Reselling Overseas Direct Purchase Goods for Commercial Purposes... "Punishable as Smuggling"

It is important to note that reselling goods purchased through overseas direct purchase for commercial purposes can be punished as smuggling.

On June 9, the Seoul Regional Customs Office of the Korea Customs Service announced that it had apprehended a university student in his 20s, referred to as Mr. A, on suspicion of violating the Customs Act. According to the Seoul Customs Office, Mr. A is suspected of falsely declaring over 400 uniforms (worth approximately 40 million won) of well-known overseas soccer teams, purchased from online stores in the United States and the United Kingdom, as personal items in order to clear customs, and then reselling them domestically.

Soccer team uniform that Mr. A purchased through overseas direct purchase and intended to resell domestically. Provided by Seoul Regional Customs Office, Korea Customs Service

An investigation revealed that Mr. A initially purchased uniforms of overseas soccer teams, which included Korean players, for his own use. However, when the sizes did not fit, he resold them online and made a profit from the price difference.

Subsequently, he continued this practice multiple times between February and December of last year, purchasing uniforms through overseas direct purchase without officially declaring them to customs, and selling them on online sports goods communities to generate profit.

The Seoul Customs Office determined that Mr. A's actions were in violation of the Customs Act, and imposed a fine as well as a surcharge equivalent to the value of the illegally sold soccer uniforms. In addition, uniforms that had not yet been sold were confiscated.

Generally, goods purchased through overseas direct purchase for personal use are exempt from customs duties and can be cleared through simplified customs procedures if the value does not exceed USD 150 (or USD 200 for goods from the United States).

However, even for goods purchased through overseas direct purchase, if the quantity and frequency of purchases indicate a commercial purpose, an official import declaration is required for customs clearance.

If goods are sold on the market after undergoing only simplified customs procedures without an official import declaration, the seller may face up to five years of imprisonment or a fine (such as ten times the customs duty amount), in accordance with the Customs Act.

A representative of the Seoul Regional Customs Office stated, "As overseas direct purchase becomes more common and it becomes easier to resell such goods domestically online, illegal activities for the purpose of making extra money are increasing. The customs office will continue to crack down on and strictly respond to illegal imports of commercial goods that exploit the convenient overseas direct purchase procedures."