Tteok Gift Boxes: Chuseok Etiquette and Shipping

A Chuseok gift box typically contains 5 types: baekseolgi base, songpyeon or injeolmi, mugwort or pumpkin tteok for color, plus a honey or tea item; that pentad photographs as abundance while staying classically Korean. Include a care card with re-steam instructions.

Price tiers: small 15–20 pieces $35–$55, medium 30–40 $65–$95, siru-inclusive premium $120–$180. Pricing reflects hand labor and same-day steam schedule more than ingredient cost — communicate that so buyers value craft.

Shipping is the challenge because tteok stales fast. Ship frozen next-day with gel packs, or ship fresh within 80 km same-day with towel-lidded containers. Never ship ambient 2-day in summer; you will teach recipients that tteok is dense and disappointing, which is a lie told by logistics.

Etiquette: give tteok before the holiday, not on it; recipients need time to serve it as part of their own table. Include extra pieces — Koreans gift with generosity, not exact count, and that 'extra two' is part of the language of care.

Modern presentation: kraft boxes with a thin pine sprig inside nod to tradition without looking like a heritage museum. Let tteok be contemporary craft rather than costumed nostalgia and younger recipients meet it halfway.