Tomás needed a desk, a fan and a rice cooker for his new studio in Suwon. New, that was about ₩250,000. A coworker opened an orange app and found all three within a ten-minute walk for under ₩60,000.
The rice cooker was free. The seller just wanted it gone before Saturday.
Karrot (당근, formerly 당근마켓) is where Koreans buy and sell used things with neighbors. You can use it without Korean: set the menus to English, translate listings, and meet in person to pay. The one hard requirement is a Korean phone number in your own name.
What Karrot is
Karrot is a hyperlocal marketplace. You only see listings from your own neighborhood (동네) and the areas around it, so trades usually happen on foot. People sell furniture, appliances, baby gear, bikes, clothes and moving-out bundles. It also has a neighborhood board (동네생활) for local questions and lost pets, and part-time job listings.
The same company runs Karrot in a few other countries, such as Canada and Japan. In Korea you join the Korean service, which is the 당근 app. There is no separate English marketplace here: the English setting changes the app, not the people.
What you need to sign up
| Requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Korean phone number | Sign-up and identity checks run through Korean carriers |
| Line registered in your name with your ARC number | Lines under a passport number, an employer or a friend usually fail |
| GPS on your phone | Neighborhood verification (동네인증) checks where you are |
| Optional: Korean bank account | For transfers and 당근페이 |
If your line was opened with your passport before you got your residence card (외국인등록증), ask your carrier to update it to your foreign registration number. Dual-number or second-number services can’t complete the check. If sign-up keeps failing, read why Korean sign-ups fail; it’s almost always the phone record.
Switch to English in My Karrot → Settings → Language. Menus, buttons and system messages change. Listings and chats stay in whatever language people write them in, which is nearly always Korean.
Neighborhood verification (동네인증)
Karrot ties your account to a neighborhood using your phone’s location. You verify while standing in that area, and you have to re-verify from time to time. Your profile shows how many times you’ve verified. Don’t try to fake your location: Karrot treats that as a fraud signal and can sanction the account.
Items listed far outside your area usually can’t be negotiated by chat. They’re sold through Buy Now (바로구매), a parcel and escrow flow.
Manners temperature (매너온도)
Every account starts at 36.5°C, normal body temperature. Good reviews and smooth trades push it up; no-shows, rude chats and reports push it down. Before you trade, check the other person’s temperature, past reviews and how many people would trade with them again. A brand-new account at 36.5 isn’t bad, just unknown.
To keep yours high: reply quickly, show up on time, describe items honestly, and leave a review after each trade.
How a typical trade works
- Chat in the app. Papago or your phone’s translator handles both directions; copy the seller’s message, translate, reply in simple Korean.
- Agree on a place and time. Subway exits, convenience stores and apartment entrances are common. Many sellers propose the spot themselves.
- Inspect. Turn it on, open it, check for damage. Karrot says it can’t help with defects you find after the item changes hands.
- Pay and mark the trade done, then leave a review.
Paying: cash, transfer or 당근페이
| Method | Good for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | Small items, quick meetups | Bring exact change |
| Bank transfer (계좌이체) | Larger items, paid on the spot | Only after you’ve seen the item |
| 당근페이 (Karrot Pay) | Paying without sharing bank details | Needs a Korean bank account linked in the app |
| 안심결제 (safe payment) | Parcel and Buy Now trades | Don’t confirm purchase until the item arrives |
With safe payment, Karrot holds the money until you tap confirm purchase (구매확정). A seller who asks you to confirm before delivery is a red flag. A direct transfer to someone’s bank account has no platform protection at all.
Useful Korean phrases
| You want to say | Korean |
|---|---|
| Is this still available? | 아직 판매하시나요? |
| Can you lower the price a little? | 조금만 깎아주실 수 있나요? |
| Can we meet at ___ station exit ___? | ___역 ___번 출구에서 만날 수 있을까요? |
| I’ll be there at 7 pm. | 저녁 7시에 갈게요. |
| I’m 5 minutes late, sorry. | 5분 정도 늦어요, 죄송해요. |
| I’m a foreigner, so my Korean is limited. | 외국인이라 한국어가 서툴러요. |
| Thank you, have a good day! | 감사합니다, 좋은 하루 보내세요! |
Listing words you’ll see: 직거래 (in-person trade), 택배 (shipping), 네고 (price negotiable), 새상품 (new), 급처 (urgent sale, often cheap), 나눔 (free).
Free stuff (나눔)
A listing at ₩0 is a giveaway (나눔). It’s not first come, first served: the giver picks who gets it, so a polite message that says when you can pick it up works best. A real 나눔 asks for nothing except showing up. If a “free” listing asks you to move to another app, send personal details or share a verification code, it’s a scam.
Scams to avoid
- Moving the chat elsewhere. Requests to continue on KakaoTalk, Telegram or an outside payment link are a classic sign. Stay in the app.
- Too-cheap items you can’t inspect, especially phones, laptops, concert tickets and gift cards.
- Fake Karrot Pay accounts. A transfer request to an account named “당근페이” or “당근마켓” is impersonation.
- Account numbers sent as photos or split across messages to dodge Karrot’s filters.
- “Rent your account” offers on social media. The renter uses your account for fraud, and you get banned.
Before sending money to a stranger, look up their phone or account number at the National Police Agency’s Cyber Bureau checker (cyberbureau.police.go.kr). If you’re scammed, report in the app, contact your bank right away, and file with the police (call 112 in an emergency). Our police and crime reporting guide explains the steps.
Selling before you leave Korea
Karrot is the easiest way to clear a flat before a move. Start three to four weeks before your flight:
- Photograph each item in daylight and price it a bit below similar listings.
- Write a short Korean title (Papago is fine) and add “이사로 급처” (urgent sale because of a move).
- Bundle small items, and list big ones first: fridges and wardrobes take longest.
- Give away what’s left as 나눔 in the last week. Large furniture that doesn’t sell needs a paid disposal sticker from your district office; see our trash and recycling guide.
Keep your phone line active until the last trade is done, and check the leaving Korea checklist for everything else.
Tomás now sells the things he outgrows on Karrot too. His temperature is 41.2°C, and his Korean chat replies are getting shorter and faster.
Common questions
Can I use Karrot before I get my ARC?
Usually not. Sign-up relies on a carrier identity check, and for foreigners that generally means a line registered with your ARC number. Get your residence card and update your phone line first.
Can I list in English?
Yes, but you’ll get fewer replies. Add a short Korean title and description; buyers search in Korean.
Is it safe to meet strangers?
Most trades are routine. Meet in public, in daylight if you can, and bring a friend for big-ticket items. Never transfer money before seeing the item in person.
Do I have refund rights if the item is broken?
The cooling-off right you get from online stores doesn’t apply to private sellers. You may still have civil remedies for hidden defects, but in practice, inspecting before paying is your protection.
Sources: Karrot help center (language setting: daangn.com FAQ) and in-app guidance on 안심결제 and fraud; GQ Korea and Money Today on 매너온도 (36.5°C start); National Police Agency Cyber Bureau.
All the apps we recommend for life in Korea: essential apps guide.
Written from the laws and official notices in force on the date above. Rules change and every case is different, so check with the office named in the article before an important decision. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.