MZ generation hooked on Japanese goods and figure lotteries as 'collectible economy' crosses borders

Young consumers are increasingly collecting limited-edition character merchandise, celebrity goods and figures. The trend is fueling a growing "collectible economy," as more shoppers turn to resale platforms to buy directly from Japan items that are difficult to find in South Korea.

Bunjang, a South Korean resale platform, analyzed transactions by domestic users on its Japan-linked channels — Mercari, Mandarake and Ragtag — from Sept. 1 to 20, finding that more than half of all trades (52 percent) were concentrated in character goods and figures. The top category by transaction volume was star goods — merchandise tied to celebrities and characters — followed by figures in second place and CDs, DVDs and LPs in third. Men's clothing, books, plastic model kits and women's clothing rounded out the rankings.

Mercari, Japan's largest secondhand trading platform, holds an exclusive partnership with Bunjang. Japanese subculture specialty store Mandarake and Japanese secondhand designer brand shop Ragtag are also available on Bunjang through separate tie-ups.

A keyword analysis based on product names showed that "Ichiban Kuji" dominated as the clear top search term. Ichiban Kuji is a lottery-style product in which buyers randomly draw character figures. Because the product has yet to officially launch in South Korea, demand for direct purchases through Mercari remains high.

Among Ichiban Kuji intellectual properties, the Japanese manga series "Bleach" ranked first in popularity, followed by "Hunter x Hunter," "My Hero Academia," "Evangelion" and "One Piece." "My Hero Academia" placed third by transaction volume but commanded the highest average unit price at 207,000 won ($152), a premium analysts attribute to the recent conclusion of the anime series. Complete sets bundling all grades from A to Last One are trading in the 500,000 to 750,000 won range.

Trading cards ranked second among keywords. Rather than pure card games such as the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the category was dominated by limited-edition photo cards from K-pop groups' Japan-exclusive activities — including Stray Kids, BTS, EXO and Babymonster. Trading cards from actor Byeon Woo-seok's Japan fan meeting also changed hands actively. These cards are distributed as exclusive perks at fan meetings and pop-up stores in Japan, driving strong demand among buyers seeking to obtain them through direct purchase.

Fashion was the category that saw the biggest month-on-month surge in transaction volume. Trades in scarves and neckties jumped 283 percent from the previous month, while belts rose 231 percent. Men's outerwear and men's trousers climbed 76 percent and 62 percent, respectively. Lego and building-block toys also posted an 89 percent increase from the prior month.

By transaction value, the top-selling item was a "Vintage Silk Air Force Jacket" by Japanese menswear brand A.Presse at 2.62 million won. Other high-value trades included a complete 16-volume Blu-ray set of the Black Clover anime (2.02 million won), a Casio G-Shock MRG-8150 watch from 2008 (1.74 million won), men's shoes in the Anatomica x Alden Modified Last style (1.63 million won) and a five-figure Dragon Ball Ichiban Kuji Saiyan set (1.41 million won).

"The reason people buy from overseas is shifting from price to accessibility," a Bunjang official said. "The items that topped this data are things that are hard to find in Korea even if you're willing to pay more." The official added that collectibles have grown beyond a niche hobby into a full-fledged "collectible economy," with cross-border demand expanding alongside it.