If you are a fan of K-pop and K-drama, I am sure that at some point, you wished you could purchase some of the many Korean magazines featuring your favorite idols or actors. If that is the case, rest assured that you are not the only one.
However, finding such magazines outside Korea, particularly in Europe or the Americas, is not as easy as you probably already find out. There are options, though few options, but there are some for which I am super grateful. I cannot rely on the generosity of friends or family forever, so in my quest to find a local retailer, I bumped into Nolae.
In this article, I am going to go over whether the European retailer is legit and whether you should even bother shopping with them.
What is Nolae EU?
Nolae is a European retailer specializing in Korean merchandise and other printed materials. They offer a wide range of products which includes magazines, scorebooks, photo books, albums, light sticks, and sometimes even clothing.
They truly cater to K-pop and K-drama fans even though they still have miles to go. At least, they are on the right path and you can find some of the most popular products in the above categories without any issue.
Nolae EU Delivery
Sometimes delivery is free for first-time customers (depending on the offers running at that time), other times, you need to spend €100 or €120 to qualify for free delivery.
The delivery is super fast (after shipping), and from my experience, parcels are being sent out via DHL. This is a great shipping option for most people as DHL has to be one of the most reliable courier services in Europe if not the world.
I did mention above that delivery is fast, but it takes some time for the retailer to process your order and for them to ship it out. The reason for this is the fact that procure the products from South Korea so it takes a while for them to reach Germany. You do need some patience, but it is so worth it!
Are there any customs fees on Nolae EU orders?
Nolae is based in Germany, so as long as you are also located in the EU, there shouldn’t be any customs fees. If you are outside of the EU, there might be some import taxes or duties that need to be paid, but that really varies from country to country.
To avoid any unwanted surprises, I recommend that you check with your local customs office before placing an order with Nolae, if you live outside the union that is. This way, you know exactly what to expect and whether it is worth it for you to order from them.
Nolae EU Payment Methods
Currently, Nolae accepts payments via most major card providers as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, which is great news. Nolae EU even started offering the option of paying via Klarma!
Personally, I like to use PayPal when shopping online as it offers an extra layer of security and protection, but that is just me. You can use any of the methods without any issues, though.
Quality of products sold by Nolae EU
In my opinion, the quality of the products offered by Nolae is pretty good. I have ordered multiple times from them and never had any issues with the items I received. They were all in pristine condition given the fact that I purchased magazines, which is saying a lot. All the magazines I received looked as if they had just been printed and not as if they traveled halfway across the world. The packaging is also great, and everything always arrives in perfect condition.
The only “negative” thing I can say about the products sold by Nolae is that they are not always the cheapest. However, considering the fast delivery and great quality of the products, I think the prices are more than fair. If you take into account that there are not that many other options available, then I would say that the prices are fair.
Nolae EU Customer Service
The customer service offered by Nolae is pretty good in my opinion. They are always quick to respond to any questions.
When I placed my first order, I started panicking after a while. It had been around 4 weeks, and I had no news regarding my parcel, but once I contacted them they got onto it, and the very next day, my parcel was on the way. They usually wait until they have all the items from one order to send them out, but in this case, they sent me the missing item a couple of days later. With bank holidays in my country, the two parcels arrived on the same day so it all worked out.
I haven’t had to contact them since then, but from what I can tell, they are a great company with great customer service.
Nolae EU Review – Final Thoughts
Overall, I am really happy with Nolae EU. They have a great selection of products, the quality is good, delivery is fast, and customer service is great. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a good place to buy K-pop merchandise, particularly for magazines that are not widely available outside Korea.
I hope this Nolae EU review was helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!
And lastly to answer the question, yes, Nolae EU is legt!
Have you ever shopped at Nolae Before? Where do you get your Korean magazines from?
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