"This Is Creative Economy Level"... Seongsimdang Cake and Free Calendar Giveaway Spark 'Reselling'

"Emphasizing 'Food Secondhand Trading is Illegal'"

Amid recurring controversies over the 'reselling' of products from Seongsimdang, a famous bakery in Daejeon, a new issue has arisen with posts claiming that even the calendars Seongsimdang gave away for free are being sold for money, sparking further controversy.

Strawberry Siru. Seongsimdang

Recently, several posts appeared on the secondhand trading platform Danggeun, selling Seongsimdang calendars for prices ranging from as low as 5,000 won to as high as 20,000 won. These calendars were given away for free to customers who purchased more than 30,000 won at Seongsimdang between the 23rd and 25th. However, these calendars were bundled with bread exchange coupons worth about 30,000 won, meaning they were being resold for money. Netizens reacted coldly to the act of individuals reselling calendars that were originally given away for free.

Earlier, an online community post on a secondhand trading platform sparked controversy by reselling 'Strawberry Siru Maknae,' priced at 43,000 won, for 140,000 won, which included 65,000 won for transportation costs (tolls and fuel) and 30,000 won as a service fee. Seongsimdang's 'Strawberry Siru' (2.3 kg) is a limited menu item available only during the strawberry season in winter and early spring, attracting high demand every year, with long lines forming around the store from early morning. The 'Strawberry Siru' is priced at 49,000 won, and the smaller-sized 'Strawberry Siru Maknae' is sold for 43,000 won. Not only this post but also other listings on online secondhand trading sites showed 'Strawberry Siru' prices ranging from 70,000 to 200,000 won.

Netizens who saw these posts responded with comments such as "This is creative economy at this level," "Prices are unacceptable," "Individuals are exploiting the bakery's fame," "It's clearly illegal, aren't they ashamed?" and "How can you trust how individuals stored the product before buying?" Some even urged online communities to "report the reselling of Seongsimdang cakes."

Furthermore, reselling food is illegal. Selling food without proper authorization or registration is subject to fines. As such reselling has increased, Seongsimdang also posted a notice stating, "There may be legal sanctions for purchasing agency (third-party sales). Seongsimdang products are only available at Seongsimdang stores."