Buying a concert ticket in Korea is a fierce competition where only the most determined and dedicated fans have a chance at success. It’s a finger clicking race that is over in a matter of minutes especially when it comes to popular K-pop concerts. Most of these shows sell out easily under 5 minutes. If you just can’t miss the opportunity to see your favorite idol live and in person, here are 16 tips from professional shoppers on how to up your skills and increase your odds of getting tickets.
1. Know all the places where tickets are sold. Some concerts will section out seats and sell on more than one website so you should always check multiple sites to see if they will be selling them. The most popular websites include Interpark, Yes24, Melon, Auction, Ticket Link, Stubhub and Ticket Bay. You may want to bookmark these to make it easier to find later.
2. Have multiple computers and screens. If the tickets are being sold on more than one site, it’s a good idea to try to buy them on all of the sites all at once. If you fail in one place, you may succeed in another.
3. Have good internet connection. It is really important when you’re competing against bots and Koreans who basically have super-human computing powers. We recommend going to a PC Bang or internet café. These places are rigged for gamers so the fastest connections can be found here.
4. Use Navyism or Timeanddate to sync your clock. This website shows the time according to the individual ticket seller website servers. So for example if Melon’s servers are 5 seconds ahead of yours, you’ll always be late to the game. You can keep track of the time difference and refresh the accordingly.
5. Create accounts in advance. It’s going to take time to make an account because a lot of these websites require secondary authentication. This has to be done in advance so you don’t waste any precious time trying to log-in and create a password.
6. Practice buying tickets. If it’s your first time or if the website is not in English and your Korean isn’t that good, we highly recommend doing a few practice runs. Try buying other concert tickets without the time pressure and keep doing it until you are comfortable with the process. You don’t want to make a mistake when it comes time to buy the tickets you really want.
7. Know how each websites works. Each one is different and while some automatically activate when the sale starts, there are others that need refreshing to begin.
8. Have your finger ready to click. Make sure your mouse is hovering over the button you need to click to get started. Every mouse movement wastes time and seconds are important.
9. Choose your preferred concert date in advance. Some concerts have multiple shows on different dates. You may be able to go on more than one day, but you have to start with one so make a plan to go after your preferred date first. Second guessing yourself because you didn’t think it through in advance can cost you time.
10. Don’t go for the best seats. The prime seats will sell the fastest and you could miss your chance at getting a ticket all together. So unless you are really confident in your skills and a pro at buying tickets, try to go for tickets that are a little further back or off to the side.
11. Choose wire payment method. But only do this if you have a local Korean bank account. Choosing this payment method is helpful if you are still trying on other websites for better seats or are hoping to buy more tickets. This basically gives you the chance to go through the payment process later so you don’t have to waste time at check-out immediately.
12. Check back later. If you were unsuccessful at getting any tickets, you may have a second chance later. Tickets that are unpaid will automatically get cancelled after a certain amount of time and will be available for sale again. This usually happens during the middle of the night so set your alarm clock!
13. Try 3rd party reseller websites. Don’t be sad if you didn’t get a ticket. You can always find something on reseller websites like Ticketbis and Ticketbay. Unfortunately you’ll have to expect to pay more for them, but getting up close to your idol may definitely be worth it. Check this post out to learn more about resellers.
14. Don’t go for the cheapest option. When you are shopping on 3rd party seller websites, there’s a high likelihood that the cheap tickets will get cancelled and resold to a higher bidder. It really sucks and isn’t fair, but there are people who make a business out of being professional scalpers. You’ll most likely get your money back, but end up wasting time trying to repurchase from a different seller.
15. Pick tickets that were recently uploaded for sale. Sometimes resellers will have already sold their tickets elsewhere and have just not updated it on the site. It’s crappy because if you buy these tickets, they may not cancel your sale until much later giving you less chances of finding good replacement tickets.
16. Get help from Wonderful. These tips come from Wonderful’s bilingual personal assistant team that have helped thousands of fans purchase concert tickets in Korea. Just send a message to chat instantly with a live on-demand assistant. Tell them which concert, the date, the number of tickets you want, preferred seating area and they’ll do everything they can to get you tickets. Super helpful especially if you have trouble with payment, making an account or navigating Korean websites. The service is really affordable too because you just pay for time instead of commission on sales. There’s no membership, minimums and you can cancel anytime. You can reach us on Facebook, Kakao Talk or Email.
Bonus tip: Stretch your fingers and do some exercises. Stay hydrated and get good rest the night before. You’re going to need to be focused and build up your clicking speed before tickets go on sale. If you are looking for fan gear, here are some great websites in Korea to search for them - you will for sure need a light stick if you're going to a concert. If you're coming from another country to watch a show, here's some tips on how to save money on local flights. Good luck and may you get the best tickets in the stadium!
Most ticket purchase requests take around 30-60 minutes to get done on average, but times can vary depending on your situation.
Regarding our pricing, we charge for the time taken working on your request by the minute, for as low as 1250 KRW per minute, depending on your preferred pricing package. There are NO processing fees when you pay us via bank wire transfer. (You will pay only the cost of the item(s)). When we charge your bank card, there is an 8.5% processing fee that goes to the payment processor for their services. We do NOT benefit from this fee. For more information regarding our pricing, please follow this link.
You might also find these links useful: - Best Upcoming Shows and Concerts in Korea (Latest Update)