As the Chuseok holiday passes, various festival gifts such as ginseng, Hanwoo beef, fruits, and gift certificates are appearing on second-hand trading platforms. While this is a time when more people are trying to resell gifts they do not need or that do not match their tastes, caution is required because some items prohibit peer-to-peer transactions or require meeting certain conditions.
Health functional foods such as ginseng, vitamins, and omega-3, which are frequently exchanged as Chuseok gifts, can be traded second-hand if certain conditions are met.
While health functional foods generally require a sales business registration, a pilot project allowing peer-to-peer resale has been in effect since May 2024. Currently, transactions can be conducted on the second-hand platform Danggeun.
Products intended for sale must bear the "Health Functional Food" label and allow verification of required markings such as the product name. They must be unopened products stored at room temperature that have not passed their expiration date. Peer-to-peer transactions are limited to 10 times per year.
Health functional foods purchased directly overseas or brought into the country through purchasing agents cannot be traded. Arbitrarily dividing and selling large-volume products is also prohibited.
Standards for agricultural, livestock, and aquatic products such as Hanwoo beef and fruits vary depending on the second-hand trading platform used. On Danggeun Market, transactions are allowed if the product was purchased at a mart or similar venue, remains sealed, and has not passed its expiration date. In contrast, Bunghaejangtari restricts peer-to-peer transactions for fresh foods such as unprocessed agricultural, livestock, and aquatic products.
Paper gift certificates or mobile gift certificates issued by department stores can also be traded second-hand. However, personal resale of Ongnuri Gift Certificates and local love gift certificates is restricted in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
The item requiring the most caution is alcohol. Alcoholic beverages such as wine, hard liquor, and traditional Korean liquor cannot be sold by individuals on second-hand trading platforms regardless of type. This applies even to alcohol received as a Chuseok gift. Selling alcohol without a liquor sales license can result in imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won under the Act on Punishment of Tax Crimes.
Sales of cosmetics are also restricted depending on the type. Samples provided for promotional or sales promotion purposes among products included in cosmetic gift sets cannot be sold separately. The act of arbitrarily scooping out and selling cosmetic contents is also not permitted.
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