Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rutherford]

I drink a lot of yerba mate. Until a few months ago, 500g of Taragui mate imported from Argentina was 12,000 on Gmarket. These bags can be found for $5 or so in the US, but I was still happy to find it at an affordable price considering the size of the mate market here and the distance it had to travel.

Things got strange a month or so ago when I tried to reorder and suddenly all the suppliers were out. I had a korean friend call around and one of the only vendors who had any offered to sell the same 500g bag for 30,000.

One of the big TV stations had done a program on yerba mate calling it a health tonic and weight loss drink.

I checked on Gmarket a few days ago and found a bunch of new Korean brands of mate on sale. The most affordable of these was 30,000 won for 300g. It was the same loose mate tea from one of the big Argentine producers but had been repackaged with a Korean label.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

[Radius]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=190461

[Rutherford]

Yes, things are getting expensive here, but this is different.

You can't blame the price of an import tea on a bad harvest in Korea. Also, it's a tea, so it's not like demand has gone up from people buying it instead of peaches and pears.

Also, the international price of mate hasn't gone up, and the exchange rate hasn't changed in the last few months.

I get the impression one of the health companies decided to sponsor a health segment on it before relaunching it as a diet drink.

[pkang0202]

It could be that demand for the tea has increased in Korea, but the supply that the importers have brought in has remained the same.

You don't know what the deal is. It could be a number of factors.

[Rutherford]

[Konglishman]

[nathanrutledge]

[jcm87]

Rutherford are you from Argentina or Uruguay?

[AsiaESLbound]

Oooh, demand unexpectedly outstripped supply. I'm surprised no business interests were involved with the media as to be prepared to supply it after creating new demand in the market via the media. Profiteering can be manufactured in this way anywhere in the world. Maybe they can't do that in Korea with imports, because for some reason, supplies of them are iffy. When I started buying American OJ from a small grocery store, it went out of stock after 2 weeks and prices increased when a fresh supply came in a few weeks later and now supply is better, but not adequate to keep it in stock. Instead of just raising prices on an inadequate supply, supplying more product is the way to make more money, because it keeps people happy and buying all they want.

It can go like this which is common back home. A company that can supply a certain product pays a media dude to have something reported as being good and why people should take it. Bam, people then start buying it like hot funnel cakes at a state fair. American companies seem to supply it's health tonics and fad diet products adequately upon the media generating interest in them. One example is reporting pomegranate as being good for your heart and then a fresh supply of new over priced pomegranate products were immediately ready for market.

[discostu333]

I saw a commercial on TV the other day.

CJ Pharma (Korean conglomerate) was trying to shift a 3 month supply of cod liver oil for 110,000 won. It was a proper cheezy infomercial with a dodgy adjosshi making all sorts of wild claims, cures heart disease, prolongs life etc.

You can pick up a 6 month supply of cod liver oil back home in England for a tenner (18,000 won).

[Rutherford]

[Radius]

i saw a regular pakage of galbi at homeplus in a velvet case, each pack selling around 249,000. the cooler was stocked as if noone touched it. damn right they shouldnt! Flabbergasted, I asked my girlfriend wth is wrong with the price?! she said thats Korean beef. I lost it right there in the store, i couldnt stop laughing for at least another aisle.

[Rutherford]

[DorkothyParker]

I was going to tell you how cheap it is on Amazon even with shipping, but apparently they won't ship it to S. Korea. I am flabbergasted and fascinated. Any ideas why?

[atwood]

I really wish they would sign the FTA with the US.

Kirkland Omega-3 capsules were three times as expensive for 100 less capsules than the bottle I bought in August in the US. I, and I'm sure most of you, could go on and on with stories like this.

It's a closed market and the consumer pays and pays and pays. I wouldn't mind it so much if the Korean companies priced their products fairly, but they don't.

And since I mentioned FTA, has anyone bought an orange from Chile that tasted worth a hoot?