Toyoni

Secondhand & marketplace

Korea's resale apps make you prove your Korean ID (and sometimes your neighborhood) before you can buy. Here's how to do each one, and where Toyoni takes over when you get stuck.

Which one are you using?

Daangn / Karrot (당근) Daangn lets you look around, but to chat or buy it asks for a Korean phone check in your own name plus a verified GPS neighborhood. Tourists and overseas buyers usually cannot give it. Bunjang (번개장터) Local Bunjang lets foreigners join only after 본인인증, where Korea checks your real ID through a Korean phone or Toss. Tourists with no ARC can't do it, and many residents' checks still fail.

Found a good deal on a Korean resale app? Both apps hit you with the same step: to buy, Korea checks your real ID (본인인증), and that check needs a Korean phone number you may not have. The chat with the seller, where every Korean deal actually gets done, is Korea-only, and Karrot makes you prove your neighborhood (동네인증) on top of that.

Check the global options first, but note their limits. Karrot’s global version does not link to the Korean marketplace. Bunjang Global (globalbunjang.com) lets you browse in English and buy some listings through its buying service, but you cannot message a seller, negotiate, or arrange a meetup yourself.

Why buying used is different

Buying used is not a one-step checkout. The deal happens in the seller chat. You may need to discuss the condition, negotiate the price, and arrange an in-person handoff or domestic shipping in Korean.

When a Korea-only seller chat, meetup, or 안전결제 (safe-payment) stops you, Toyoni can message the seller, negotiate, complete safe-payment, and arrange delivery. You receive proof of the chat and purchase.