Affiliate disclosure: This page may contain Coupang Partners links. Gear Plum may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
About Gear Plum
Gear Plum is an independent, English-language guide for foreigners living in Korea. We focus on one thing the big review sites miss: what’s actually worth buying here, and how to buy it on Coupang when the app fights you.
How we pick
We’re a curation site, not a lab. We don’t claim to have personally tested every product — so we won’t pretend to. Instead, each pick is chosen by comparing three things:
- Specs — the numbers that actually matter for that category (wattage, size, compatibility).
- Owner reviews — Korean shoppers review in huge volume, which is a genuinely useful signal once you read past the marketing.
- Expert tests — established reviews and teardowns where they exist.
We favor products that are actually available in Korea with a working purchase link, and we add an honest “before you buy” note when something has a real catch.
How we keep it accurate
Prices, stock, and Coupang’s own rules change often, so we date-stamp each guide (“Last reviewed”) and revisit them rather than letting them rot. When a step depends on having an ARC, a Korean phone number, or a Korean card, we say so plainly instead of glossing over it. If you spot something out of date, that feedback genuinely helps.
How we make money
Gear Plum participates in Coupang Partners. If you buy through one of our links, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we recommend or the price you pay. We’d rather send you to the right product than the highest-paying one, because a guide people don’t trust is worthless.
Who runs it
Gear Plum is a small independent project run from Korea, by someone who has done the “where do I even buy this?” scramble firsthand. It started as a Korean-language gear guide and grew an English side for the expat and newcomer crowd.