Sydney Korean Duty-Free: Sheep Placenta Cream & Souvenirs
Sydney Korean Duty-Free Shop
Work finished early, so I stopped by a duty-free shop to pick up some souvenirs before heading back to Korea. I had received requests to buy some cosmetics before I even left, so I headed to a duty-free shop run by Koreans. Maybe I just couldn't find it, but I couldn't locate a regular, local-run duty-free shop in Sydney. I thought there would be a Lotte or Shilla Duty Free, but this country boy was barking up the wrong tree again. They say you should be careful of other Koreans when you go abroad, so I was a bit worried at first if this place was okay.
The location is right in the middle of downtown Sydney. I probably should have navigated smartly using public transit, but I hadn't studied the area at all before coming to Sydney and was just winging it. Plus, I was meeting Yong-wan in the evening, so I chose the easiest yet most exhausting option: walking. I've been walking around so much lately that a 30-minute trek didn't even feel that hard.
Once I arrived, it looked like they had a decent selection of things worth buying. True to being a Korean duty-free shop, all the clerks were Korean, so communication was absolutely no problem. Since I don't know where else these products are sold in Australia, it's hard to compare prices. But for that very reason, if you factor out the time and effort of hunting down where to buy them, I think it's not a bad place to shop. Of course, this only applies when you come alone; it's a different story if you come with a tour group.
Honestly, it's true I felt a bit hesitant because it's run by Koreans, but you shouldn't just assume it's better to buy duty-free goods at the airport either. From what I've heard, Australian airport duty-free shops are notoriously expensive. If you're uncomfortable with all of this, it honestly seems better for your peace of mind to just go to a department store.
The first things that caught my eye were the wool products. Australian wool is famous in Korea too, so I was ordered by my family to buy a wool blanket before coming home. However, being one of the most timid people in the world, it was hard for me to just drop a lot of money without knowing if it was genuine or fake. Plus, the clerks were hovering and talking so much that it actually lowered my trust and made the stuff look even more fake. So, I ended up sending an urgent question to a friend.
"Hey, they're selling wool stuff at this Korean duty-free shop here. Do you think it's real?"
"Yeah, buy it. In Australia, the labor cost to make fakes is more expensive. You might get ripped off on the price, but they won't sell you a fake."
Thanks to this irrefutable logic, I purchased the wool blanket.
The next things that caught my eye were the health supplements and cosmetics. But in the case of the health supplements, after coming home and taking them, I don't really feel any effects. In fact, they upset my stomach, so I'm regretting buying them. On top of that, when I asked my doctor friend, all I heard was, "All health supplements are just after your wallet." I should have just eaten more beef steak instead...
In contrast, the cosmetics made from sheep placenta were a massive hit. I gave a jar to my mom, and now I'm getting pressured about when I'm going on my next business trip. Even when I tried it myself, applying the essence and cream made my face all smooth and glowing. Surely it's not made with mercury or something like that, right?
Another item worth buying is honey. The price is cheap for a gift (around 10,000 KRW), so it's great for handing out to friends to look generous.
Thoughts After Visiting the Duty-Free Shop
When I went on "flag tours" (package tours) as a kid, they always made us stop at duty-free shops like this or weird jewelry stores. It's because of the customary practices everyone expects, and in these cases, you definitely get ripped off. I wondered if that still happened these days, but unfortunately, a massage shop owner in Thailand and a surfing instructor in Bali had told me similar stories before. To summarize, they said it was tough because travel agencies demand exorbitant commission fees. I remember them quietly saying they really hated it because paying it felt like scamming the customers, but not paying it meant risking unknown disadvantages.
At the place I went today, they asked for understanding from solo shoppers like me, while all the clerks treated the tour groups like VIPs. They answered their questions first and gave entertaining, home-shopping-host-style explanations to encourage purchases. (Of course, I wanted to hear it too and wandered over, but I got none of that treatment haha.) But even if all this effort is reflected in the price, the price difference is just too huge.
Thinking about it from the seller's (the shop's) perspective, I guess it can't be helped since they have to make up for the commission fees somehow. Because this system can only be maintained if the paying customers shell out a lot of money.
The answer is to go alone, compare prices with what others pay, and pay a fair price. But seeing that the tour group customers there were middle-aged folks around my mom's age, I know that's not exactly easy for them to do.
It shouldn't be a world where you get ripped off if you don't know better; it should be a world where you're protected even if you don't know. It leaves a really bitter taste in my mouth whenever I see things like this.
The best solution I can come up with in my head is to go on trips with your parents (even better if you include their friends) and act as their guide. A package tour where several families gather, divide up by region, and the kids in their 20s and 30s take turns playing guide. It would be cheaper and probably pretty good, but I don't know how it would actually play out in reality. The sharing economy is trendy these days, so I'd love to see someone give it a try. Of course, I went on a trip to Japan just with my mom once, and there were a million things to worry about. Still, my family doesn't usually talk much between mother and son, but I think we ended up having a lot of conversations during that trip.