"1,800 Rolls of Toilet Paper for Just Over 20,000 Won?"...Coupang AI Says "Yes," Orders Later Canceled

60 Packs of Toilet Paper Listed at 28,000 Won
AI Reply of "1,800 Rolls Is Correct" Fuels Confusion
Cancellation Notices Sent at 5:30 p.m. After Orders Surge

A pricing error occurred on Coupang in which 1,800 rolls of toilet paper were sold for a little over 20,000 won, triggering a rush of orders. As the price worked out to around 10 won per roll, consumers kept sending inquiries, but Coupang's artificial intelligence (AI) answer bot replied that "1,800 rolls is correct," adding to the confusion.

Coupang website showing 60 packs of toilet paper containing 30 rolls each listed at around 28,000 won. Screenshot of Coupang's website.

Around 1:00 p.m. on the 11th, Coupang displayed a bundled product of 60 packs of toilet paper, each pack containing 30 rolls, at around 28,000 won. As listed, the bundle consisted of a total of 1,800 rolls, making the price about 16 won per roll. The product in question was "KleenNara Pure Signature Natural Pulp 3-Ply Premium Toilet Paper," and at present on Coupang, two packs of 30 rolls (a total of 60 rolls) are being sold for around 28,000 to 29,000 won.

Some users, surprised by the exceptionally low price, left inquiries asking whether "1,800 rolls would really be delivered." Coupang's AI answer bot then posted a public reply saying "Yes," further confusing consumers. On the actual product Q&A board, questions such as "Is one pack 30 rolls and do 60 packs get delivered?" and "Is the total really 1,800 rolls?" continued to appear, but the AI answer bot repeatedly responded that "It is correct that there are 60 packs of 30 rolls each, for a total of 1,800 rolls."

This information spread through online communities and social networking services (SNS), quickly leading to a surge of orders. After recognizing the error, Coupang sent text messages around 5:30 p.m. the same day to customers, notifying them that their orders were scheduled to be canceled. A Coupang representative said, "Due to a quantity display error, these orders will unfortunately have to be canceled," and added, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

The exact number of orders received due to this quantity display error has not yet been tallied. Coupang plans to provide 5,000 won in Coupang Cash as compensation to buyers who experienced inconvenience from the order cancellations.