The agency advised consumers to check if after-sales service for foreign purchased goods was possible in Korea. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Of the many foreign-made household appliances that can be purchased directly from foreign e-commerce websites, electric stoves and vacuum cleaners were found to be cheaper on foreign websites, while air purifiers produced overseas were cheaper on local websites.
According to a comparison survey by the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) of the prices of 13 foreign-made households goods sold both internationally and locally, seven products were found to be cheaper on overseas e-commerce websites while the remaining six household products were cheaper when purchased in Korea.
The types of household products that were surveyed included electric stoves, coffee makers, blenders, vacuum cleaners, and air purifiers.
The KCA compared the Korean e-commerce website Naver Shopping, the Chinese online shopping website Taobao and Amazon.
As a result, the electric stoves and vacuum cleaners were cheaper if bought from overseas websites (including taxes and shipping costs) but air purifying products were cheaper when bought from local online shopping websites.
Meanwhile, coffee makers and blenders could be either cheaper or more expensive depending on the model type, which prompted the agency to advise consumers to compare prices carefully being going ahead with purchases.
The agency also advised consumers to check if after-sales service for foreign purchased goods was possible in Korea, as well as if the voltage of products to make sure that they can be used in South Korea.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
