bonuses for well-maintained items.

The secondhand store is updated daily with trendy and affordable pieces. It’s a great choice for both decluttering and sustainable shopping. Note: The app is currently available only in Korean.

Gmarket | 지마켓

Play Store Link: Gmarket Android
App Store Link: Gmarket iOS
Categories: Electronics, books, home appliances, fashion, hobby items
Languages: Korean, English

Gmarket Highlights

Best known as one of Korea’s biggest e-commerce sites, Gmarket also features a secondhand section where users can buy and sell pre-owned items. While not as specialized as Karrot or Bunjang, this section is ideal for finding budget deals on electronics, books, or home goods, especially from sellers who are upgrading.

Gmarket offers a trusted payment and delivery system, and supports English, making it accessible for foreigners living in Korea. You’ll need to use filters or keyword searches to locate used items, but the large user base means there are plenty of listings.

Karrot App | 당근마켓

• Play Store Link:  Karrot Android
• App Store Link:  Karrot iOS
• Categories: health and beauty, fashion and style, vehicles, babies and kids, agriculture and pets, real estate, housing and property, electronics, furniture, etc. 
• Languages: Korean, English

Karrot App Highlights

The  Karrot app is a  prevalent client-to-client online purchasing and selling marketplace for utilized commodities and one of the best Online Marketplaces to Sell and Buy Used Items. Currently, its total users are close to 6.65 million. The app is accessible for download either through iOs or Android phones. Upon downloading the app, it finds your locality and displays you and available sellers, within a range of 5 kilometers from your position. Next, it is also possible for you to alter your area of residence to an alternative place. The key aim of the Karrot app is to display to you the available sellers within your mileage. It thus makes the procedure of purchasing and selling utilized commodities way simpler. 

Karrot app is accessible in both Korean and English language – the finest thing about it. Also with this app, you are not to be charged upon posting an advert or registering for their services. In fact, you are likely to find a range of free items. Hence, should you be an expatriate residing in Korea, a Karrot app is a suitable option for you. Also, should you find it hard to use the Karrot App, you can check out the Joonggonara Naver cafe App

Joonggonara Naver Café | 중고나라

• Google Play Link: Joonggonara Android
• App Store Link: Joonggonara iOS
• Users: 5 million users on apps
• Categories: health and beauty, fashion and style, vehicles, babies and kids, agriculture and pets, real estate, housing and property, electronics, furniture, etc. 
• Languages: Korean only
• Website: https://www.joongna.com/

About Joonggonara

In Naver Café, Joonggonora is considered one of the biggest online cafe platforms, for purchasing and selling utilized items in Korea. The majority of the known platforms for purchasing and selling utilized commodities in South Korea, rotate around Seoul. Unlike Seoul, it’s a challenge to find utilized commodities in other towns. The presence of both sellers and buyers coming from every corner of South Korea in Naver Café Joonggonara makes the place admirable. Ranging from stylish extravagant items to day-to-day household commodities, to pets, everything is available here. The website and the app emphasize more on user trust and safety. For instance, to eliminate the coincidence of a scam, the seller’s information and credentials are verified via phone and email. The data encompass contact details, bank accounts, and transaction records.

Seoul Craiglist | 서울 크레이그리스트

• Google Play Link: Craiglist Android
• App Store Link: Craiglist iOS
• Users: 5 million users on App
• Categories: health and beauty, fashion and style, vehicles, babies and kids, agriculture and pets, real estate, housing and property, electronics, furniture, etc. 
• Languages: English only
• Website: https://seoul.craigslist.org/

About Seoul Craiglist

Craiglist, the worldwide used app, purchases and sells nearly everything. The app permits posting for vending commodities through any language. On Seoul Craiglist however, a majority of the posts are in the English language. The reason why a number of foreigners living in Korea prefer using Craiglist to purchase or vend utilized commodities. It is also the reason why commodity prices on Craiglist unlike other apps, tend to be higher. Vending and purchasing goods are often through dollar currency. Such a feature makes the app the finest online podium for purchasing and vending utilized items for expatriates living in Korea. The app permits one to create the business deal online, or either meet the vendor in person and summarize the deal.

Bunjang App | 번개장터

• Google Play Link: Bunjang Android
• App Store Link: Bunjang iOS
• Users: 10 million users on apps
• Categories: health and beauty, fashion and style, vehicles, babies and kids, agriculture and pets, real estate, housing and property, electronics, furniture, etc. 
• Languages: Korean only

About Bunjang App

Bunjang boasts of being the foremost online podium for purchasing and selling utilized items. Currently, its dynamic users stand at 10 million. Every month, it vends about 1.7 million utilized commodities every month. Due to Bunjang’s safety measures, users adore this app, as it hinders the likelihood of fraud. It holds on payment until the buyer receives the item – its best quality. The app will transfer the fee to the seller, only after the purchaser makes approval of the item. This approach eradicates every opportunity of the seller to refer defective items to the buyer. The app likewise displays reviews posted by each seller, hence the buyer can simply resolve who to purchase from.

Facebook Marketplace and Groups | 페이스북

• Users: Over 2 billion users on the app and website combined
• Categories: health and beauty, fashion and style, vehicles, babies and kids, agriculture and pets, real estate, housing and property, electronics, furniture, services, etc. 

About Facebook Groups and Marketplace

To help people connect even better and more, Facebook came up with ‘Marketplace’. An application that makes it easier for locals to buy and sell products and services and other things in their local community. The marketplace makes it easy to discover items you want to purchase or find a buyer that will be fascinated by whatever goods you are vending. Stretching from real estate to day-to-day household items, almost everything is done via Facebook Marketplace.

There are also numerous Facebook groups existing in Korea, that purchase and vend utilized items in just about every location. You can locate everything in these groups at extremely reasonable prices. However, there is little trust in these Facebook groups. It is challenging how to authenticate a purchaser or seller. This delineates a high probability of fraud occurring. Hence, one has to be extra cautious while purchasing or vending utilized commodities from every Facebook group or Marketplace. Here is a list of some of the largest Facebook groups in South Korea;

• Trade, Buy and Sell in S.Korea
• Seoul Buy and Sell
• Buy and Sell Korea

Final Thoughts

Online marketplaces to sell and buy used items in Korea are super helpful, whether you’re moving, trying to save money, or just clearing out your closet. With so many easy-to-use apps out there, finding great deals or making extra cash has never been easier.

Just remember to stay alert for scams, meet in safe locations (if in person), and take advantage of in-app features like secure payments and user ratings. Happy trading!

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