On most Korean product pages the option field, not the photo gallery, decides what you receive. A field labelled "[필수] 옵션을 선택해 주세요" is required, so the order is incomplete until you pick something from it, and any line in that list marked "[품절]" is sold out. The option text itself often carries the version, colour, size, or use-by date that the photos never show.
- The option field is the part that decides what the shop sends. Read it before the photos.
- "[필수]" marks a required choice. Skipping it does not produce a valid order.
- "[품절]" inside an option list means that one option is sold out, even while the product page is still live.
- Option text carries details the photos omit: version names, colours, sizes, and use-by dates.
- Quantity is separate from options. Buying several units of a random option still gives random picks.
Where the Option Field Is
Look below the price, not at the gallery
On Korean storefronts the selector sits under the price, above the add-to-cart button, usually labelled 옵션 (option) or 구매옵션 (purchase option).
A verified example from the rom&nd official store: the cushion single-item page shows a dropdown whose first line reads "- [필수] 옵션을 선택해 주세요 -" (please select a required option), followed by the shade list — 00N 솝, 17P 포슬린, 19N 라이트, 21P 퓨어, 21N 내추럴 [품절], 23N 베이지, 25N 샌드. The sold-out shade stays visible in the list, tagged [품절].
Required fields and optional add-ons
"[필수]" marks a required field. Some pages also add optional ones — additional options or add-ons (추가옵션, 추가구성) that change what is included and can change the price. Leaving an optional field empty is a real decision: it changes what arrives.
Sold-out options stay on the page
A live product page does not mean every option is orderable. On the rom&nd cushion the 21N 내추럴 shade carries a [품절] tag. On Musinsa, sold-out colour variants appear dimmed with a 품절 badge next to the live ones. Treat a [품절] line as unavailable, and say what you accept instead.
The Option Text Carries What the Photos Do Not
This is the part overseas buyers most often skip: the option string is not only a colour name.
On the rom&nd outlet listing, the option names embed a use-by date: "베러 댄 치크 [이나피] B01 진저 나잇(~27.06.10)". The "(~27.06.10)" is the date the item should be used by, and two options of the same product can carry different dates. The option you select therefore decides the date you receive, not just the shade.
The same page states its purchase rules in a notice block: 단독구매불가 (cannot be ordered on its own), 1인당 1개 구매제한 (one unit per person), 네이버페이 불가 (Naver Pay is not accepted), 쿠폰 및 적립금 사용불가 (coupons and points cannot be used). None of that appears in the product image.
Musinsa uses the same idea with a different label: it names the field 구매옵션 and splits size from colour, so one product can need two selections.
Read the whole option string and the notice block first.
Quantity Is Not an Option
Olive Young Global shows the pattern clearly: a single option selector (snglOptnSelector) plus a separate quantity stepper beside the add-to-cart button. Quantity multiplies what you get; it does not let you choose inside a pool, so ordering three units of a random option does not produce three different ones.
What to Put in Your Request
The request note is where the option becomes unambiguous:
- Paste the product URL.
- Copy the option text exactly as written, in Korean, including brackets and any date string.
- Say what you accept as a substitute, and keep it narrow.
- Say whether a sold-out option should be swapped for something else or the request dropped.
- Give the quantity, and say whether duplicates are acceptable.
- If a free gift or promotion is attached, say whether it matters. Gifts are limited: the rom&nd cushion notice says the accompanying puff is given 1:1 but is limited and can run out early without notice.
When the Option You Need Is Not in the List
Some combinations are simply not offered on the page — a colour that only exists in another listing, or a size that is not selectable. Raise it in the request rather than guessing: describe the exact item you want and let us check whether the shop offers it. Do not assume a shop will accept an option it does not list.
If the obstacle is the store rather than the option — Korea-only checkout, phone verification, or a payment method you cannot use — see why Korean brand orders failand how to buy from SM, JYP, and HYBE shops. For how random and selectable options differ on merch, see Is This K-Pop Merch Random or Member-Selectable?. Then submit a purchase request.
How to Order from Korea with Ships From Korea
Add the product link, options, quantity, and destination country. Complete payment, and we try to purchase the item in Korea. If the item is sold out, unavailable, or cannot be purchased, your payment is refunded. If the item is available and can be purchased, we receive it in Korea and prepare it for international shipping.
What does [필수] mean on a Korean product page?
It marks a required option. The store treats the choice as mandatory, so an order placed without it is not complete.
The page is live but my option shows [품절]. Can I still order it?
Not that option. [품절] means the shop has no stock for it. Choose a different option, or say in your request what substitute you accept.
Do I need to translate the option text?
No — copy it as it appears, including the Korean. A translated option name is harder for the shop to match against its own list.