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Kpop photocard trading is swapping or selling the photocards packed in albums, pre-order gifts and lucky draws. Album cards can be random: as of October 28, 2026, SMTOWN &STORE lists aespa's LEMONADE (P.O.S Ver.) with 1 card drawn from 4, so fans trade duplicates for the members they want.
Every traded photocard starts life inside a Korean agency or store system: an album's component list, a store's pre-order notice, or a lucky draw event run in Seoul record shops. This guide explains those sources with the official Korean pages behind them, translates the Korean words used on resale listings, and lists the transfer rules that official notices actually state. Card prices are not covered, because no official source publishes them.
In This Article
- Where do K-pop photocards come from?
- How does a random album photocard work?
- What is a POB photocard?
- What is a lucky draw photocard?
- What do Korean photocard listing terms mean?
- Can official photocards and event items be resold or transferred?
- How does kpop photocard trading work, step by step?
- FAQ
Where do K-pop photocards come from?
K-pop photocards come from four official channels: the album itself, a store's pre-order benefit, a lucky draw event, and on-site gifts at concerts or pop-ups. Each channel is announced on a different official page, which is why two fans holding the same album can own completely different cards. The table matches each channel with an official Korean example checked on October 28, 2026.
| Source | How the card is given | Official example (as stated) |
|---|---|---|
| Album inclusion | Packed inside the album, often at random | aespa LEMONADE (P.O.S Ver.), SMTOWN &STORE: 1 random card out of 4 kinds |
| Pre-order benefit (POB) | Extra card from one store during its pre-order period | Weverse Shop, aespa 2027 season's greetings: 1 set of Weverse Shop-exclusive photocards, 1 per member |
| Lucky draw | One draw per album bought at a participating store | ENHYPEN THE SIN : BLISS, Aug 22-27, 2026: 1 album = 1 entry, 6 unreleased cards per store |
| Event pickup gift | Given when an order is collected at a venue booth | ILLIT BREAK EVEN at INSPIRE ARENA, Oct 17-18, 2026: Random = 1 selfie card, Set = 3 |
As of October 28, 2026. Sources: SMTOWN &STORE product page; Weverse Shop aespa notice; ENHYPEN and ILLIT notices on Weverse (links in Sources).
Fansign and video call events are a separate system with their own application rules, which are covered in the guide on how to win a K-pop fansign or video call event.
How does a random album photocard work?
A random album photocard is a card chosen without the buyer's control from a fixed set printed for that album version. SMTOWN &STORE's product page for aespa's 2nd album LEMONADE (P.O.S Ver.), released in May 2026, states "포토카드 : 4종 중 랜덤 1종 삽입", meaning one photocard is inserted at random from four kinds, as of October 28, 2026.
The same SMTOWN &STORE page adds that the random components in the album are made "with the same probability" (본 음반에 포함된 랜덤 구성품은 동일한 확률로 구성되어 있습니다). On that statement, each of the four aespa LEMONADE (P.O.S Ver.) cards has an equal chance of being in any single copy, so buying four copies does not guarantee four different cards.
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Album versions of the same release can differ in price and contents. On October 28, 2026, SMTOWN &STORE's LEMONADE category page showed 13 products: 8 single versions with list prices from KRW 17,400 (MUTANT Ver. and SMini Ver.) to KRW 66,000 (LP Ver.) and 5 multi-album SETs, all marked SOLD OUT. The component list on each version's own product page is the only reliable statement of how many photocards that version holds.
Physical album sales are also tracked by Korea's album sales charts. The difference between the two main sales charts is explained in what Hanteo Chart and Circle Chart count.
What is a POB photocard?
A POB photocard is a pre-order benefit: an extra card that one store gives to buyers who order during its pre-order period, on top of whatever is inside the product. Store-specific benefits are listed in each store's own notice, so the same album or season's greetings set can come with a different POB depending on where it is ordered.
Weverse Shop's notice for aespa's 2027 season's greetings, with pre-orders from October 13, 2026, 15:00 KST, is a typical example. Buying the Kit adds "1 set of Weverse Shop-exclusive photocards" plus a tea coaster, the notice defines one set as "1 photocard per member", and the Set version adds one more random photocard. The same notice caps purchases at 15 Kits, 8 Wall Calendars and 5 Sets per product.
