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Bots buy out BTS-designed merch in seconds, Army say 'this is ridiculous'

Fans find Jimin's hoodies on unofficial websites for five times the original price

Fans are always excited when idols and groups release official merchandise. But ARMY especially were over the moon when HYBE revealed that the latest merch they would be introducing would be extra-special since they have all been personally designed by the BTS members themselves. Titled ‘Artist-Made Collection’ we have been getting gradual releases from January 1 led by Jin’s designs. It will go on till January 24 with Jungkook being the last member to release his designs. And they have been getting sold out in seconds like Jin’s adorable pyjama set and RM’s comfortable but stylish athleisure outfit.

But the experience hasn’t been going too smoothly for many BTS fans. ARMY has noticed that for the last couple of members’ merch, they are getting sold out in seconds but not many fans are able to buy it. So where are the purchased items? Desperate fans decided to resort to other means like searching on unofficial websites like eBay and were shocked to find several items like Jimin’s hoodie on sale for five times the price by bots. 

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Fans find sold-out official merch on eBay

ARMY also hilarious noticed that in Jimin's case, who was the latest member to release his merch, his designs were sold out in seconds and way before HYBE and Weverse Shop even had a chance to announce that his merch was officially released. But this led to many ARMY concluding that bots are buying out the BTS-designed merch and re-selling them at exorbitant prices. Angry fans have been reporting the unofficial sellers in hopes that HYBE will take legal action.

Other fans are angry that HYBE isn’t stocking up quickly despite knowing about the popularity of the merch. With J-hope being the next member to release his merch on January 20 at 11 am KST (January 19 at 9 pm ET), fans hope that HYBE can resolve the situation quickly and give a chance for fans to buy their favorite idols’ custom-designed merch. The items will be officially sold on the Weverse Shop.

'Pls restock'

Upset ARMY has ended up trending HYBE while trying to spread awareness of the ongoing situation. One fan tweeted, “Can we bring this to @HYBE_MERCH @weverseshop attention? How do you get so many hoodys when they get sold out so quickly? I know the demand is high and I'm happy to know fellow armys bought it, but not some random bot who's sole purpose is to scam fans out of their money.” Another posted, “Bringing this back every merch drop… To Hybe, PayPal, Weverse, resellers, bots: I JUST WANT TO TALK.”

One fan shared, “Fvckk y’all literally sold out Jimin’s merch even before Hybe Merch or Weverse Shop could tweet about the official release.” Another ARMY said, “This is against ebay’s Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program. Only intellectual property owners could report listings or products that infringe on their intellectual property rights, so please help us reach @weverseshop @HYBE_MERCH to report.” One fan added, “ALREADY SOLD OUT. PLS RESTOCK @HYBE_MERCH THIS IS RIDICULOUS.” Another made a meme, “Me chilling outside hybe once i dealt with them for merch.”

One ARMY pointed out, “F you Weverse and Hybe for hyping up these special products made by the guys and then making it nearly impossible to get them.” Another added, "Hello @weverseshop ! We know Jimin loves us but do you love us? "All Things for Fans", right? There has to be a way for your company to limit or eliminate bot buyers. It would be great if the actual fans got to purchase the #BTS merchandise. We certainly would treasure it more." One pointed out, "HYBE if you're seeing this please army is begging you to implement a human checking system when checking out. You must be aware that bots are blocking real army from purchasing hence why it sells out in less than 30 seconds. Please."