Pre-ordering Albums from Kpoptown vs. Ktown4u vs. Makestar

I rant about my struggles with online orders more than I would like on this blog, however I always want to share my experiences with various retailers in case others are skeptical about these sites.

First off, I generally pre-order albums from Makestar (for Golden Child) or Ktown4u (for all other Woollim artists). I like how Makestar explicitly states what is included in the set you're buying, including pre-order benefits (if you look at their events after an album has been released, you'll see that the pre-order benefits are no longer listed). Makestar also has their own exclusive set of photocards per project. The downside with Makestar is that you can't combine projects or even sets within the same project together, therefore the only option of expedited shipping can be expensive if you're buying just 1 album or would like to purchase a variety of projects or sets. As for Ktown4u, I also lean towards this site because when you place an item in your cart, they explicitly ask you if you would like each pre-order benefit, and if a pre-order benefit is out of stock, they'll say so. Another call out is that Makestar provides first press posters folded for free, and Ktown has the option for free posters either folded or rolled (plus extra for the tube and shipping for the tube), whereas a folded or rolled poster has an additional charge at Kpoptown. From both Makestar and Ktown4u, I like the reassurance that the pre-order benefits are included in my order especially when I'm purposely pre-ordering albums for these benefits.

Today I wanted to share my experience with pre-ordering Rocket Punch's first single Ring Ring from Kpoptown. Ever since I had pre-ordered Golden Child's first full album Re-boot from Kpoptown and they never refunded me for short shipping my order which you can read about here, I had stopped ordering from Kpoptown. But with Kpoptown now selling Everline and Woollim Mall merch, they have since been back on my radar. And because I had been wanting to get the Lovelyz Light Stick Pouch from Kpoptown, I thought bundling it with Rocket Punch's album would be the perfect opportunity.

I placed my order on May 15th KST and the Ring Ring physical album was set to release on May 18th. The pre-order benefit / first press items for Ring Ring are a special photocard set and one of two posters. I purposely pre-ordered the album so that I could receive the special photocard set.

My package shipped on May 21st KST and arrived on May 25th PT, but to my unpleasant surprise, the album did not come with the pre-order special photocard set. Shortly after receiving my package, I used Kpoptown's contact form to explain the situation.

Just over 24 hours later, Kpoptown replied back with the above, stating that the missing photocard is a manufacturing error that they can't replace, and that they'd grant me a $3 voucher. There are 2 things going on here - first, Kpoptown misunderstood me. When I had purchased Rocket Punch's mini album Red Punch from Kmall24 and that didn't come with the sticker sheet, Kmall24 was kind enough to work with the manufacturer and send me the sticker sheet separately. Here, Kpoptown didn't even bother trying. Second, I replied back to Kpoptown showing a screenshot of their item page indicating the pre-order benefit, however they haven't replied back to help rectify the situation. It's been 3.5 weeks and I just decided to trade my friend for the photocard set, as I doubt Kpoptown will reply back.

To summarize, I'll pre-order albums from Makestar or Ktown4u to guarantee the first press pre-order benefits, leaning towards Makestar for Golden Child because I'll buy multiple copies and want the exclusive Makestar photocard benefit while leaning towards Ktown4u to bundle my purchase with other items. And I'll lean towards Kpoptown for Everline and Woollim Mall merch as Ktown4u unfortunately isn't consistent with selling these items.