A Family’s First Month in Korea Without a Korean Phone Number: Groceries, a Desk and a Monitor
A family who had just moved to Korea, and a month of orders through us: convenience-store runs, E-mart groceries through Baemin, then a desk, chair and monitor from Coupang. Why the first weeks are the hard part, and what you can now do yourself.
Real Requests is our monthly write-up of one request from our own order log. Names, addresses and anything else that could identify the customer are removed.
The first message came in on WhatsApp late one evening, and the request was small: a few things from the CU convenience store down the road. It was the first of many orders the same family placed with us that month.
Read together, those orders show what the first weeks in Korea look like when you have an address but not yet the Korean phone line and card that the shopping apps expect. First came food. Then came furniture.
We can buy it for you
Korean store needs a Korean card, ID or address? Tell us what you want — a person replies in about 30 minutes.
Do you know which product?
Quick answer
If you have just moved to Korea and do not yet have an ARC (alien registration card) and a Korean phone line in your own name, the apps work for browsing and fail at the point of paying. Someone in Korea can order for you in the meantime. For this family that meant groceries from E-mart through Baemin, then a desk, a chair and a monitor from Coupang. Once your ARC and phone line are sorted, most of this you can do yourself. Two changes in 2026 made that easier, and we cover them below.
How the month went
- The first days: food. A convenience-store run on the first evening, then grocery orders from E-mart through Baemin.
- The second week: a place to work. A monitor, a desk and a chair from Coupang.
- After that: ordinary household orders. Weekly groceries, more Coupang deliveries, and by the end of the month, swimwear for a child.
The pattern is the useful part. Food comes first, furniture once the kitchen is stocked, and after a few weeks the orders look like any household’s.
Groceries: E-mart and convenience stores through Baemin
Baemin is best known for restaurant delivery, but it also carries supermarket and convenience-store shops. Here that meant E-mart and a nearby CU, delivered to the family’s door.
Two practical notes from doing these:
- Substitutions happen. If an item is out of stock, the shop may swap it or drop it. Tell whoever is ordering whether you want a substitute or nothing.
- Brand names are in Korean. A photo of the product you want, or of an empty packet, works better than a description.
The desk, the chair and the monitor
About a week in, the request was a working setup: a monitor, plus a desk and a chair. All three came from Coupang, as two separate orders. Finding them was easy. What is hard, if you have just arrived, is getting through Coupang’s checkout at all. That is the next section.
Two things to sort before you order large items to a new place:
- The address in Korean, exactly. Building name, building number (dong) and unit number (ho). Furniture boxes are usually left at the door, so a wrong unit number is a real problem.
- Whether you can take a big box in. Ask the building office if there is a lift or a parcel rule. Desk boxes are long and heavy.
Why you get stuck in the first weeks, and what you can do yourself
The difficult part was never finding the products. It was checkout.
Coupang. Coupang’s own FAQ says foreigners living in Korea can use it, and since May 2025 the app has an English interface. But your first purchase needs phone identity verification, and prepaid phones cannot pass it. Foreign Visa, Mastercard and JCB cards work only through Coupay, which needs an ARC. So in the gap between arriving and getting your ARC and a postpaid line in your own name, you can browse Coupang but not buy. Our Coupang guide for foreigners covers the rules in full.
Baemin. This one has improved. Since 29 July 2026 Baemin lets you order as a guest with your own overseas phone number, and it accepts foreign cards. If your overseas number can receive a text in Korea, try that first. The app is still Korean-only, which is where people usually get stuck. Our Baemin guide has the steps.
So the honest advice is this. For a restaurant or grocery order, try Baemin’s guest checkout yourself. For Coupang, plan on needing help until your ARC and phone line arrive, or ask someone in Korea who can both order and pay.
What it cost
The goods were passed through at exactly what we paid. We charged our standard fee on top, which follows the public fee table: a fee per product link, a smaller fee for each extra item from the same store, and a payment and currency charge on larger orders. Delivery inside Korea was whatever the store charged. Each order was quoted before payment, and the family paid by PayPal.
If you are arriving next month
- Get your full Korean address in Hangul on day one, including dong and ho numbers.
- Try Baemin’s guest checkout with your own number before asking anyone.
- Write down what you will need from Coupang before your ARC arrives: desk, chair, bedding, kitchen basics. That way it can go in one or two orders.
- For groceries, send photos rather than descriptions.
- Keep a note of who in the building accepts large deliveries.
FAQ
Can I order from Coupang before I get my ARC?
You can browse, and with the English interface it is much easier than it used to be. Buying needs phone identity verification, which prepaid lines cannot pass. Foreign cards work only through Coupay, which needs an ARC. Until then, someone in Korea has to order and pay for you.
Can Coupang deliver a desk or a monitor quickly?
Often, yes. Delivery times depend on the item and your area, so check the arrival date shown on the product page before you order.
Can I get E-mart groceries delivered through Baemin?
Yes. Baemin carries supermarket and convenience-store shops as well as restaurants. Out-of-stock items may be swapped or dropped, so say in advance which you prefer.
Can I use Baemin with a foreign phone number now?
Yes, as a guest, since 29 July 2026. The code is sent to your overseas number, and foreign cards are accepted. Creating a full Baemin account still needs a Korean number or an alien registration number.
Do you only help tourists?
No. We also help people who live in Korea, especially in the first weeks before the ARC and phone line are sorted. Exchange students and families setting up a home run into the same checkout problems.
Just moved and stuck at a checkout screen? Send the product links or a photo of what you need in chat. We will quote it before you pay.