People buy BTS merchandise at a Line Friends store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. Retailers have been enjoying brisk sales of the merchandise as well as the album packages with the group's increasing popularity worldwide. / Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



Certain retailers have emerged as the latest beneficiary from the ongoing popularity of boy band BTS as fans rush to buy its latest album and various merchandise the group promotes.



Hundreds of thousands of BTS fans abroad are purchasing character products, smartphones, apparel and other items promoted by the seven-member boy band online, while some even come to Korea for shopping sprees.



With the group's latest album "Love Yourself: Tear" topping the Billboard 200 album chart less than two weeks after its May 18 release, the number of overseas fans who want to buy previous releases has also increased dramatically.



According to eBay Korea, sales of a 65,000 won priced BTS album set between April 18 and May 18, led to a 40 percent year-on-year increase of customers to its book and album sites from the same period in 2017.



BTS latest album set / Courtesy of eBay Korea