Hi Everybody,
I'm fairly new to vaping, living in Korea (Seoul sometimes, Daegu sometimes) and have found "getting stuff" in Korea to be one of the biggest challenges. I know I'm not the only one, so here goes.
A second issue is that these things ARE taxed at import here, so not quite as cheap as in some other parts. (As a new first month vaper, I've so far spent about 3 times what I would have on ciggies.)
Koreans mostly buy things online, but it's harder for foreigners to do it here, and there are restrictions on selling ecigs online. (I can't read the restrictions, just enough to know they are there.) One thing they seem to do is "call and buy," where you phone a number from a website, place your order, and they send a messenger over, who you then pay. These are sort of a hassle, but, if your Korean's good enough of you have a spouse/partner/friend who can help, here are some websites that could be useful:
ì.ìë´ë°° ì.ì¤í¸í¬ê·¸ JUSTFOG (Decent range of basic supplies. Too expensive, but what are you gonna do. Classy looking, if you care.)
??? ????????????,?????,??,??,???,?????????,??,SUPPORT,?????/???? (Somewhat cheaper, probably the cheapest within Seoul. Somewhat less than double what you'd pay buying online in the US. THey also have a stall in YOngsan market, where I got my first ecigs. When one of my batteries died suddenly, they replaced it no questions asked. Pretty limited selection though- the "Support" is a nice looking standard 510, the Nex is some sort of ego clone, and the Xenon is something I haven't seen, with a 1300 mah battery.)
:: Janty (Standard Janty/Ovale offerings- never used their website for anything.)
There's also a Korea Vapers forum, which includes lists of products, suppliers, and a good lot of resources. If your Korean is good, you should get a lot out of: ì½ë¦¬ì ë².ì´í¼ì¤ í¬ë¼ :: KoreaVapers.com (E-Cigarette Forum) (Mine is mediocre, so I'm always limping through it.)
If, like me, you're happy to research online, but would rather do your purchasing face to face, you'll want to go to one of the shops in town- in Seoul, the ones I've been to are in Yongsan, and in Technomart. Honestly- prices are not much different than websites within Korea. (If you have, or know somebody who has, an APO address, USE IT. You'll get MUCH cheaper supplies.)
But, face to face:
Yongsan Ipark has a few different stalls dedicated to these. I bought a 510 set (112000won, 2 batts, 2 atties, charger) from "Support" and am happy with it. GO there, wander around the electronics floors, and you'll find a few different places.
Technomart has a similar offering, plus a Janty store. (I had heard there was one in YOngsan, but never found it.) The service in Janty, Technomart was excellent. The prices are...high. (37,000 won for a bottle of juice! Yikes! But I got my PCC there, and it works great. They didn't have it in stock when I asked, so the guy called another shop down the street, then walked me over to it.) I was happy with the service, I was happy with the PCC. (40,000 won- not too bad.) The juice, honestly, was nothing special- given the price, it should be.
There are a couple of small places in Yongsan and Technomart which sell 10ml bottles of juice for 17000won. I know, it's extortionate compared to online or prices in other countries- but it's available. Selection is usually limited, but I've been happy with tobacco flavors and ry4. HAven't tried too much else.
I'll also add that Valsacar, a mod on this forum and so far the only poster on it besides me so far, is a great resource for new vapers. Seems to have been at it for a while, to know his way around, and to be willing to chat with newbs.
I'm also new to this, but if you're in Korea, new to vaping, and looking for info, don't hesitate to drop me a message.
Best,
Ande
PS- this is all a LONG way from everything. Please add whatever you find, or correct anything I've got wrong. It's a start.
I'm fairly new to vaping, living in Korea (Seoul sometimes, Daegu sometimes) and have found "getting stuff" in Korea to be one of the biggest challenges. I know I'm not the only one, so here goes.
A second issue is that these things ARE taxed at import here, so not quite as cheap as in some other parts. (As a new first month vaper, I've so far spent about 3 times what I would have on ciggies.)
Koreans mostly buy things online, but it's harder for foreigners to do it here, and there are restrictions on selling ecigs online. (I can't read the restrictions, just enough to know they are there.) One thing they seem to do is "call and buy," where you phone a number from a website, place your order, and they send a messenger over, who you then pay. These are sort of a hassle, but, if your Korean's good enough of you have a spouse/partner/friend who can help, here are some websites that could be useful:
ì.ìë´ë°° ì.ì¤í¸í¬ê·¸ JUSTFOG (Decent range of basic supplies. Too expensive, but what are you gonna do. Classy looking, if you care.)
??? ????????????,?????,??,??,???,?????????,??,SUPPORT,?????/???? (Somewhat cheaper, probably the cheapest within Seoul. Somewhat less than double what you'd pay buying online in the US. THey also have a stall in YOngsan market, where I got my first ecigs. When one of my batteries died suddenly, they replaced it no questions asked. Pretty limited selection though- the "Support" is a nice looking standard 510, the Nex is some sort of ego clone, and the Xenon is something I haven't seen, with a 1300 mah battery.)
:: Janty (Standard Janty/Ovale offerings- never used their website for anything.)
There's also a Korea Vapers forum, which includes lists of products, suppliers, and a good lot of resources. If your Korean is good, you should get a lot out of: ì½ë¦¬ì ë².ì´í¼ì¤ í¬ë¼ :: KoreaVapers.com (E-Cigarette Forum) (Mine is mediocre, so I'm always limping through it.)
If, like me, you're happy to research online, but would rather do your purchasing face to face, you'll want to go to one of the shops in town- in Seoul, the ones I've been to are in Yongsan, and in Technomart. Honestly- prices are not much different than websites within Korea. (If you have, or know somebody who has, an APO address, USE IT. You'll get MUCH cheaper supplies.)
But, face to face:
Yongsan Ipark has a few different stalls dedicated to these. I bought a 510 set (112000won, 2 batts, 2 atties, charger) from "Support" and am happy with it. GO there, wander around the electronics floors, and you'll find a few different places.
Technomart has a similar offering, plus a Janty store. (I had heard there was one in YOngsan, but never found it.) The service in Janty, Technomart was excellent. The prices are...high. (37,000 won for a bottle of juice! Yikes! But I got my PCC there, and it works great. They didn't have it in stock when I asked, so the guy called another shop down the street, then walked me over to it.) I was happy with the service, I was happy with the PCC. (40,000 won- not too bad.) The juice, honestly, was nothing special- given the price, it should be.
There are a couple of small places in Yongsan and Technomart which sell 10ml bottles of juice for 17000won. I know, it's extortionate compared to online or prices in other countries- but it's available. Selection is usually limited, but I've been happy with tobacco flavors and ry4. HAven't tried too much else.
I'll also add that Valsacar, a mod on this forum and so far the only poster on it besides me so far, is a great resource for new vapers. Seems to have been at it for a while, to know his way around, and to be willing to chat with newbs.
I'm also new to this, but if you're in Korea, new to vaping, and looking for info, don't hesitate to drop me a message.
Best,
Ande
PS- this is all a LONG way from everything. Please add whatever you find, or correct anything I've got wrong. It's a start.
