From the moment I saw the Memebox Korea website, with its frantic display of goods and prices to die for, I was a girl with a dream: to be able to buy my favorite LJH Tea Tree Essence in bulk from the site at the cost of $16 per bottle plus shipping (vs. $38 with free shipping on the US-Exclusive Memebox site).

I knew that buying services existed, but the ones I had run into seemed a bit idiosyncratic and their handling fees of about 20% negated just about any discounted prices I could find.

And then I found Avecko. Avecko is a Korean cosmetics online shop that also offers a buying service. The online shop carries some of the most coveted brands such as Sulwhasoo and Su:M37 with free shipping for orders over $45. Ok, that’s nice, but a little too high end for me. I’m after skin-saving dermocosmetics from my new skincare obsession, Leejiham.

The magical portal into Korean online shopping freedom comes from the Avecko buying service, featured heavily on the site. Basically, they’re your proxy shopper. You tell them what you want and can’t get, and they buy it and send it to you. The Avecko staff can also hunt for an item that you request, but I knew exactly what and where to find the items I wanted: the Meme-K site, so I selected the Buying Service. Here’s a photo guide to the process:

Continue reading “How to Order from Any Korean Shopping Site (yes, any)” →