SMTOWN &STORE runs its own benefit for the same aespa 2027 season's greetings: two sets of SMTOWN &STORE-only unreleased photocards per artist (단독 미공개 포토카드 2 SET), as stated on the product page on October 28, 2026. That page also lists the set's own photocards at 55 x 85 mm, eight cards per set, which gives a concrete size for one official product.
Concert pickup gifts work like a POB tied to a place. ILLIT's official album pickup guide for the PRESS START encore at INSPIRE ARENA on October 17-18, 2026 gave one unreleased selfie photocard with the BREAK EVEN Random album and three with the Set, only for Weverse Shop orders collected at the venue booth. The notice warned that the gifts "may go out of stock early due to limited quantity."
What is a lucky draw photocard?
A lucky draw photocard is a card won in a store event where each album bought gives one draw from a pool of unreleased cards. ENHYPEN's official lucky draw for THE SIN : BLISS ran from August 22 to August 27, 2026 at four Seoul stores, and the notice states that one album equals one draw and that every entry wins.
The ENHYPEN notice lists the four participating stores as Weverse Shop at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall, Soundwave at Times Square, Everline at Hyundai Department Store Sinchon, and KTOWN4U at COEX. Each store had its own pool of unreleased photocards, one per member and six in total (멤버별 1종 / 총 6종, 판매처별로 상이), which is why fans describe lucky draw cards by the store name.
The same notice gave buyers of a four-album set of THE SIN : BLISS four draws plus two cards picked at random from six extra unreleased photocards. Four versions were excluded from the event: the Weverse Albums ver., ID Card ver., ID Card Keyring ver. and the vinyl. Exclusions like these mean a lucky draw card can only come from specific versions bought at specific stores.
What do Korean photocard listing terms mean?
Korean photocard listings use short Korean words for card types and sale conditions, and Global Bunjang, the international service of Korea's Bunjang marketplace, publishes a guide to them. The table gives each word, its romanization and the meaning stated in that guide, last updated on October 27, 2026.
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning on a listing |
|---|---|---|
| 포카 | poka | Photocard |
| 미공포 | migongpo | Unreleased photocard, usually a store or event benefit |
| 럭드 | reokdeu | Lucky draw card |
| 분철 | bunchul | Split purchase: one member's share of a set |
| 양도 | yangdo | Passing an item on through resale or transfer |
| 일괄 | ilgwal | Bundle: sold together only |
| 덤 | deom | Optional small extra from the seller |
As of October 28, 2026. Source: Global Bunjang, "Korean Photocard Trading Culture" guide (updated October 27, 2026).
Numbers written on Korean listing photos are prices in units of KRW 10,000, according to the same Global Bunjang guide: 0.6 means KRW 6,000, 1.2 means KRW 12,000 and 2.0 means KRW 20,000. The guide calls this "a convention rather than a rule" and says the listing description, not the photo, decides what a price covers.
English-language trading posts use their own shorthand. A collector guide published by KollectPop in January 2026 defines WTT as want to trade, WTS as want to sell, WTB as want to buy, ISO as in search of, FT as for trade, NFS as not for sale, and EQ as equivalent, usually the same album or version.
Can official photocards and event items be resold or transferred?
Official notices restrict the event paperwork and pickup codes around photocards rather than the cards themselves. None of the five official pages checked for this guide on October 28, 2026 stated a rule against reselling an album photocard, while two Weverse notices limit selling or sharing event items and Weverse Shop ties its pre-order gifts to refunds.
| Official notice | What it restricts | Wording |
|---|---|---|
| ENHYPEN lucky draw & stamp rally (Weverse) | Stamp rally sheets cannot be combined, sold or transferred | 타인에게 매매 및 양도 불가 |
| ENHYPEN lucky draw & stamp rally (Weverse) | Receipts already stamped cannot be reused | Stated in the event cautions |
| ILLIT album pickup guide (Weverse) | Pickup QR code must not be shared; the booth does no extra ID check | "Do not share your QR code." |
| Weverse Shop aespa 2027 notice | The special gift cannot be exchanged for other products; a refund needs the product and the special gifts returned | "If the special gifts are not returned, your refund cannot be granted." |
As of October 28, 2026. Sources: ENHYPEN notice 38547 and ILLIT notice 40115 on Weverse; Weverse Shop notice 14558.
