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I love shopping online; nothing beats shopping at a mega sale sans the crazy crowds and long queues. In fact, I’ve gotten so accustomed to shopping for clothes, accessories, appliances and even manga online, these days when I step into an actual store I feel kind of lost and confused.

Having purchased from various online retailers based across the globe, I think I’ve had my fair share of browsing through all sorts of web stores, yet none of them managed to crack me up like this Korean online shop I stumbled upon a couple of days ago. Think along the lines of kidney bean shoes and dresses with gyoza necklines. Sounds ridiculous, but it’ll all make sense when you see the pictures after the break!

If you’re familiar with shopping for apparel online, you might have noticed that most retailers tend to stick to simple descriptive naming for their products, such as “[brand] cotton blouse in navy blue”, or “White leather sneakers”. Such simple names are easy to understand and straight to the point, but there are times when the naming is too simple, shoppers might have some trouble telling the difference between this white shirt and that white shirt. That’s a simple issue that could be resolved by labeling the items with unique item codes, but when your website is all chic and sleek, some random numbers sitting in line with the item names might look a little eye-jarring.

Some retailers put in a little more effort in distinguishing their products by giving them names instead of code numbers, or throw in a little more detail. Something like, “Alice rib knit sweater in pastel pink” or “Soft flowy chiffon dress with embellished belt in emerald green”. You get the drift.

This Korean web store, Shop Paranormal, however, has an incredibly unique way of naming their products. From extremely straightforward visual references to unusual shortened names to hilarious personal opinions and random behind-the-scenes notes, the endless variations are bound to leave an impression for better or for worse! Check out some of their products and their amusing names (loosely translated from Korean)!

▼ “Sheep”

▼ “Kidney bean”

▼ “Midogu” (Mickey, Donald and Goofy)

▼ “Sailor Moon was 14 years old when she first appeared in 1992, therefore we can deduce that she should be a middle-aged woman around the age of 35 now”

▼ “The material that increases like cotton candy when it gets caught in the velcro of your bag”

▼ “The pleats near the hem camouflages your belly fat”

▼ “The price of these leggings is a price that will win your heart!”
(The leggings are priced at 1500 Korean Won, which is approximately US$1.40)

▼ “The skill of hiding my slightly thick calves as I walk”

▼ “When a pretty girl wears this she attracts attention, when an unattractive girl wears this she attracts a fist in the face”

▼ “A bag that allows you to create a cracked effect on the silver film by folding it, but it doesn’t go back to how it was when you straighten it out”

▼ “The image of an elite student who attends a high-end private school and speaks five languages”

▼ “Neco” (Neoprene coat)

▼ “Horror story: Every time you tie the shoelaces your face will appear on the metal plate”

▼ “Gyoza around the neck”
(Gyoza is a Japanese pan-fried dumpling, otherwise known as pot-stickers)

▼ “Disgusting scales”

▼ “Socks that we sincerely think would go very well with uniforms – Summer ver.”

▼ “Oppa was down with a cold the entire weekend. Seriously, beware of the cold. Don’t catch a cold!”
(Oppa literally means “elder brother”, but could also mean “boyfriend”)

▼ “If you lose one of the pearls in the laundry, try looking at the back of your washing machine and you might find it”

▼ “A 270cm-long shawl that baldy oppa is selling at a fraction of its cost price because he misread the price list”

▼ “A dress that the nice-heroine-who-leads-a-hard-life in a Japanese romance movie would wear”

▼ “A funny Dachshund”

▼ “A top that girls wear to look cute in spring, and my little brother wears when he wants to look like a bear”

How’s that for a change of product naming? They’re hands down the most straightforward and hilarious names I’ve seen in an online shop, although I can’t help but wonder if some of those names would end up affecting the sales of their products in a negative way.

▼ You don’t even need to know Korean to “read” some of these item names!

▼ And this is the “bald oppa who messed up the pricing of the shawl,” together with “his fiancée and business partner behind Shop Paranormal.”
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=423965721069576&set=t.100001588840461&type=3&theater

Are you sold? I definitely am. Unfortunately, Shop Paranormal does not provide international shipping and purchase, so it wouldn’t be possible to buy one of their brilliantly named items unless you know someone living in Korea who would be willing to help.

If you’re living in Korea, however, hop over to Shop Paranormal to check out all the other interesting stuff they have!

Source/Images: Shop Paranormal via Zhaizhai News