I’m looking to buy a saddle (the Exceed Carbon Fiber saddle) that’s out of stock everywhere except Unicycle.com Korea. But I feel a bit sketched out by the website. Has anybody in the US ordered from there recently and had a good experience?
I don’t have an experience shopping there but I mean, it’s listed on the unicycle.com main site, what makes you think they are not legit?
They also have the latest iteration of KH products, which means they are still up and running (not like some UDC branches, they have stopped updating the catalog for years).
I’d suggest contacting with them directly if you have any questions.
You asked what makes me think they’re not legit. For starters, they have an entire page dedicated to their delivery list (an odd addition in the first place) with photos of packages and it shows their last order was June 1 2021. Plus, when I even attempt to input my credit card information it’s declined, no matter which card it is. And just look at the website. It’s a mess. Looks like something that would’ve been designed in the 90’s.
EDIT: And I have attempted to contact them through multiple channels (including by phone) and haven’t received any response.
Unicycle.kr is a legit business and franchisee of Gemcrest (UDC UK) and Unicycle.com (UDC US).
The web design of the page is quite standard and nothing out of the ordinary for Korea and Japan. Many websites look like this in these countries. I mean look at the juggling portion of the website http://www.jugglingshop.co.kr/. I believe it would look even more of a “mess” and 90s style design in your eyes. They’re the ones operating unicycle.kr by the way.
Foreign cards are not widely accepted in Korea, which is why the payment might not be going through.
Maybe try again through the Unicycle portion of JugglingShop.Co.Kr but I really wouldn’t be surprised if their payment system simply doesn’t accept non-Korean credit cards.
http://www.jugglingshop.co.kr/shop/shopbrand.html?xcode=105&type=P
Their FAQ doesn’t mention anything about international shipping of payments.
EDIT: You’ve mentioned calling them, have you been calling during Korean local time business hours? Keep in mind the person behind the email or phone might not have great English skills if any, which is another reason why you might have been having difficulty reaching out to someone.
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I’d be curious to see that page but I didn’t find it, could you share the link?
Well their website is definitely from the ancient internet, but that doesn’t count for its legitimacy. In fact, many other UDC branches such as UDC Japan, UDC China and UDC Australia, all have more the less the same design. I suppose it was a standard template of UDC for some time, then as time passes, some of their branches have their website updated while some didn’t - maybe simply because the profit in those markets is too low to justify the cost.
Also keep in mind that in some portion of the world, especially in eastern Asia, most transactions happen in big e-commerce services like Amazon and eBay, or their respective local alternatives. People simply don’t have the habit to go shopping on standalone websites. I’m not familiar with how online shopping works in Korea but this might partly explain why your experience there was not as streamlined as expected.
A mild disclaimer and I hope this is obvious, I’m not trying to legitimize the website, nor recommending to shop there. I’m just saying I don’t see any problem from the website itself. Anyways, it’s not a bad thing to be a little cautious.
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All the address labels are pixelated but it’s still odd that any package information is even shared publicly.
Thanks, that’s indeed very interesting.
Some good news! Yes, it appears Unicycle.kr is legit.
Admittedly, it took a lot of pestering (and in retrospect doing all this around the weekend likely only added to the craziness. That’s on me 
). I sent emails to 3 different accounts with no apparent response. I called their phone number(s), navigating the murky waters of international phone calls. I even tracked down their Facebook page and two of the owner’s personal Facebook profiles (one is under the name of “UDC Korea,” the other under his own name).
Until finally, as I slept I received a brief response from 서상만 (Seo Sangman)/Georgie on Facebook Messenger. Apparently he had replied from one of the email accounts but I never received anything. Strange. 
But his response still left me with no answers.
After waiting what felt like an eternity for early Monday afternoon to arrive in South Korea (Sunday evening in the U.S.) I gave the shop another call. And hallelujah, the phone was answered!
I spoke briefly with Sangman in the clearest English I could muster with Google Translate at the ready on my laptop, just in case. After which we moved back to Facebook Messenger where we arranged the payment and shipping details. (PayPal ended up working in this case).
And just to double check I would be receiving what I ordered I asked for photos of the item, which Sangman generously supplied.
All in all, I’m very excited to receive this saddle! And I’m incredibly grateful for Sangman’s patience and assistance in arranging this. Thank you, Unicycle.com Korea!
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South Korea has the most aggressive government level Email filtering, getting emails through to them is always hit and miss.
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서상만 사장님/George is a great guy. He’s a pillar of the Korean unicycling community.
He hosts an annual 100km (or 50km, if you want) Ultra Marathon uni race in Korea and gives away tons of cool stuff to winners, and all riders get snacks, a meal, and participation prizes. There is a small entry fee but I can’t see how it would cover everything.
I bought a very nice 36er wheelset from him in 2019 that I continue to abuse, I mean ride, today. I live in Korea so I’ve corresponded with him a few times when ordering, and I’ve met him in person twice at the ultra marathon.
It’s nice to hear of another positive experience with him internationally.
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I can confirm George at unicycle.kr is very helpful and supportive. I bought my Quax muni and KH36 from him years ago when I lived in Korea. Stopped in and had lunch with him last September when I was visiting 
Unisteve’s comment is spot on. I did do the 50K a couple of times as well as the Incheon marathon. Always a good feed and plenty to drink as well!
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@krjames @unisteve I’m glad to hear you both have had positive experiences with George/Unicycle.kr. I couldn’t be happier about receiving this new saddle from his shop.
I just checked the tracking and it’s less than 50km away! Though, it might not be delivered tomorrow due to MLK Jr. Day. But fingers crossed it will be! 
(I’m a little excited about this saddle if you couldn’t tell lol)
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