Free BTS concert gift bags flood secondary markets at exorbitant prices
E-commerce platform eBay displays listings for free BTS concert gift bags, Tuesday. Captured from eBay
Resellers ask $460 for free BTS concert gift bags
Free gift bags that BTS gave to fans at its Busan concerts flooded secondary markets within a day, with some overseas listings topping $400.
Dozens of listings appeared on eBay and Korean secondhand trading apps Danggeun Market and Bunjang under titles such as "BTS Arirang Busan Concert Gift Set" and "BTS Busan Fan Gift." Sellers on eBay priced some listings at about $460 without any confirmed sales, Tuesday. On Danggeun Market and Bunjang, the sets traded for 100,000 won ($66) to 250,000 won.
The gift bags included a clear PVC swim bag, an official BTS umbrella, a hand towel set, perfume, sheet masks and several photo cards featuring messages and signatures from BTS members. The photo cards, selling separately for 50,000 won to 120,000 won, made the sets highly coveted among fans.
A free BTS concert gift bag listed for $460 on eBay, Tuesday / Captured from eBay
Sellers sought to cash in on the demand. One overseas eBay seller described the bag as "a product that has never been sold to the general public, an ultra-rare collectible that any fan of (BTS) must own." Another overseas seller said the item is "in very good condition as it is unopened" and offered worldwide shipping.
In Korea, fans who were not able to secure tickets to the shows scrambled to buy the items. One Danggeun Market user posted about standing outside the venue for two hours just to hear the audio, saying they desperately wanted the package. Another fan sought sellers, offering to buy up to 10 packs of photo cards at 25,000 won per package.
A total of 110,000 concertgoers attended the group's Busan shows held Friday and Saturday. BTS will begin a five-city European tour starting June 26 in Madrid, Spain, followed by stops in Belgium and the UK.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.