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In just a few years, K-pop has taken the world by storm through colorful MVs, more and more breathtaking choreographies, and new Kpop groups that arrive every year on the South Korean musical scene.
Its fandom keeps growing and welcoming new members every month (Army, Blinks, Once, and more). The demand from these fans for albums, photo cards, posters, and other products such as fan made or derivative products increases every year.
Today, Kfriday will give you all the advice you need to launch your first group order.
What is a GO
Before starting, it's important to remember what a Group Order Manager (GOM) is. A GOM is a person living in a country wishing to help fans of a particular band or Kpop fans in general obtain certain products which can only be found in South Korea or at lower prices than in stores. GOMs use social networks, like Twitter and Facebook to run Group Orders (GO). The GOMs are either alone or in 2 to take care of the accounts and the GOs in progress. Most GOs use social media and Google Spreadsheet to manage their GOs.
The majority of GOMs occupy this role for fun and as a hobby. But more and more people would also like to make a living doing what they love.
Kfriday will give you all the best advice so that you can become the best GOM in your country.
How to start:
Kfriday will explain the steps to follow in order to start as a GO on social networks.
Sign up for a Twitter and/or Facebook account
Everything happens on Twitter. You can find out the latest news, contact your customers and also create content to promote your future Group Orders.
2. Decide on your main business
When we think of products derived from Kpop there are lightsticks, albums, photo cards, fan made products, concert merch, signed albums, fan signs, fansite slogan and Lucky draw events. Some of these items cannot be found abroad or on the websites of entertainment agencies. It is therefore important to know which products you mainly want to organize Group Orders for. It is also important to know if you want to specialize in a single group or, on the contrary, organize Group Orders for several groups.
Examples of GO Twitter accounts
3. Find some fans in your country
Once your Twitter or Facebook account is activated, you need to connect with fans. You can join groups, follow pages or send DMs to people looking for Kpop products.
DM-ing someone you don't know can be stressful, but don't be afraid to give it a go. If you have products that are hard to find but highly sought after, people will be happy
4. Find vendors and communicate with them often
Being a Group Order Manager can be tough and stressful at times, so feel free to surround yourself and speak with other GOMs in your country or even around the world.
You can also use Proxies, like Kfriday, which can save you a lot of stress because they will take care of the purchase, storage and shipment of the parcel from South Korea to your address.
What you may need:
To start running your Group Orders, you will need:
A Korean address
Your address in South Korea will allow you to order products on sites such as Bunjang, Yes24 or SMTOWN & STORE (which only deliver to South Korea). In addition, your Korean address will also serve as a warehouse, allowing you to store your packages, which may be consolidated in one box and delivered to your home.
There are several ways to have an address in South Korea, but Kfriday makes it easy for you by offering you an address and 1 month of free storage in their warehouse.
2. A Korean bank account or a Paypal
You will either need a Korean bank account (almost impossible to have if you are not living in South Korea) or you can use methods such as Paypal or Wise to proceed with the payment. Be careful, some sites only accept transfers made from a Korean bank account. With Kfriday, you can easily use our services to make seamless payments to South Korean sellers.
3. Fan sites where you can buy
Find out which sites or sellers have the products you are looking for. Some sites specialize in second-hand album resale, or in pre-orders.
4. Meet other Group Order Managers, you can help each other and share tips!
5. Work hand in hand with a lovely proxy such as Kfriday
A proxy can help you in product research, transactions that require a Korean native, and repacking of your many items to avoid a high shipping fee. The proxy will also be able to check the condition of the items before sending them to you, to avoid any disappointments on your part when opening the package.
Hosting your first group order
Now you are ready for your first Group Order. Do not stress, we will explain the steps that should be taken:
-When you start your first Group Order, you should announce it on social networks, as well as in your bio (if possible).
-You may either post a Google Form to have fellow fans join your Group Order; or simply have your followers send you a DM.
-You will need to set a deadline for fans who want to join your Group Order. This is often necessary because you may have to order products from sellers by a certain date.
-Once form submission for your Group Order has been closed, it will be necessary to proceed with reception of payments. Usually participants will need to make a total of 3 payments. The first payment will cover the cost of items to be purchased. The second payment will go to internationship shipping of the items from Korea to your country. Finally, the third payment will be used to package the items individually and distribute to the GO participants within your country.
To track payments and communicate progress, Group Order Managers often publish and pin their “masterlist” (usually Google Sheet or Notion) on their accounts.
-After Group Order sign-up is closed, and item orders are processed, it may still take several weeks until items’ eventual arrival to your country (see months depending on the product ordered). Please be considerate and update your anxious customers regularly.
-Once the package arrives at your home, you will have to notify each customer (by a message and if possible with a photo). Then, you will have to ship each item individually to every one of your customers.
You can also add freebies in the packages or a little thank you note as a bonus. These little touches will please your customers so that they order with you again in your future runs.
The young YouTuber Thelaurenec made a video showing her journey hosting her first Group Order. In the video, she explains how to create a Google Form, which method of payment she used, and lots of other tips.
Being a GOM will require a lot of work and you may have to sacrifice your spare time! But Kfriday has the solution to make it easier! Kfriday is a Korean proxy specializing in Kpop goods. You don’t have to worry about language difficulties with Korean sellers, where to send and store your goods in Korea, or how to open a Korean bank account. Kfriday will take care of everything for you!
You just need to contact us on KakaoTalk and we will do the rest!