ILLIT's pickup guide explains why the QR rule matters: "there is no additional identity verification at the pickup booth," so anyone holding the code can collect the order and its photocards. A screenshot of a pickup QR code offered in a trade is therefore a claim on someone else's order, not a card in hand.
Weverse Shop's notice for aespa's 2027 season's greetings states that the special gift "cannot be exchanged for other products" and that a refund needs both the product and the special gifts returned, as of October 28, 2026. Under that rule, a pre-order photocard that has already been traded away can block a refund of the set it came with.
How does kpop photocard trading work, step by step?
Kpop photocard trading works in five steps: identify the exact card, read the listing text, check the card's condition, agree how the item and payment move, and keep records until it arrives. Each step below is tied to what an official page or the marketplace's own guide says.
- Identify the exact card. Name the album, version and source (album, POB store, lucky draw store) the way the official notice does. ENHYPEN's lucky draw, for example, used a different six-card pool at each of its four stores in August 2026.
- Read the listing text, not the photo. Global Bunjang's guide says a multi-card post can be a bundle (일괄), a menu of separately priced cards or a display where only some cards are for sale, and that buying part of a listing is "not guaranteed."
- Check condition notes. The same guide points buyers to Korean condition words such as 찍힘 (dents) and 스크래치 (scratches), and says a proxy partner's inspection is "a basic visual check, not authentication."
- Agree how the card and money move. On Global Bunjang, questions to sellers go through a proxy partner (Delivered Korea, Paysable or Kfriday) using Add Request to Proxy, and international shipping is paid separately, according to its guide.
- Keep records. Save the listing, messages and payment receipt until the card arrives. In Korea, the National Police Agency's cybercrime reporting system (ECRM) lists 직거래 사기, fraud in direct trades between individuals, as a type of cyber fraud it takes reports on.
Global Bunjang is run by Bungaejangter Inc., and its site footer states that the company is not responsible for liabilities arising from transactions between buyers and sellers. Korea JoongAng Daily reported on August 26, 2025 that Global Bunjang reached 1 million monthly active users in August 2025. A marketplace of that size still leaves the condition of each card to the individual seller.
Pro Tip: Before trading for a POB or lucky draw card, open the original store notice and note the exact store and version. A card advertised as a lucky draw from one store should be one of the cards that store's notice announced, and the notice is free to check on Weverse or the store's own page.
Joining an official fan club is a separate route from trading, explained step by step in how to join a K-pop fan club on Weverse, FANS and Berriz.
FAQ
What does POB mean in K-pop?
POB stands for pre-order benefit: an extra item, often a photocard, that a specific store gives to buyers who order during its pre-order period. Each store publishes its own POB in its notice, so the same album can come with different cards depending on where it is bought.
What size is a K-pop photocard?
Photocard sizes vary by product and are listed on official store pages. SMTOWN &STORE lists the photocards in aespa's 2027 season's greetings at 55 x 85 mm, as of October 28, 2026.
What does 0.6 mean on a Korean photocard listing?
On Korean resale listings, numbers like 0.6, 1.2 or 2.0 are an informal price shorthand in units of KRW 10,000, so 0.6 means KRW 6,000. Global Bunjang's guide calls it a convention rather than a rule, so the price in the listing text is the one that counts.
Related guides
Sources
- SMTOWN &STORE: aespa The 2nd Album [LEMONADE] (P.O.S Ver.)
- SMTOWN &STORE: aespa LEMONADE product list
- SMTOWN &STORE: aespa 2027 Season's Greetings
- Weverse Shop: Pre-order aespa 2027 Season's Greetings
- Weverse: ILLIT LIVE 'PRESS START' ENCORE in KOREA Official Album Pickup Guide
- Weverse: ENHYPEN 'THE SIN : BLISS' LUCKY DRAW & OFFLINE STAMP RALLY
- Global Bunjang: Korean Photocard Trading Culture
- Global Bunjang (operator and terms in footer)
- Korea JoongAng Daily, August 26, 2025
- Korean National Police Agency, ECRM cybercrime types
- KollectPop: The Complete Photocard Trading Guide
Last verified: 2026-10-28
Change log: Updated 2026-10-28: rewritten around official Korean store pages and notices (album components, POB, lucky draw, pickup gifts); added Korean listing terms, price shorthand and official transfer rules; removed a trading platform that could not be verified and price ranges without a source.
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