The Number 1 Best Place to Buy Second-Hand Items in Korea – Karrot Market
There are moments while you’re in Korea where the full price for a certain item doesn’t seem worth it. Or you just don’t have the money for it at that moment. In Korea, E-bay is not really used, so where do Koreans buy items second-hand? ‘당근마켓’ (Danggeun Market – also known as ‘Karrot Market’.
Logo of 당근마켓(Carrot Market)
About ‘Karrot Market’ – The Second-Hand Items App
‘Karrot Market’ is the largest neighbourhood marketplace and community app of South-Korea. At the moment, they are busy with expending to international communities, of which one is already there: the UK. In the UK the app ‘Karrot’ was launched, which works the same as ‘Carrot Market’, only it is in English instead of Korean. They also wanted to launch in three other countries, but due to COVID, they decided to hold that thought and focus more on improving the Korean app for now.
‘Karrot Market’ stands out from the crowd, in the fact that they pay attention to distance. When you’ve installed the app, you allow the app to track your location. They do this because they only show you listings from people located in 6 km (3.7 miles) or less than you. Unless you’re in a not tightly populated area, then they show you sellers a bit further away from you too. Karrot Market’s foundation was to approach neighbourhood’s networking. By adding distance limits, the app encourages interactions among people in the same area and it makes listings easier to spot. Most transactions are therefore also done in person, so you have the security that you receive what you pay for.
Koreans don’t use ‘Karrot Market’ just for selling second-hand items, some of them also search for study buddies on the app. Since it shows listings close to you on the homepage, people use it to find others to study or hangout with. Of course, for this a price won’t be added. When you want to offer to be a study buddy, you just put that in the description and you don’t add a photo. After a while you will most likely get some messages from people who live close and would like to study with you.
The app then also verifies all the members through their location and their phone number as a safety measure. The app is completely free to use.
Besides ‘Karrot Market’, there is another website that has this peer-to-peer second-hand selling: ‘Joonggonara’. Only, this website is not used as often as Karrot market, since it doesn’t have an app.
How does it work
When you open the app, you will see some listings recommended for you, which are close to you. But there is of course also a search bar. In this search bar you can search for whatever you need. Then again you will see listings. Beside the photo you will see a short description, the price and how long ago that person was online. When searching in the search bar, the seller might be further away than 6km (3.7 miles).
Then when you see a certain item that you fancy, you can click on the second-hand item. Then you can click the orange button, which will bring you to a different screen, where you can message the seller.
When you go back to the home page, you can see a message icon in the bottom. Here you can see all your messages with sellers or people who want to buy from you. Via the messages you decide on when and where to meet. And that is it. It’s considered to be an easy app to use for selling and buying,
Click here for a screen recording of the second-hand selling app.
Download 당근마켓 (Karrot Market) now: App Store / Google play
