What sales does Olive Young run through the year?

Four main types: (1) Big Sale — the quarterly blowout, roughly 4 times a year around March, June, September and December, with the deepest discounts; (2) Oliveyoung Day — a milder month-end sale on the 25th–27th, often stackable with coupons; (3) Oliveyoung Pick — standing themed promos on the site, changing anytime; and (4) everyday discounts and brand bundles. To haul, aim your trip at a Big Sale or an Oliveyoung Day.

What's the difference between Big Sale and Oliveyoung Day?

Big Sale is the quarterly event, ~4 times a year, with the deepest discounts (popular items sell out fast) — the prime haul window. Oliveyoung Day runs monthly on the 25th–27th with milder discounts but room to stack coupons. In short: Big Sale is about discount depth; Oliveyoung Day is monthly and coupon-friendly.

Can foreigners stack the tax refund on top of a sale?

Yes. Instant tax refund is a year-round perk — at Tax Free stores, once a single receipt meets the threshold (usually 15,000 won or more), you get about 5–8% back. The sale price plus the refund means two layers of savings. For how to stack sale prices, mobile-pay promos and the refund at checkout, see our Olive Young discount playbook.

When Is Olive Young Cheapest in Busan? The Year-Round Sale Calendar

Q: When is Olive Young cheapest in Busan?

The deepest discounts are the quarterly Big Sale, about 4 times a year, usually around March, June, September and December; if you miss it, the monthly Oliveyoung Day (25th–27th) still offers milder discounts plus coupons. Note that the exact Big Sale dates are usually announced only 1–2 days ahead, so confirm current dates on the official site before your trip.

What sales does Olive Young run? Big Sale is the quarterly event (around March, June, September, December), Oliveyoung Day is the 25th–27th each month, plus standing Oliveyoung Pick promos. Here's the year's rhythm so you can time your Busan trip — and how foreigners stack the tax refund on top.

“When is Olive Young cheapest in Busan?” is probably the first thing you want to know before a K-beauty haul. The answer: aim your trip at a quarterly Big Sale or a monthly Oliveyoung Day. This guide isn’t about one specific event — it lays out the whole year’s rhythm so you can pick the right timing when you plan.

The four kinds of Olive Young discount

Type	Frequency	What it is
Big Sale	~4× a year	Deepest discounts, popular items sell out — the prime haul window
Oliveyoung Day	25th–27th monthly	Milder month-end sale, often stackable with coupons
Oliveyoung Pick	Standing	Themed promos on the site, items rotate
Everyday deals & bundles	Anytime	Single-item or brand-bundle discounts

The year’s sale calendar

Big Sale roughly follows the quarters; Oliveyoung Day is monthly. Line your trip up against this:

Month	Event
Around March	Quarterly Big Sale
25th–27th monthly	Oliveyoung Day
Around June	Quarterly Big Sale
Around September	Quarterly Big Sale
Around December	Quarterly Big Sale

⚠️ The exact Big Sale dates are usually announced only 1–2 days ahead by Olive Young. The table above is a rhythm reference based on the quarterly pattern, not official dates. Plan around “roughly which month,” and confirm the actual dates on the official site before you go.

To see what’s running right now and whether you’ve caught a sale, check our continually updated current Busan Olive Young discount guide; if your trip falls in the summer-to-autumn window, our Busan summer K-beauty shopping guide covers how to catch the season-change promos.

Foreigners: extra layers beyond the sale

The sale isn’t the only place to save. Foreign travelers have a few more layers:

Instant tax refund: year-round, about 5–8% back once you hit the threshold (usually 15,000 won+) — bring your physical passport.
Mobile-pay promos: Olive Young periodically runs spend-based discounts for Alipay, WeChat Pay and the like — check official notices or in-store posters.
Travel-platform vouchers: some platforms sell usable vouchers to redeem in store.

How to stack these correctly at checkout (order, and what can be combined) is in our separate playbook: Olive Young app & discount playbook for foreign travelers. For the refund process and math itself, see the complete Olive Young tax refund guide.

Line up payment and transit for the sale

Whichever sale window you time, set up how you’ll pay and get around before you go — it’s the difference between a smooth haul and a declined card at the register.

Visit Busan Pass (transit card + attraction discounts)

Some versions include a free Olive Young gift, plus free or discounted attraction entry — handy value alongside your sale haul.

KKday

Klook

WOWPASS Korea Multi-Currency Card (with T-money Transit Function)

Load Korean won with your overseas card and spend it at Olive Young and beyond, with a built-in transit card. Fewer declined cards on a big sale day.

KKday

Klook

Prep your list before you haul

Whichever event you catch, decide what to buy first to save time. The full picks by skin concern are in Olive Young must-buy top 20; store maps and the largest Seomyeon branch are in the Busan Olive Young store guide. To see which brands actually go on sale and their real discounted prices, check the Olive Young brands foreigners actually buy.

📌 One last check before booking: see if there’s a working code first at our Busan discount code roundup.

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Sale windows and dates are for reference; confirm actual events and timing with Olive Young’s official announcements.