Shipping Household Items to South Korea from India — What Ships, Costs & Rules (2026)
The complete guide to shipping household items from India to South Korea — what ships and what doesn't, voltage compatibility for Indian appliances, packing tips, and exact per-kg costs.
Key takeaways
- Most household items ship fine: kitchenware, bedding, decor, small appliances (220V-compatible), clothes, books.
- Rates from ₹609/kg all-in DDP — free pickup, Korean duty pre-paid, 5–8 day door delivery.
- Korea runs 220V like India — Indian small appliances (mixer, iron, kettle) work with a plug adapter.
- Furniture and full household moves are better as sea freight — ask for a custom LCL quote.
Quick answer
Yes — you can ship household items from India to South Korea door-to-door with ShipKorea.in. Kitchen items, bedding, decor, clothes, books and small appliances all ship at all-in DDP rates from ₹609/kg: free pickup from your Indian home, Korean customs duty pre-paid, delivered to any Korean address in 5–8 days. Only full-size furniture needs a different solution (sea freight — we arrange that too).
What household items ship easily
Kitchen: steel utensils, pressure cookers (+ spare gaskets), tawas, kadais, spice dabbas, idli makers, chakla-belan. Linen: bedsheets, towels, curtains, blankets, quilts (vacuum-pack these — they compress 60%). Decor: frames, small idols and puja items, wall hangings, lampshades. Appliances: mixer-grinder, iron, kettle, induction cooktop, hair dryer — all 220V-compatible with Korea. Others: clothes, shoes, books, toys, cycles (partially disassembled), sports gear, musical instruments (guitars ship fine with hard-case + fragile marking).
What doesn't ship (or needs care)
PROHIBITED: fresh food, meat, dairy, live plants, seeds, soil, flammable items (gas canisters, kerosene stoves), loose lithium batteries, alcohol, tobacco. NEEDS PRE-CLEARANCE: medicines (carry prescription, max 3-month personal supply), any commercial-looking quantity of new items (10 identical utensils looks like resale, not personal effects), high-value electronics. LIQUIDS: oils, ghee, pickles in oil must be factory-sealed and declared — home-bottled liquids often leak and get flagged. When in doubt, WhatsApp us a photo of the item before packing.
The voltage question — Indian appliances in Korea
Good news: South Korea runs 220V at 60Hz; India runs 220V at 50Hz. For resistive appliances (irons, kettles, induction stoves, heaters) this difference is irrelevant — they work perfectly. For motor appliances (mixer-grinders), the 50→60Hz difference makes them run slightly faster — totally usable. Chargers and electronics are 100–240V universal anyway. You only need a plug adapter: India uses Type C/D/M, Korea uses Type C/F (round two-pin). A ₹150 universal adapter solves it. What NOT to bring: large appliances (fridge, washing machine, TV) — shipping cost + space makes Korean domestic purchase far cheaper.
Packing household items for international shipping
Five rules: (1) Double-wall cartons only — single-wall boxes crush in airline holds. (2) Heavy items at the bottom, hollow items (utensils) nested to save space. (3) Vacuum-bag all soft goods — quilts, clothes, curtains compress to 40% of volume, and since billing uses the greater of actual vs volumetric weight, vacuum bags literally cut your bill. (4) Wrap every breakable individually in bubble wrap; fill all voids so nothing moves when you shake the box. (5) Label contents honestly and generally ('used kitchen items, personal effects'). Or add our professional packing service at pickup (₹150–₹400/box) — we bring the cartons, vacuum bags and bubble wrap.
Costs — real household shipment examples
Example 1 (kitchen starter box, 12 kg): utensils + pressure cooker + spices = 12 × ₹629 = ₹7,548 all-in. Example 2 (bedding + linen, 18 kg actual → vacuum-packed to 14 kg volumetric): 18 × ₹629 = ₹11,322 all-in. Example 3 (full household boxes, 45 kg, 4 boxes): 45 × ₹609 = ₹27,405 all-in, delivered to the Korean apartment door. All prices include free pickup anywhere in India, Korean duty + VAT pre-paid, and door delivery in 5–8 days.
When sea freight beats air
Air is right for up to ~100 kg of boxes. Beyond that — or if you're shipping furniture, mattresses, or a full 1BHK+ household — LCL (Less-than-Container-Load) sea freight wins: 4–6 weeks Chennai/Nhava Sheva → Busan, at roughly a third of the per-kg air rate. We arrange both: air for the essentials you need in week one, sea for everything else. WhatsApp us your item list and we'll tell you the cheapest split.
