Karrot (Market)

Mingi Woo

If you are an exchange student, like most university students, you need a cheaper option to purchase your items, from basic silverware to school supplies. Here in Korea, there is a widely used application called Karrot. Karrot is an online platform, that allows users to exchange goods and services. In some sense, it is like eBay in the United States, where the majority of the items exchanged are secondhand products. Karrot is one of the largest online platforms/mobile applications that are used here in Korea.

How does one use it?

You can find the application on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Once you have downloaded the application, it will require you to create an account. Once you have finished setting up your account, you can then set the location of your neighborhood. Doing so will allow you to see any new offers in your area. You can adjust the range of the search coverage based on your location. If you want to find offers near your location, you can simply lower the slider, and vice versa.

How to determine trustworthiness?

The main way you can determine if the seller is trustworthy is by simply looking at their past transactions. Additionally, there is a given rating for the seller called “매너온도” or Temperature of manner. This is like star ratings for restaurants, but instead of a rating, it’s a rating that increases with the more transactions you make. This could be another option to determine the trustworthiness of the seller. It is good to keep in mind that all newcomers start at 36.5 °C. Overall, the best way to determine the trustworthiness of the supplier is to do your own due diligence.

How are transactions made?

Most of the time, the seller or buyer will ask to meet at a specific location through the chat features in the application. From there, you can choose to give the money in cash or transfer funds.

Conclusion

Karrot is overall an easy and cheap option to find secondhand items online here in Korea. People who are familiar with eBay will find such applications very useful during their stay here in Korea. Additionally, after your time here in Korea is finished you can simply sell it again in the market.