A Warning to BTS Fans. Please be careful when dealing with a certain seller of KPOP merchandise.

When BTS Member Jung Kook (전정국) announced the release of his debut album Golden I (like millions of other fans all over the globe) rushed to pre-order. My site of choice (as always) was Amazon. I’d already purchased “Seven” (explicit version; featuring Latto) and “3D” (featuring Jack Harlow) through Melon (a lossless music site in Korea) as well as the music videos through iTunes. 

When I pre-ordered the album through one of Amazon’s third-party sellers I purchased a version that included a special gift. I double and triple-checked to make sure that the version I was buying was in fact what I wanted. The description was very clear about the package including a CD along with a plethora of extras. 

When the album was released on 3 November, I found that my pre-order would not be arriving until later in the month and as an impatient fan I decided to purchase a digital copy of the album as well (Because I really want to support JK). When the product finally arrived, (on 22 November) not only did it not include the CD or a lot of the extras promised, what basically arrived was a miniature version of the book that came along with the album and a hand-full of photo cards. As it turns out, this was a product that could be pre-ordered, (though for about three times less, than what I paid) through Weverse.

To make sure I had not made a mistake, I double-checked the listing of what I ordered, making sure to screenshot, everything – again, it extras were in addition to a CD. Then I reached out to the third-party seller. Hands down the WORST customer service interaction I have ever had. They were unhelpful and downright rude, claiming I merely misread their listing. They then sent me a screenshot of the listing that in itself stated a CD was included and when I re-screenshot what they sent me, hi-lighting that, they continued to say I had misread the description. I do not appreciate being gaslit, especially, when they themselves had sent me proof that I was correct, so I reached out to Amazon directly for assistance. 

Again, I asked the Amazon representative to double-check the description against what I ordered, just to be sure I hadn’t misread or misunderstood. I hadn’t. The Amazon rep confirmed that I had indeed been correct, I had not received what I ordered. 

When asked, I advised that, rather than a refund, I would prefer to get the album. Amazon did its best, but in the end, the seller was unhelpful and unwilling to rectify the issue. So in the end, the item was refunded. While I did purchase a digital copy of Golden, I was now without what I thought would be a very cool collector’s item. 

I understand that, in the grand scheme of things, one bad experience isn’t that bad, and I will probably be able to find a copy of the album at my local Target (or via another online retailer), but the issue is with the fact that this seller (and others like them) has taken advantage of Jung Kook and his fans who support him. 

While they have now changed the listing to something completely different, which no longer mentions the CD, for weeks before the album’s release, they were falsely advertising a product they did not have. That’s why it is very important to read (and leave) reviews and report any malicious sellers. 

As an artist, I want to support other artists – especially when it comes to physical products. Streaming doesn’t pay the bills, but buying physical merchandise does. Is Jung Kook going to suffer if I am unable to purchase a physical copy of the box set for Golden? Probably not, the album has broken all kinds of records. But, still… it’s the principle of it. I work hard for the money I spend on artists I like, we all do, and when shady sellers take advantage of that and exploit our fandom, it’s unacceptable. 

So be careful out there. 

If I do find a box set of Golden, there will be more Jung Kook soon so… 

Stay Tuned.