2024 K-Pop Merch: Trends & Top Items!

Shop Bunjang & Ship with Delivered Korea

But first, what is Bunjang and Delivered Korea collaboration? Well, Bunjang is Korea’s biggest secondhand online marketplace. In April of 2023, Bunjang partnered with Delivered Korea, a global package forwarding service, to make Korean secondhand goods more accessible to international shoppers by solving the language barriers and payment challenges.

Now, as a global fan, you can browse Bunjang, copy the item link, and submit it through Delivered Korea’s platform. Afterward, the seller ships the item to Delivered Korea’s warehouse in South Korea; the package is then forwarded to your international address. The service even has extra conveniences like purchase consolidation, which lets you combine multiple items into a single shipment to lower costs. Altogether, this partnership is a game-changer for global fans and gives you access to all the unique, hard-to-find merchandise perfect for collectors.

Report Statistics Analysis

Now, let’s get into Bunjang’s 2024 K-Pop merch trend report. The report starts with BTS’ dominance in the resale market, with the group continuing to be the most searched artist even after pausing group activities in June of 2022. Their impressive 1.458 million searches place them ahead of other popular artists like SEVENTEEN, PLAVE, NCT, IVE, and TXT, highlighting BTS’ enduring influence and loyal fanbase.

Next, photocards are still the platform’s most sought-after and valuable K-Pop merchandise. BTS Jimin’s FACE photocard ended up as the most expensive item sold, fetching a whopping $2,141! Clearly, the K-Pop merch market shows no signs of slowing down, with fans willing to pay top dollar for exclusive items from their favorite artists. 

Fast-selling products also became a focal point of attention in 2024. IU’s exclusive Berlin concert merchandise became the fastest to sell, quickly vanishing from virtual shelves in just 23 seconds. Close on its heels was a photopack of RIIZE’s Sohee, which sold out in just 28 seconds, underlining the group’s rapid rise in popularity.

Throughout the year, NCT, SEVENTEEN, and IVE merchandise dominated the market, collectively making up half of all the items listed on Bunjang from January to October. RIIZE, TXT, BTS, and ZEROBASEONE also contributed majorly to the platform, cementing their status as major players in the K-Pop merch market.

On the global stage, the United States became the leader in visits to Bunjang’s international platform, with the highest revenue share among all buying countries. Japan and China followed closely, proving their strong and consistent demand for Korean products. At the same time, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand also added to the platform’s global traffic.

Current and Predicted Trends

As for current trends, at the moment, some of K-Pop’s most influential artists are making waves globally, with BLACKPINK’s Rosé continuing to solidify her status as a cultural icon, especially after her high-profile collaboration with Bruno Mars that not only went super viral in Korea but around the world.

aespa’s Karina is also super popular, captivating audiences with her dynamic stage presence and growing influence as a top idol in the industry and a member of aespa, a group that has been at the top of the charts consistently this year—similarly, IVE’s Jang Won-young continues to be one of the most in-demand idols with her skyrocketing popularity and stunning visuals.

On to boy groups, SEVENTEEN’s impact on the K-Pop scene is still undeniable, as their sold-out concerts and international awards show their strong connection with their fandom, CARATs. What’s more, BIGBANG has experienced a massive resurgence, especially after their iconic MAMA performance, where G-Dragon brought Taeyang and Daesung onstage to perform their legendary hits like “Fantastic Baby” and “Bang Bang Bang,” receiving a deafening roar of applause from millions of fans worldwide.

G-Dragon, in particular, has become one of the most trending idols, with his tracks “POWER,” “HOME SWEET HOME,” and “Crooked” dominating the charts. In fact, GD’s entire 2013 album, “Coup d’Etat,” has been streaming nonstop in Korea, an unexpected result of the recent political turmoil in the country. On top of that, with the upcoming star-studded variety show “GD and Friends” set to come out next year, G-Dragon is about to be one of the idols you’ll hear a lot about throughout 2025!

And on the topic of idols that you’ll be seeing a lot of in the next year, GOT7 and GFRIEND, two beloved groups with huge fanbases, are set to return—big news for all those who’ve been eagerly waiting for new releases from these iconic groups. Also, IVE will kick off the year with a January comeback, plus Red Velvet’s Seulgi and NCT’s Mark are both poised for solo releases in early 2025. With KAI also expected to drop a mini-album as soon as he is released from his military duty, 2025 is shaping up to deliver an exciting mix of solo ventures and group comebacks; a lot to look forward to!