Making the most out of Gmarket #1

While I'm waiting for my package, I thought that it'd be a nice idea to write up some tips, from my experiences, about making the most out of gmarket. I don't know how helpful this will be because a lot of it is "common knowledge" that one would get out of using the site, but it may be an informative read for some people!

Well, here we go!

1) Use coupons

You can save a lot of money on gmarket using coupons, especially if you're ordering a lot of items! I probably saved over 20,000won using coupons on my latest order!

So basically what I did was, a week or so before I decided to place my order, I logged in everyday to get as many coupons as I could (coupons expire, so it's best to get them when you know you're going to order). Most of them are from luck-of-draw so I didn't know whether I'd get them or not, but it's good to stock up so you're ready to use them on what you're purchasing.

Please note that you can also apply coupons on the items in your shopping cart, not just on the item's page!

As of this blog post (7/12/2011), you can get coupons on Global Gmarket here:

Discount Coupon Draw:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/eventzone/EventDiscount.asp

My Benefit Zone:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/eventzone/EventMyBenefit.asp

Paypal Xmas Event:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/planview/plan.asp?sid=100767&pos_shop_cd=EN&pos_class_cd=90000006&pos_class_kind=T

Deals of the Week:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/eventzone/DealsofWeek.asp

For New/First-time Shoppers:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/eventzone/NewComer.asp

Returning Shoppers:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/eventzone/ComeBack.asp

Super coupons in particular are good because you can use them on top of discounts/coupons to get more won off!

Also, note that the coupons may have restrictions and apply only to certain categories (such as Apparel, or Beauty products) or prices (like purchases over 10,000won or 20,000 won). Check your discount coupon conditions for more info.

Go to the Korean Gmarket page to get LOTS of beauty coupons. I saved like 5,000 won with a 20% off coupon for Dr Jart (BB cream)! You can get 10% or 20% coupons for brands like Etude House, peripera, Lioele, Holika Holika and banilla co to name a few! You can find a tutorial to get these coupons at this site here: http://ciramisu.blogspot.com/2011/04/gmarket-tips-6-beauty.html

2) Checking if you have the right item

So for those of us who don't know Korean, like me, it often takes a bit of time to get used to using the site and making sure we're buying the right item.

It's easy most of the time, but sometimes it's a bit more difficult when the item does not have a code/number+letters in the name (which makes it tons easier to find in the drop down menu) or the writing on the item description/image is a bit hard to decipher. A way to make sure I have selected the right item is to go to my shopping cart, copy and paste my item selection, chuck it into an online translated, and if it matches up with the item I want, then I probably chose the correct one. Click the images to make it larger.

Select the item and put it in your cart.



Since your item is now copy+paste-able, now's a good time to do that!


Put it in an online translator.


Compare.
In cases where the item has no English text, check if what the translator spits out matches the description of the item. Eg this was one of the headbands I bought:

And what I chucked into the translator came out as something along the lines of "dot headband... mint".
Also, the name of the item on the item image/description SHOULD match in every letter in the drop down menu. If not, you might be selecting the wrong item! Also click the item if possible since the pop-up with more images/details might actually show the item name with a number/letters in it's name. If you can't find what you want on the drop-down menu, then that probably means it's out of stock.
I found this guide with the English translations with it's hangul counterpart and vice versa useful: http://ciramisu.blogspot.com/2011/04/gmarket-tips-5-useful-words.html
But I guess the best solution in the end, is to learn Korean (if you have the time)! It'll save a lot of time and frustration when ordering on gmarket =P