"Despite Concerns Over Parcel Delivery Crisis" ... Convenience Store 'Half-Price Delivery' Remains Unaffected

Convenience Store Parcel Delivery Fee Rises Up to 1,000 KRW Due to CJ Logistics Price Increase
E-commerce Industry Checks Delivery Disruptions... "Strike Impact Is Minimal"

A customer is using a kiosk inside a GS25 convenience store to send a half-price parcel.

[Asia Economy reporters Jo In-kyung and Lim Chun-han] Amid signs that the nationwide Courier Workers' Union (Courier Union) strike may be prolonged, the distribution industry is not experiencing significant customer inconveniences such as delivery delays. In fact, the ‘half-price courier service’ operated by some convenience stores has seen an increase in users.

Half-Price Courier Service Popular as Delivery Fees Rise

According to industry sources on the 15th, the price of convenience store courier services operated by GS25 and CU was raised by 300 to 1,000 KRW starting that day. This increase is not due to the recent Courier Union strike but reflects the impact of CJ Logistics, which handles courier services for convenience stores, raising delivery fees in April.

Accordingly, from that day, customers sending parcels at GS25 and CU must pay a minimum delivery fee of 2,900 KRW within the same zone and at least 3,400 KRW for other zones.

However, GS25’s ‘Half-Price Courier’ and CU’s ‘CU-to-CU Courier,’ which operate through the convenience stores’ own delivery systems, continue to operate without any price changes. These courier services use delivery vehicles traveling between stores and their own hub centers rather than courier companies, so they are unaffected by recent delivery fee hikes or strikes. Customers directly drop off parcels at nearby convenience stores and pick them up there, with fees ranging from 1,600 to 2,100 KRW.

A GS25 representative said, "Since the delivery price increase in April, the number of customers using the relatively cheaper convenience store half-price courier service has increased," adding, "The volume of half-price courier shipments has increased eightfold compared to the same period last year just this month."

Minimal Impact on Delivery Delays

The e-commerce industry is also closely monitoring the Courier Union strike situation and conducting delivery checks. Companies with their own delivery systems, such as Coupang, SSG.com, and Market Kurly, are not affected by courier companies’ situations, while open markets like eBay Korea and 11st are regularly checking the delivery status of courier companies used by individual sellers. Some sellers include notices about possible delivery delays at the order stage to inform customers and seek understanding.

An SSG.com representative stated, "Our own delivery systems, SSG Delivery and Dawn Delivery, are operating without any issues," adding, "We understand that courier companies are responding by deploying substitute personnel to ensure no delivery problems for partner sellers’ products."

A fashion company representative operating its own online shopping mall said, "Although no customer complaints related to delivery delays have been received yet, we are informing customers in advance that some regions may experience courier service disruptions due to the Courier Union strike."

There is also a sense of concern about future cost burdens due to delivery fee increases rather than delivery disruptions caused by the Courier Union strike.

A representative from a major distribution company said, "We have a large contract volume with CJ Logistics, but since the number of delivery drivers participating in this union strike is not large, the current impact on delivery delays is minimal," adding, "However, because courier companies’ demands for realistic delivery fee increases are quite strong, we are discussing with courier companies whether to raise fees for some low-priced items."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.