Second-hand trading

Meeting in person and inspecting the item is the safest way.

Common platforms

• Neighbourhood apps — Danggeun Market and similar, for local face-to-face trades.
• Second-hand cafés and apps — Bunjang, Joonggonara and others.
• Giveaways — many people post items free.
• Furniture and appliances appear in quantity during moving season. See moving-in.

Trading safely

1. Prefer meeting in person — inspect, then pay.
2. Meet in a public, busy place — a subway station, outside a convenience store.
3. Check the seller's account number and phone before transferring — via police Cyber Safety Guard, TheCheat and similar.
4. Use escrow payment. Be suspicious if only bank transfer is offered.
5. Screenshot the conversation and account number.
6. Test appliances before buying.

Signs of fraud

• A price that is far too low.
• Refusing to meet, insisting on delivery and demanding payment up front.
• Pressure: "someone else wants it".
• Requests for personal details or photos of your ID.
• Contact details that keep changing.

If you are defrauded

1. Report at ecrm.police.go.kr or a police station.
2. Ask your bank for a payment stop.
3. Gather chats, transfer records and the account number and submit them.
4. Report it to the platform too.
5. Anyone offering to "recover your money" is running a second scam. See online-scam.

Where to go

• 112 police
• ecrm.police.go.kr cybercrime reporting
• 1372 Consumer Counselling Centre
• 1332 Financial Supervisory Service (account matters)
• 1345 interpretation support

Questions people ask

Chatting in Korean is difficult. Use a translation app, and state price, time and place clearly in numbers. See translation-apps.

Is it safe to buy second-hand appliances? Test them yourself before buying. With fridges and washing machines, check noise and vibration too.

What should I watch when selling? Confirm the money has arrived before sending the item — forged transfer confirmations are a known scam.

They want to see my residence card. You don't need to show it. Second-hand trading requires no ID. See personal-info-protection.

Take care

Checking the account before transferring takes seconds — that single step prevents most fraud. Avoid late hours and deserted places for in-person trades. Be especially careful with high-value deals, and take someone with you if you can.

Related

online-scam · scam-types · moving-in · personal-info-protection · online-shopping

Source

Korean National Police Agency cybercrime reporting ecrm.police.go.kr / As of 2026-08