Review for Books on Korea
Books on Korea is the English website for the Korean retailer Kong & Park.
Details
Prices: Items are around 15% more expensive than the Korean retail price, plus shipping. All prices are in USD.
Browsing: Before exploring, you may want to disable your adblocker for the site; no books would show up in the search results while my adblocker was on. Other than that, itās an easy site to use - you can search for specific titles (titles and descriptions are in Korean) or browse the categories.
There are many more books available than other sites catering to international customers: for example, āBook for introducing to Koreaā > āLearning Koreanā returns 2k+ results. Larger categories, such as āTeenagersā and āKorean Novelsā return 9.9k results (the search result limit).
Ordering: Easy and straightforward. One small problem I had was that I couldnāt enter my full post (zip) code in the designated box, so I included it in full in another box in the address section. Immediate order confirmation email on completion of purchase.
It looks like customers in the US have the choice to have their items shipped domestically if theyāre in stock at the US branch.
Payment method: Stripe
Processing: Shipped within 5 working days. No notification was sent from the website, but I did receive updates from DHL. āDelivery trackingā (it just provides the DHL tracking number) is available on the Books on Korea website, but only works after order has been shipped.
Tracking: DHL, delivered within 2 working days (UK).
Packaging: Bubble-lined plastic envelope (for a small order of 2 books).
Items: Arrived in excellent condition.
Pros:
- English interface
- Worldwide shipping
- Huge selection of books
Cons:
- Shipping can be pricey
- Canāt see order status / no shipment notification
- Can only save 8 items to wishlist
Overall: Excellent in terms of choice, as itās basically an online Korean bookstore that caters to foreign customers (a rarity, sadly). Whether you want more advanced learning materials or youāre interested in books aimed at native Korean speakers, youāll find a huge selection of books that meet your needs. However, while the books themselves are affordable, the shipping can drive up the price of purchases significantly.
Rating: ā ā ā ā ā
