How to buy from a Korean brand that doesn’t ship to Australia
Part of the jinjja.shop guides — plain answers about independent Korean makers, for buyers in Australia. Last updated 2 October 2026.
Why don't some Korean brands ship to Australia?
Many small, owner-run Korean brands sell only through Korean-language websites and domestic platforms, and their logistics are set up for delivery within Korea only. Three common barriers stop international shoppers from ordering directly:
- No international shipping: smaller and independent brands frequently ship within Korea only.
- Foreign card rejection: Korean payment gateways often require a Korean card or local identity verification.
- Korean-only checkout: address fields, menus and customer service are often in Korean only.
This is a known structural feature of the Korean e-commerce market, not a sign that the brand is obscure or unreliable. There are well-established ways around it.
What is a Korean package-forwarding service (배대지)?
A package-forwarding service — called 배대지 (baedaeji) in Korean — gives you a personal warehouse address inside Korea. You shop on a Korean website, enter that address at checkout, and the forwarding company receives your parcel, then ships it on to your Australian address. International shipping is usually charged by weight, plus a separate handling or forwarding fee. Some services also offer consolidation: if you buy from several Korean shops separately, they can combine the parcels into one outbound box, which can reduce the total shipping cost compared with separate international shipments.
A related option is a proxy buying service (구매대행). This is useful when a Korean store rejects your foreign card or requires a Korean bank account — the proxy agent purchases the item on your behalf using local payment methods, then ships it to you.
Things to check before choosing a forwarding or proxy service:
- How international shipping costs are calculated (weight, volume, or both)
- Whether consolidation of multiple packages is offered and at what cost
- How long they will store your parcel before forwarding
- Whether they accept your preferred payment method
- The level of English-language customer support available
What is a curated Korean marketplace, and how is it different?
An alternative to forwarding is buying through a marketplace that has already dealt directly with Korean brands and holds or orders stock on your behalf. Because your purchases from different brands travel together in one outbound shipment, you avoid paying a separate international freight charge for each individual brand you buy from. The trade-off is that you are limited to the brands the marketplace has chosen to work with, rather than being able to buy from any Korean store you find.
Jinjja.shop (진짜샵) is an Australian marketplace based in Brisbane, Queensland, that works directly with independent, owner-run Korean brands — all of which make their products in South Korea. Prices are in Australian dollars, and no account is needed to order. Payment is accepted by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Afterpay, or Klarna. Orders are sent from Korea by EMS and delivered by Australia Post.
Which approach suits which situation?
The right route depends on what you are trying to buy and how much effort you want to put in:
- Package forwarding suits you if you have found a specific product on a Korean site, are comfortable navigating a Korean-language checkout (or using browser translation), and are happy to manage the forwarding steps yourself. It gives you access to almost any Korean store, but involves multiple steps and variable costs.
- Proxy buying adds a layer of assistance when the store rejects your card or requires Korean payment — useful for niche domestic platforms.
- A curated marketplace such as jinjja.shop suits you if you want a straightforward checkout in English, prices in Australian dollars, and a selection of independently verified Korean makers, without managing forwarding logistics yourself. The selection is smaller than the full Korean market, but the process is simpler.
For many Australian shoppers, the practical answer is to use a forwarding service for brands not stocked anywhere internationally, and a marketplace for day-to-day purchases from independent Korean makers.
What should I check about customs and duties before I order?
Australia applies GST and, for higher-value goods, import duties on overseas purchases. The Australian Border Force and the Australian Taxation Office publish the current thresholds and rates. Whether you use a forwarding service or a marketplace, the declared value of your order will determine whether charges apply. It is worth checking the current rules before placing a large order, as thresholds and rates can change. A forwarding service will typically ask you to declare item values before they ship; a marketplace will usually handle this as part of the normal checkout and shipping process. If in doubt, check the jinjja.shop shipping page for details on how your order is sent, or contact the forwarding service you plan to use.
How does shipping from jinjja.shop work?
jinjja.shop is a marketplace for independent Korean brands based in Brisbane, Queensland. Orders are placed in Australian dollars, shipping is a flat A$9.90 per order however many brands are in the basket, and most orders arrive in about 10 to 14 days, sent by EMS from Korea and delivered by Australia Post.
The whole order ships free if it includes the ABELTY Rice Skincare Duo – 2 Sets. Full detail is on the shipping page, and every brand on the marketplace is listed on the brands page.
This page draws on jinjja.shop’s own listings and on widely published general information. Nothing here is a health, medical or therapeutic claim about any product.