Notes of a Native-Speaking English Teacher: online shopping

Showing posts with label online shopping. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 -

guitars,online shopping

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Tips and Tricks for using English GMarket

English GMarket is the easiest online shopping site by a mile!

It's easy to set up an account because most of the instructions are in English.

Here are some tricks I've learned for getting the most out of English GMarket...

1. Search GMarket, but also search Naver.

GMarket will sometimes offer a "Partnership Discount" to items that were clicked through from Naver. Just visit Naver first, type the item into the search bar, then browse through their shopping list for items being sold at GMarket.

Go to Naver.com and enter your item.
In the section marked 쇼핑, click the view all option.

Scroll down and click on the first item listed by GMarket.

Check out the discount.


Same item, same seller, same ad, searched directly on GMarket. No 20,000W+ discount.

2. Don't expect to use your foreign MasterCard or Visa when you're ordering from inside Korea.

3. Try searching for your item in Korean.

If your search results also include some Korean words in the titles, try searching with those too.The interface is in English, but there are many items that do not contain an English title. Also, try specific part numbers. This works well on styled clothing like shirts and underwear.

More tips soon!!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Sunday, May 13, 2012 -

** Itaewon-dong - Seoul,English bookstores,online shopping,shopping

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What The Book - English Bookstore

One of the must-see places for westerners in Itaewon is a store called What the Book. It is one of the top English bookstores in Korea. The atmosphere is awesome and the selection is massive. An outgoing person could probably make more than a few friends by shopping here.

The entrance of What the Book.
Taken from the Lonely Traveler Blog.

There is an excellent write up about this store at The Lonely Traveler Blog. They carry books of all genres, from English textbooks to the latest New York Times best sellers. They also take in a lot of used books on trade, making the experience a bit of a treasure hunt. They also have an online store with access to over 1,000,000 titles.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012 -

musical instruments,online shopping,Seoul

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Musical Instruments

When I first arrived in Korea, I was desperate to get my hands on a guitar. I found a few places to look. The place that everyone talks about is Nakwon. It is right outside exit 5 of Jongno 3-ga (lines 1 and 5) subway station. (See location link at bottom)

I found a few nice stores, but the whole experience is pretty overwhelming. Few pieces even had price tags, which made it especially difficult for me as a foreigner. I went there two days in a row and still didn't buy anything. Later, I did find a Roland dealer who gave me a great price on a Street Cube (same price as US).

For online deals, there are a few good websites:

Mule - Most popular online used gear and forum page. (no English ㅠ.ㅠ)

School Music - very popular online music store - also located in I'Park Mall inside Yongsan subway station. map & pictures

Angel Sound - This is the Roland dealer inside Nakwon that I found easy to work with.

Music Force - The most high-end store I've ever been to, anywhere. Located in Gangnam, it is a collection of several stores (one for bass, one for electric guitar, one for acoustic guitar, etc.) on the same block. You will need to be buzzed in, but they are very friendly. I did some sloppy research before I went the first time and ended up outside their locked main office instead of their retail space. Be sure to look further down the street for big outdoor signs.

Craigslist - Used gear sold mostly by English speakers. Mostly low end with the occasional hard-to-find high end piece.

Interpark - This site is a bit like Amazon. For a special piece, find it here and look up the address at the bottom of the listing page. I was able to get a powered Yamaha speaker for a cash discount even lower than the posted online price.