FAQ, SHIPPING, REFUND
Last Revision: March 15,2021
GENERAL FAQ
We are based in Korea.
All products on Gochujar Global are made in Korea and shipped out from Korea (unless stated otherwise)!
Please check here for updates on countries we can ship to.
Currently, parcels to just about every country is taking on average, 2-3 weeks.
This is due to the impact of COVID on international shipping.
Before the pandemic, there were daily flights from Korea to many international countries. Parcels are packed onto these daily flights - and shipped out from Korea quickly. It took on average, 2 weeks.
However - due to COVID - there are very limited flights from Korea to any country. Less planes means less space for cargo. Which translates to a longer delivery time.
Currently, the expected delivery time is averaging, ~2-3 weeks.
Currently, we are not offering any wholesale prices.
However, we do plan to offer it in the future.
The two websites are identical and offer the same products - but they service different countries.
Gochujar Global serves customers in all countries - except the US.
(US customers shop from Gochujar).
So why the split - why not service all customers from one website?
We deliver to US customers via United States Postal Service (USPS). They have sharply increased their delivery costs for international parcels - starting June 2020. We wanted to keep prices the same for non-US customers.
The price of products between the two websites differs ~$3-$12, depending on the weight of the product.
If you're a non-US customer, shop here at Gochujar Global (it's cheaper)
SHIPPING & TRACKING
Yes, we ship worldwide - to over 185 different countries!
We use Korea Postal Service as our delivery partner.
They are partnered with your country's post office.
Once the shipment leaves Korea, the Korea Postal Service hands over the parcel to your country's post office for final delivery.
Note: If you reside in one of the few countries or territories which Korean Postal Service can not deliver to, we'll immediately issue a 100% refund!
Shipping from Korea to 185 countries can get complicated... and very expensive!
To keep it simple, we have decided on a flat rate shipping of $5 to any country.
But if your order has 2 or more items, shipping fee is waived - no delivery fee!
We won't surprise you at checkout with exorbitant shipping fees.
(Yep, it's a pet-peeve for us too!)
We will ship your parcel out within 3 business days of your order date.
There may be instances when a product is out-of-stock. We'll contact you with the delay time.
We have shipped out your order in multiple parcels.
Please check your email for the tracking numbers (if you don't see it, check the SPAM folder - sometimes it goes there!)
International shipping gets very expensive - try mailing a textbook abroad. You'll be shocked by the price!
We have a deal with the Korea Post Service to get cheaper rates if we keep each parcel under 2kg.
So, if your orders weigh over 2kg, we split the products into multiple parcels.
When the order is shipped out of Korea (typically within ~3 business days of when you placed the order), you'll receive an automated email with the tracking number.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - as often times, the automated email gets filtered there.
Alternatively, you can login into Global Gochujar and go to My Account Page >> then click on the My Orders tab.
Visit Postal Ninja to track your package (click here)
Then paste your tracking number "LK3423432432" into the box that appears on the website (as shown below).
We try our best to make sure that there is no additional fee in your country.
We pay close attention to the way we package your products AND how customs forms are marked.
However, we can not offer a guarantee.
In some countries, you may have to pay tax (VAT) before getting your package from the post office.
VAT or any other associated taxes are not included in the total cost of your order and it is your responsibility to check whether or not duties and taxes may be levied.
If your order hasn’t shipped out...
Log into “My Account” and update your address. Then please notify us by email - so we can ensure that your parcel leaves Korea with the updated address.
If your order has already shipped out...
We can't reroute your package – please contact your local post office. Provide them with the tracking number you received from us and ask to reroute the parcel to your new address.
If your parcel returned back to Korea (i.e. due to an invalid/typo address, not paying VAT to Customs Office, multiple delivery failures), we will not re-send for free.
You'll need to pay the full re-shipping cost + any service fees incurred for the returning parcel.
Please contact us for estimation.
REFUND & EXCHANGE POLICY
If your shipment is lost-in-transit, we'll offer a full refund.
