"Holiday Gift Sets Are Not for Receiving but Selling"...Thrifty Shoppers Targeting Secondhand Transactions

Selling unused shampoo and buying needed spam... 'Holiday Tech' Trend
"MZ Generation's Consumer Culture Prioritizing Practicality in High Inflation Era"
Care Needed When Trading Health Functional Foods Like Red Ginseng and Vitamins

Used transaction platform Chuseok gift set transaction price examples.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] "I'm selling because I didn't use it. I only opened the box, so anyone who wants it cheap, please take it."

Park (27), a worker in his 20s, put up a set of toothpaste, shampoo, and daily necessities given by his company for the holiday on a secondhand trading platform. Park decided to sell the daily necessities he already had and instead buy a food gift set priced lower than the retail price. He sold the 'LG Household & Health Care Life's Impression Set No. 34,' which he received as a gift for 28,000 won, for 15,000 won, and bought the 'CJ Spam Set No. 8,' priced at 30,000 won, for 20,000 won. Park said, "I think it's a win-win situation to make money by selling unnecessary products that only take up space and save living expenses by buying gift sets at a cheaper price."

In an era of high inflation and increasing living expenses, a so-called 'holiday tech' trend is thriving among thrifty consumers who resell Chuseok gift sets and buy discounted ones. Housewives and office workers use unwanted gift sets as a means of financial management, while single-person households take the opportunity to get daily necessities like Spam and cooking oil with long shelf lives at low prices.

According to secondhand trading platforms such as Danggeun Market on the 13th, various gift sets including Spam, canned tuna, household goods, and health supplements are traded at prices about 20-50% cheaper than the lowest internet prices. The 'CJ Spam Gift Set Special G,' which includes cooking oil, sesame oil, and Spam, is traded at around 29,500 won wholesale price online but is being sold at half price with only shipping fees charged. The canned tuna gift set 'Dongwon Tunari Cham 100 Gift Set,' priced in the 30,000 won range, was traded at 25,000 won, a 20% discount.

As holiday tech gains popularity, over 500 posts selling holiday gift sets have been uploaded on secondhand trading sites in the past week. According to Danggeun Market, 'gift set' ranked 4th in the search terms on the secondhand trading home feed during the weekend of the 3rd and 4th. Junggonara also launched a 'Spam Battle' event from the 22nd of last month, where Junggonara directly purchased Spam gift sets and donated them. More than 600 people participated in this event.

List of holiday gift sets posted on the secondhand trading platform 'Danggeun Market' application (app).

Experts view this new holiday consumption trend as a phenomenon arising from the consumption patterns of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), who prioritize practicality, combined with the burden of high inflation. Professor Lee Eunhee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "Reselling holiday gift sets has become popular in recent years due to increased price pressures. Although some see reselling gift sets as disregarding sincerity, it is not a big issue for the MZ generation, who focus on practicality."

Meanwhile, industry insiders caution that buying and selling health supplements such as red ginseng and vitamins on secondhand markets requires care. Trading these as secondhand goods after receiving them as gift sets could lead to criminal penalties. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Health Functional Foods Act permits sales only to qualified sellers who have registered their business. If unlicensed sellers falsely or exaggeratedly advertise the functions, consumers may suffer from misinformation. Violations of the law can result in imprisonment of up to five years or fines up to 50 million won.