BTS merchandise most sought-after on secondhand platform Bungaejangter

Secondhand platform Bungaejangter released a report on global K-pop merchandise trends on its platform, Thursday. Courtesy of Bungaejangter

Merchandise related to K-pop juggernaut BTS is the highest in demand on Bungaejangter, one of Korea’s largest secondhand trading platforms, according to its global K-pop merchandise trend report released Thursday.

Since July 2023, the company has been running Global Bunjang, providing overseas users a platform where they can access and purchase secondhand items from the Korean market. K-pop related merchandise is the most popular category on Global Bunjang, accounting for approximately 69 percent of total transactions.

According to the report, BTS was the most searched K-pop artist on the service between January and October this year, followed by Seventeen, PLAVE, NCT and IVE.

The most active fandom for K-pop related item transactions also went to BTS' official fandom, ARMY, with Stray Kids’ fandom, Stay, coming in second by a far margin. The number of transactions by ARMY is double the number of Stay, highlighting the fandom's influence even during BTS' hiatus as a group.

Jin, the first BTS member discharged, recently released his solo album "Happy." J-hope completed his service in October, while the remaining members — RM, Suga, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — are expected to finish by June 2025, setting the stage for the group's full activities to resume.

Among K-pop merchandise categories, the artists’ photo cards had the highest prices. The highest-priced item traded on the platform this year was BTS member Jimin’s photo card, which sold for 3 million won ($2,150). The second highest was at 2 million won for girl group Loona’s photo card, and BTS Suga’s D-DAY calendar came in third at 1.5 million won.

The fastest-selling item on Global Bunjang was a limited-edition set of souvenirs from IU's Berlin concert in June, which included a fandom logo keyring and button pin given to concert attendees. This highly coveted set sold out in just 23 seconds after being listed. IU successfully finished her first world tour, “IU HEREH World Tour,” which started in March, with the soloist performing in different cities including London, Berlin and Bangkok, and several North American cities.

Among overseas users, customers from the United States lead international traffic to the platform, followed by those from Asian countries, including Japan, China and Vietnam.

Global Bunjang facilitates fast and convenient international transactions of K-pop merchandise, including items such as artists’ photo cards, figurines and limited edition cards. The platform has seen a significant increase in usage, highlighting the growing global demand for K-pop-related items.

"The Global Bunjang platform's monthly active users have grown by 95 percent this October compared to January this year, indicating a continuous increase in overseas users seeking K-pop-related merchandise," Bungaejangter said in a statement.

"We will continue to grow into a global platform hub where K-pop fans worldwide can exchange K-culture beyond transactions for artist-related merchandise."

Further details on the 2024 Global K-pop Goods Trend report are available on Bungaejangter’s official website.