Korean Job Discussion Forums

Samantha · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Location: Jinan-dong Hwaseong

I'm looking to get a new Ipod this week before I make the 15 hour flight home for Christmas. Anyone know the prices at Yongsan/Technomart for either an 8gb nano or the 80gb classic? At my local stores I can get the 8gb for 225K and the 80gb for 275K. Is this pretty much the going rate?

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

Ipods have pretty standard prices from what I've seen. You may be able to haggle a few thousand won down at Yongsan, too.

Samantha · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Location: Jinan-dong Hwaseong

haggling....bleh...don't do it takes to much effort for minimal gains to my mind. I was hoping there would be a large difference. Ah well. I might just wait till I get to the states I can get the 8gb for 160K and the 80gb for 230K.

Thanks.

jamiekarin · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Location: Bucheon, Gyeonggi-Do

I bought an 80Gb classic last weekend in Yongsan, I talked to about 8 different booths, inside and outside the main building. The lowest I could find was 250K, but I really didn't try to hard. The booth I went to was near ABC mart on the main level. If you were to go out of ABC mart and turn left, the booth is the second on your left. No other booths would match his price.

Brendon Carr · Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Location: Seoul, Korea

iPods are in hot demand, and Apple can't supply enough iPods to meet the demand in the Korean market. In particular, the iPod touch was sold out almost immediately after its initial availability and there was no new supply for several weeks. That means there is little incentive for anyone to cut the price.

Prices of Apple products in Korea are as fair as Apple can make them -- there is (I believe 8%) customs duty on imported electronic goods, and 10% VAT to consider. Take the US price, multiply by 1.08, then multiply that by 1.10, and you get an end price that is almost 19% higher than the US price, but that's all because of Korean taxes.

Samantha · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Location: Jinan-dong Hwaseong

thanks I'm tempted just to suck it up and spend the extra $30-$35 to have a new one that is garaunteed not to lock up on me during the flight. I have an old one Ipod mini 4gb that likes to stall/lock up and shut down at random points, or tell me there's no battery power shortly after I take it off the charger.

A 15 hour flight without some kind of entertainment isn't going to happen Smile

.

Juregen · Joined: 30 May 2006

Samantha · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Location: Jinan-dong Hwaseong

jamiekarin · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Location: Bucheon, Gyeonggi-Do

The table I got mine at I didn't even have to haggle, 250K was his starting price which was strange b/c everyone elses was like 275K. Also, I am not sure what the going rate is for ipods in the U.S., but I am from canada and checked and they were $300 after taxes(future shop), so they ipod I bought was cheaper than I could have gotten at home.

Yaya · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Location: Seoul

Get one via an e-tailer. Yongsan and Technomart are notorious for ripping people off, Korean or non-Korean. Check out danawa.com for a price comparison.

But if I were you, just go buy one back home.

Samantha · Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Location: Jinan-dong Hwaseong

thanks for all the replies/advice. I broke down an bought one after having my fully charged ipod mini (2nd gen..so old) decided it wanted to say low battery again. 225K for 8gb nano. Ah well, wasn't going to sit on a plane with no music/entertainment outside of what the airline provides for the movies.

charlieDD · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Seoul, Korea

Be careful and look out for Chinese-made copies.

A Korean graduate student here in the states at the university I'm now with showed me his "I-Pod" . I'm no expert, but I could see nothing to distinguish it as a fake. If he hadn't told me, I never would have known that it was indeed. He pointed out a few this and thats ( I think one was the size being just a bit larger. Another, that although it was supposed to be certain gig, in fact it had a much smaller capacity. And, the toggle wheel being a bit loose. And, the software stalling. )

He told me he got it in the Yongsan electronics market for just 45,000 won, but that they sold for the same price as the real ones to unsuspecting customers not familiar enough with the real deal to see they are being sold a fake.

Later, a Saudi student I am teaching showed me his "I-Pod" . It didn't bear the I-Pod name on it anywhere, but it looked exactly like an I-Pod. Stamped "Made in China" and some other info on the back. He told me he got it in Saudi. Said it was just a basic MP3 player with some software that was similar.