Chuseok gift sets are flooding secondhand trading platforms now that the holiday has ended. Sellers are unloading presents they do not need while buyers hunt for bargains, turning what Koreans call "holiday-tech" into a fixture of consumer culture.
Listings on secondhand platforms as of the 29th ranged from convenience food sets such as canned ham and tuna to health supplements including red ginseng, all priced below retail. Even presidential holiday gift sets, rarely available through normal channels, have surfaced on the resale market.
The 2026 Chuseok gift set from President Lee Jae-myung was listed at 150,000 won (about $108), excluding items such as alcohol that cannot be traded between individuals. Its scarcity as a gift sent by the president has drawn attention on resale platforms.
Trading volume surged immediately after the holiday. Karrot said gift set transactions during this year's Chuseok break, from Sept. 21 to 27, rose 50% from the same period a year earlier, when the holiday ran from Oct. 3 to 9.
Transactions of Spam, a staple holiday gift, climbed 43%, while canned tuna rose 33%. The increase reflects a simultaneous rise in sellers disposing of unwanted gifts and buyers seeking discounted sets.
Not every holiday gift can be resold, however. Health supplements and alcoholic beverages in particular require careful checks on whether and how they may be traded.
Health supplements such as red ginseng, vitamins and probiotics were once barred from person-to-person resale but can now be traded on a limited basis through some platforms. The government has been running a pilot program allowing temporary person-to-person trading of health supplements since January 2024, following a recommendation from the regulatory review division of the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
To qualify, products must be unopened, stored at room temperature and still within their use-by date. They must carry the official health supplement certification mark, and labeling details such as the product name must be legible. To prevent commercial resale, individuals are limited to 10 transactions a year.
Alcoholic beverages including wine, spirits and traditional liquors are barred from resale as a rule, because individuals cannot sell alcohol without a liquor sales license. Selling alcohol without one carries up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won under Article 6 of the Punishment of Tax Evaders Act.
With secondhand trading picking up around Chuseok, sellers should verify the relevant rules before listing, since eligibility and conditions vary by product.
