Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RnH]

As you all know, vitamins are really expensive here, so I was wondering if anyone knows of any good websites where i can buy some? i.e. sites that dont charge an arm and a leg for shipping! Thanx!

[Dev]

Find a friend with a Costco Card and go to Costco. They have good vitamins for cheap prices.

If you're just looking for Cenrtum, you can find that at the Namdaemun market in Seoul.

I would never order vitamins or food from outside Korea. Korean customs will think they're some kind of illegal drugs and tear apart your package and maybe your vitamins. It happens time and time again.

[ella]

Will that also happen to care packages from home that include vitamins?

[Dev]

[braunshade]

I have personally had a package stopped by customs containing vitamins and supplments shipped from bodybuilding.com.

They held on to it for 2 months then deceided not to release it to me! They finally returned it to the company. I was given a refund but not for the expensive shipping charges! ( I know it wasnt bb fault)

This is such a backwards country!!

[Dev]

[Demonicat]

Namdaemun Market, go through gate 1, walk a very short distance, keeping your eyes on the right. You will quickly see a door with a smiley face on it, go through it and down the stairs. Wham! Welcome to the grey market, everything you want/need is available there much cheaper than online. Note, you will have to bargain, but remember its a game there. 30,000 is a good price for prolab protien, 35,000 for Xenadrine EFX, and around 3,000 per protien bar. Good stuff. On a related note, what supplements are legal in Korea? Here me out before guessing. In China and Russia, EVERYTHING is legal (including steroids); in Japan Steroids are legal with a doctor's rx (for sports), and ephedrine is legal otc. What are the rules in Korea?

[ella]

[Demonicat]

Well, I have never had any problems recieving anything- but I followed some basic rules:
1) Ship to work not home, shipments sent to businesses are FAR less suspicious than packages sent to private residences of foriegn nationals, savvy?
2) Do not exceed a total cost of $120 USD. That is like the golden price where things must be searched/taxed. If the package is coming from home, have mom write the wrong prices on the invoice, insurance won't pay out anyway.
3) If you are worried about one particular thing, have it shipped seperatly from the rest, that way not everything gets stopped.
4) Don't ship anything that you would miss. Shoes, vitamins, soaps can all be replaced, your favourite sweater cannot. Bear in mind, that even following the rules, things to happen.

Follow those guidelines and you should have no problem. Heck, I have had some things that are not legal in Korea (ephederine, NO2), shipped here with no issues.

[ella]

If you ship it to your school, wouldn't that give them a convenient bargaining tool? I've read stories about schools going into your residence to "disappear" your passport (it reappears later when the school is secure in getting whatever they were bargaining for). Wouldn't it be easy for them to pretend a package didn't arrive and then suddenly "find" it when you agree to do overtime or whatever?

[Demonicat]

I suppose so, but that sounds a wee bit paranoid. If you have to worry about that kinda thing, you should get out of that school. Most Korean bosses may dik you around on schedules and what not, but they won't steal your passport (which gets them in serious trouble with the embassy).

[jlb]

[ella]

Just checking. There have been other stories about landlords and others just barging into your apartment unannounced and without permission - which would infuriate me - but that passport story really stuck in my head because it was particularly awful. Had me trying to figure out how to explain one of those metal doorknob cover lockout thingies in my suitcase to immigration...

[Adventurer]

I did not buy vitamins, but I did buy a herbal supplement on-line three times, and I had no problem with any of those shipments. However, when my parents sent my Chinese green tea (different than the Korean tea) and an oregano and thyme mix called zaatar, there was delay, but I got it. So far, I had no problems with receiving anything. Maybe, I've been lucky.

[OiGirl]