Please contact us if it exceeds 4 weeks beyond the expected arrival date.
We'll investigate on your behalf and see what's going on.
However, a refund is NOT eligible in the following cases:
-Customer is repeatedly unavailable (and parcel is returned to Korea)
-Customer refuses delivery (and parcel is returned to Korea)
-Customer fails to pick-up or sign-off on parcel (and parcel is returned to Korea)
-Customer inputs wrong address (and parcel is returned to Korea)
-Customer refuses to pay VAT, customs fee or other fees (and parcel returns to Korea)
-Parcel is opened by Customs Office and customer claims as 'damaged'
Also, if your product arrived as "damaged" - we can offer you a refund. More details on this in the next section.
We do a thorough inspection of all our products. And we would never intentionally send you a damaged product.
But we do recognize that items can get damaged during the shipping process. If your item is damaged upon arrival, please contact us within 14 days of your package arrival date. Please include the following information:
- Photos and/or video of the damaged product
- Photos and/or video of the damaged box
We will submit a claim to the Korea Post Office, along with an official damage report. Then, if we (Gochujar) can reasonably conclude that the product was damaged during the shipping process, we'll ask you to send the item back to Korea.
After receiving the damaged product, we will issue a full refund or send a replacement item (that's up to you).
However, we will not issue a refund or send a replacement if...
- 7 days has passed since successful delivery date (as noted on parcel tracker)
- There is no images or video proof of the damaged product
- After assessment, the product isn't deemed to be damaged or defective from the shipping process or from manufacturer
- Customs Office have opened the parcel or item for inspection
- The product has been used or opened
Note: There have been a few instances where the contents of vacuum-sealed products (i.e. gochujang, doenjang, extracts) have slightly leak-out under the sealed lid.
This is due to the difference in air pressure from the air flights. It's not a faulty item. These cases do not qualify as "damaged items" for exchange or refund.
We do not offer refunds for products that are seized, refused entry and/or returned to Korea by your country's custom office.
We deliver to 185 countries, which means 185 different set of Customs regulations! We can't keep up with the nuances of each country's customs rules.
Please double check if a particular product can be imported into your country - as well as any VAT or related fees!
No - we do not issue refunds for personal preferences.
We do not issue refunds for delays in shipping time.
The expected shipping times are provided by Korea's Post Office and the majority of shipments are delivered on time.
Note: The delivery time depends heavily on the processing speed of your country's customs office and the efficiency of your local post office.
Neither Korea Post nor Gochujar can negotiate with your customs office or local post office for faster delivery.
We try our best to make sure that there are no additional fees.
We pay close attention to the way we package your products AND how customs forms are marked.
However, we can not offer a guarantee.
In some countries, you may have to pay tax (VAT) before getting your package from the post office.
VAT or any other associated taxes are not included in the total cost of your order and it is your responsibility to check whether or not duties and taxes may be levied.
We reserve the right to refuse customers who attempt to 'game' or take advantage of our policies.
Customers who make repeat claims of damaged products, delivery failures or attempt chargebacks/fraud are flagged in our CMS for future reference.
We reserve the right to refuse bad customers.
ORDER CANCELLATION / REVISION
Yes, you can cancel and receive a full refund if you order has not shipped out of Korea.
To cancel an order, first log into your account and visit "Order Status". If it hasn't shipped, contact us immediately and ask us to cancel the order.
However, if your order has already shipped out, you can not cancel.
Yes, we'll try our best to accommodate any changes to your order.
If you contact us within 24 hours of your order, we can most likely make the changes.
However, if the order has shipped, we can not accept any changes.
PAYMENT ISSUES
Yes we take both.
For either option, start by clicking the PayPal button.
You can pay with your credit card - even if you don't sign up for a PayPal account.
Yes it is.
All credit cards are processed via PayPal - which means we don’t receive or store any of your credit card information on our servers.
CONTACT US
Please contact us via email. We'll try to get back to you within 24 hours!
Autumn Shot of Bukhansan National Park :-)
