Order iHerb in Korea in 10 Easy Steps (+5% Discount!)

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Korea International School

 Ordering iHerb in Koreaiherb-in-koreaWant 5% off on iHerb? Use any one of the links in this article to get 5% off on your entire order!

Beat Tariffs and Get The Un-gettable

Did you know that there is an 800% tariff on quinoa and oatmeal in Korea? That sure makes eating these healthy foods more challenging than necessary. Order from iHerb and dodge those Korean tariffs.

Know any nursing mothers? They say fenugreek is a great supplement for increasing milk production, but good luck finding it here. Get it in Korea by ordering from iHerb.

Method is a hugely popular environmentally-friendly brand for household cleaning supplies. You can find a few of their products here, but the extra middleman (importer + retailer) is going to boost the price and selection is extremely limited. Pay the same price you would at Target. Order it to your home or office in Korea from iHerb.

Whether you’re looking for a deal or you’re looking for products you can’t get any other way, iHerb.com will deliver – literally!

Step 1: What’s a PCC? Your Personal Customs Code

Here’s the good news if you’re a foreigner: You don’t need one. According to the Korea Customs Service website Q & A section,

“And for the reference, for the foreigner, even if he(she) has no personal customs code, import declaration can be proceeded by putting the alien registration number or passport number in customs clearance system.”

Simply put your passport number where the PCC is supposed to go.

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If you’re Korean citizen, then you’ll have to go through the rigmarole that is the Korean Internet. Dust off that old laptop with Windows XP and Explorer 8 that you keep around for days when you have to deal with the 90’s technology of domestic government and banking. Visit the Customs Portal and start downloading garbage (understand that they may call it “security”).

Step 2: Register for iHerb on their English website

Easy-peasy. Follow the instructions and you’ll have an account in under a minute. Oh, and save 5% on your first order by using our code: GPD478. Use that code and you’ll also help buy the 10 team coffee this month besides saving money on your order. Thanks!

Step 3: Fill your iHerb shopping cart. Be smart! Coupons

iHerb, Korea, ordering, super specials, coupons, discounts, specials

At the top you will see some small fonts – don’t ignore them! Click on “Super Specials” to ensure that you know about the deals going on this month. Another one you may want to check out is “Clearance” items. There are some good deals on things they’re trying to get rid of.

There are also often discounts to encourage you to order larger amounts. A common special the run is a 10% discount if you order over US$60. Pay attention to these discounts, as they can lead to substantial savings.

Step 4: iHerb Free Shipping to Korea

You’ll get to choose between Direct Korean Postal and a private delivery service. Direct Korean Postal gets the job done well and are easy to monitor through their site. (It’s also my belief that customs is more likely to appreciate that you’ve used the national postal service.)

Pay attention to other specials here too. Free shipping if you order over US$40 is frequent iHerb discount offer.  If they’re not offering this or any other discounts and you’re not in a hurry, you may want to wait a few weeks because there will be discounts coming soon. (I rarely order without free shipping.)

Read the fine print on this page when you are looking to have thing shipped. There are all kinds of ways to screw up an order and end up with customs problems. Follow the rules and regulations to begin with and avoid the customs headaches later.

Step 5: Input your Korean delivery and billing address

Easier said than done with the new addresses, new zip codes, etc. Do yourself a favor and get the most updated information possible – once you input this information iHerb easily and automatically saves your delivery and order history, so re-ordering is a breeze – if they would just stop changing the addresses! (As of August 1st, 2015, you know there’s a new zip code, right? Only 5 digits rather than 6 digits separated by a hyphen.)

Step 6: Choose PCC or Passport Numberpcc, personal customs code, Korea, iHerb, passport, order, customs, passport number

Take your pick and input the appropriate number.

 

 

Step 7: Input Credit Card Information

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They’ll save this info too, so it will make ordering iHerb real easy in the future.

Step 8: Confirm Billing Address

If this is the same as your shipping address, then it will be easy to do.

Step 9: Review & Confirm

Have a look and make sure there are no changes.

Step 10: Wait & Watch

You should get some text messages in Korean from the postal company regarding the status of your iHerb delivery. If you don’t receive your order in 4 – 5 business days, you may want to ask a question of customs on their Q & A Board. They are very good with answering questions.

Now it’s time to give it a go. It’s not as hard as you thought it would be, is it? After your first order, you’ll soon realize that the most time-consuming thing is choosing which one of the 80+ different Ginko Bilboa supplements that iHerb offers is right for you.

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Have you ever used iherb? Share your experience with us in the comment section below! You can also check out our article on English websites for online shopping in Korea for more options.