"Flowers Sold Only for Graduation Photos"... Used Bouquet 'Secondhand Trade'

Soaring Heating Costs, Rising Material Prices for Fertilizers and Packaging
Rose Bunch Auction Price Up 84% Compared to Last Year

As graduation ceremonies and Valentine's Day coincided, causing a surge in flower demand, 'used bouquet trading' has been taking place on secondhand trading sites where people take photos and resell the flowers.

The significant increase in flower prices compared to last year, often referred to as 'gold prices,' has also contributed to the spread of secondhand trading.

On the 12th, on the secondhand trading platform 'Danggeun Market' accessed from the Yeouido and Yeongdeungpo districts in Seoul, posts such as 'Selling graduation gift doll bouquet substitute,' 'Only took photos at the graduation ceremony,' and 'Selling artificial flower bouquets' were uploaded.

Bouquets purchased for 40,000 to 50,000 KRW were being resold for 20,000 to 30,000 KRW. There were also bouquets made of artificial flowers such as soap flowers or bouquets including dolls.

A bouquet stand set up in front of a high school in Seoul on the morning of the 8th, when the graduation ceremony was held. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the same day, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) flower distribution information, from the 4th to the 10th, the average daily auction price for a bunch of roses at the aT flower market in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, was 12,733 KRW. This is 84.7% higher compared to 6,894 KRW a year ago.

Baby's breath, an essential flower in rose bouquets, averaged 13,072 KRW per bunch during the period, up 42.9% from 9,150 KRW a year ago. Freesia, which appears in flower shops in spring, was priced at 2,705 KRW per bunch, a 30.6% increase from 2,072 KRW a year ago.

Although there are differences depending on online and offline stores or product types, many flower shops sold a bunch of freesia with other decorative flowers for 40,000 KRW. It was also common to see bouquets sold for 50,000 KRW under the name of graduation bouquets.

The market analysis attributed the price increase to the full resumption of in-person graduation ceremonies this year following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which significantly increased flower demand.

The sharp rise in flower prices also appears to be influenced by increased material costs, including packaging. The continuous cold wave and soaring heating costs also played a role.

According to Opinet (Korea National Oil Corporation's fuel price information service), the price of duty-free kerosene used for heating in facility farms was 1,264.33 KRW per liter as of February 8, a 30.5% increase compared to 968.64 KRW a year ago.

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