Image credit www.twitter.com/bts_bighit
Buying merchandise is one of the many ways for fans to support their favorite idols. BTS has ARMY from all over the world, coming from different backgrounds and having different interests. Because of this, Big Hit strives to find what the fans need and want. On the Weverse Shop app, ARMYs can find various merchandise from different eras, everything from a lightstick (ARMY Bomb) to a bottle of water (beWATER with BTS) that Big Hit has recently started to sell. Fans have easy access to buying the merchandise; Big Hit categorizes the app into 3 parts: Global, USA, and Japan. They also allow the option to display different currencies. This helps the fans buy the boys’ merchandise more easily.
Image credit www.twitter.com Image credit Weverse Shop: BTS Global
ARMYs have a habit of selling out everything that Big Hit offers; such was the case when Big Hit restocked their old merchandise in March this year. Everything was sold out in 30 minutes. Above all, there is one item most famous out of the many products that Big Hit sells, which is the mini photocard. Whenever Big Hit offers mini photocards, they are likely to sell out faster than other items. The reason why is due to the fact that many ARMYs are photocard collectors. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it is also the cheapest piece of merch on the site. But, price tends to not be a problem for ARMY when it comes to BTS. They also frequently sell out pricey ones, like outfits, such as the sweatshirts and sweatpants that BTS wore in “In the Soop.”
When it comes to BTS merch, a common favorite is their photocards; almost everything that Big Hit sells has photocards in it. For example, the pajamas that have Jimin’s signature on the pocket. It gives a certain satisfaction when one manages to collect a full set of mini photocards. However, there are some ARMYs who love to collect bigger items, like Memories 2019. One such collector is Aura, an ARMY from Indonesia, who loves “Memories” because she can look back over what the boys accomplished in a year, what achievements they made. With the “Memories” packages, Big Hit also gives you a thick photo book with snapshots of moments and priceless memories. It should come as no surprise that this also comes with a beautiful photo card — so it is a full package of the boys for a good price.
When we talk about having merchandise, a question that will pop up is “How much do you want to own?” There is no right answer, because some people will always buy everything that Big Hit sells, and some refrain from collecting because it’s too much for them. Regardless of how much you buy, Big Hit is known for their never-ending sales. They have certain scheduled merch, for example, Season’s Greetings, but there are also times when Big Hit decides to sell things out of the blue. It can be overwhelming for some people, whether because of the price or the often extravagant shipping fees.
There are ARMYs who are fine without owning official merchandise because they still can support the boys through streaming on Spotify and YouTube. Though, there are also ARMYs who feel inferior when they have none. The feeling of being “small” is usually because they want to buy the merchandise, but the price is too high. ARMYs are known to act as a family for each other. Many will do giveaways to help the ARMYs who can’t afford to buy certain merchandise. It may be organized by a fanbase or by a personal account. The giveaways usually take place near a BTS comeback, when there is a concert, or near a member’s birthday. It often requires simple things, like voting for the boys in an award show or streaming to boost their chart ratings. ARMYs will do anything to support their boys and encourage other ARMYs to do the same.
For some ARMYs, they enjoy collecting BTS merch not only because it is a great way to support the boys, but simply because they love to collect things related to BTS. There are a lot of collector ARMYs. It often starts from collecting their photo cards before evolving to collecting their DVD packages (Season’s Greetings, concert and Muster DVDs, “Memories,” etc.), then their affiliated products like BT21, and before you know it you’ve got a stack of imported coffee with BTS’ faces on the side. The collector ARMYs often buy all the merchandise from the boys’ debut era until now to complete their collection. But then, there are some ARMYs who do not want to buy merchandise, like Vera, another Indonesian ARMY. For her, not having merchandise won’t make her love the boys any less than others. For her, there might be a time where she stops being a fangirl, at which point she would be confused about what she should do with the merchandise. So, instead of collecting, she chooses to support the boys via streaming and various other ways.
BTS has a certain Midas touch when they sell something, and their products often end up being sold out in a matter of seconds because of ARMY. It proves that ARMY wants to support them. But regardless, whether ARMYs have merchandise or not, they will always hold a space in BTS’s hearts, because the boys do not define ARMYs based on the size of their shrines. BTS will always love their ARMYs with all of their heart. So, do not feel small if you can’t afford any, because BTS will always be with ARMYs no matter what. And, whether you’re a collector ARMY or not, have fun and good luck!
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written by Endang
Edited by Aury
Checked by Vera
댓글