Dear Pennies & Pens,
In this post, Where to Buy K Pop Albums, I am going to share which shops (online & offline) you should purchase K Pop albums from. Please note, I have personally purchased albums from each of these shops.Ā
K Pop has truly grown over the past 30 years since its inception. It’s now a global phenomenon that’s gaining momentum with each day. Collecting merch such as albums, seasons greetings, DVDs, and light sticks is a major part of being a K Pop fan.
There is no merch like K Pop merch. It’s just so artistic and thoughtfully designed. Regardless of the group or artist, K Pop merch is its own unique creation. So if you love music, fashion, art and photography, K Pop merch gives you all the above and more. But where do you buy K Pop albums and merch?!
When I first started collecting, I sadly got scammed when I ordered a Monsta X DVD from an online shop, the DVDs didn’t play and the retailer refused to offer a refund. After that diastuh, I checked in with fellow K Pop fans and they offered a list of where to shop. I also found a few shops on my own.
That said, I decided to write this post because I know there’s newbie K Pop fans that don’t know where to buy albums. So let me stop babbling and share the list. Please note this list is tailored for international fans.
Where to Buy K Pop Albums
Online
Music Plaza: I discovered Music Plaza after chatting with fellow K Pop fans about where to buy albums from. Since then, I’ve made quite a few purchases with Music Plaza. The albums always arrive carefully packaged with no issues. I love ordering from Music Plaza because they are based in the US (Los Angeles, California).
When I order from Music Plaza, I can use media mail shipping (a cheap USPS shipping option for CDs & books only) so the order is cheaper. This allows me to save some pennies because shipping from a Korean retailer costs serious guap. Music Plaza always has a great selection and they have the latest releases. Just order quickly because they do sell out! Check out Music Plaza here: https://www.musicplaza.com/
G Market: I found G Market because Minhyuk & Hyungwon of Monsta X previously did a YouTube show with G Market called INSSA OPPA. I loved that show so I promised to order from G Market whenever I need albums. I’ve ordered from G Market several times and I’ve always had great experiences. The packages were wrapped nicely and there were no damages to the albums.
My only buzzkill with G Market is how expensive shipping is. Technically, the shipping fee goes to the provider (i.e., UPS, DHL, etc) not the retailer (in this case G Market) but it just feels like you’re spending more money just to get the album. I mean shipping is usually $30 per album! Other than this, G Market has a great selection of albums (it’s considered to be the eBay of Korea) so you’ll find old & new albums here. Check it out: http://global.gmarket.co.kr/Home/Main
Ktown4U: I found Ktown4U on YouTube because they always post unboxing videos. I’ve ordered from them a couple of times and always had great experiences. They also have physical stores in Korea that look super cool. I can’t wait to go and check them out.
The best thing about Ktown4U is that when you preorder albums you get exclusive benefits like an extra photocard or poster. Plus since they always unbox new albums, you get a preview of what the album looks like. Once again the only buzzkill with Ktown4U as an international fan is that you’ll pay plenty of pennies for shipping. Shipping for my most recent order was $40!!! But still, the preorder benefits were cool so it what it is. Check out Ktown4U here: https://www.ktown4u.com/
In Person (Dallas area only)
Dear Pennies & Pens,
In this part of the post, I am going to recommend two local K Pop shops here in Dallas. I love shopping for K Pop albums in person! It means there’s no waiting or paying for expensive shipping.
The best thing about both of the shops I’m going to recommend is that they are next door to each other. So if one shop doesn’t have the album you’re looking for, you can just go next door and check there. Pretty convenient.
Pink Box: I found out about Pink Box via Josey Records (my favorite record store in Dallas). I called Josey looking for a Kpop album and they told me to contact Pink Box as they are a K Pop store in Carrollton that would probably have the album. They had the album I was looking for so since then I’ve been a loyal customer.
Pink Box has a wonderful selection of the latest albums but they also have older albums as well. I love coming up here because it’s fun to shop for albums in person. Also, it means no waiting or paying for shipping. Pink Box is located in the Carrollton area of Dallas. The easiest way to find out what they have in stock is to check their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkboxtexas/?hl=en or call.
VT Carrollton: With this store being right next to Pink Box, I discovered it naturally after visiting Pink Box. VT Carrollton also has an amazing selection and their prices are just a bit cheaper than their neighbor. They also seem to get new albums rather quickly.
They already had Mamamoo’s Mic On album this past Friday (10/14) and it just dropped on Tuesday (10/11). I was honestly mad I pre ordered it online because if I had just waited, I could’ve just bought it in person and not paid for expensive shipping. Like I’m still waiting on my pre order to arrive. Anyway, VT Carrollton is located in Carrollton as well. Check out their website here: https://www.vtcarrollton.com/
I hope you found this post helpful! Please note that Music Plaza has a physical store in LA, I just haven’t personally been. You can also preorder albums from Pink Box or VT Carrollton, it’s just I haven’t done that before. Just wanted to clarify because I only make recommendations based on what I’ve personally experienced.
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