Pricing Ranges?

[mwol]

I’m going to Seoul soon (late June) and I am really scared about the bargaining/negotiating process. I am not really an aggressive person and I don’t think I will fair very well getting prices down… I am definitely not looking for the cheapest price but I don’t want 3 years of saving up down the drain. I know I won’t get a local pricing which is fine but I don’t want them to rob me either, I just want to find a middle ground where we are both happy.

I was thinking of bringing quotes from other clinics but will they accept just a scrap piece of paper with “X clinic – 3.5mil kwn” or is it more advisable to bring a legitimate email or screenshot of the clinic quoting you. I just feel the latter is a bit hard to obtain just because in forums like this people just say what price they paid and it’s not very reliable?

I just keep thinking the scenario will be something like:
Consultant: Nose (bridge, tip, alar, oesteotomy) is 5mil all together.
Me: … Can you make it cheaper if I pay in all cash?
Consultant: Okay, 4.8mil
Me: But X clinic offered me 4mil, can you match the price
Consultant: No
Me: Okay bye…

[rice_cake]

Hello~

I was wondering if it is possible to get a average price range for the common surgeries: V-line, nose… Thank you so much!

[Sophie]

First off great question. Prices will range from clinic to clinic, and usually there are several factors influencing price:

• Clinic Size: Large surgery hospital vs small boutique clinic
• Doctor Choice: Experienced Surgeon, Junior, etc…
• Procedure Method and Difficulty: For example augmenting your nose via filler injection (cheapest); synthetic implant (pricey) or using autologous material i.e., cartilage from your own body – ear, rib, septum, etc (most expensive)
• Season: There are busy seasons in the industry and high demand can increase price
• Negotiation Skills: – You can negotiate and bargain with most clinics surgery consultants
• Payment Method: Paying in cash vs credit card
• Country of Origin: – Many, but not all clinics may charge more if you are a foreigner, but the increase will still be very competitive and affordable.

There are so many scenarios and variables that effect price, so it may range higher or lower than the estimates below, which I based on reports from the Korean Consumer Protection agency, our own research across surgery forums & communities and communicating with clinics.

Procedure & Average Price

• Nose: ~Avg $3,800 USD
• Facial Contouring (Cheekbones, Mini-V-Line, Chin, etc…): ~Avg $4,000 USD
• Intensive Jaw Augmentation (V-Line, Two Jaw Surgery): ~Avg $9,000 USD
• Eyelids: ~Avg $1,500 USD

[rice_cake]

Thank you so much for both the replies from Sophie-nim and Admin-nim. This is a silly point. But would paying in cash reduce the price by a bit? If I can’t speak Korean at all, would it still be possible to bargain through an interpreter/translator? Thank you so much!

[Jeet Singh]

Hi rice_cake

Great question! Paying in cash does help to get a discount, but it varies by clinics. A typical cash discount might be something like 4% to 10% off.

Other ways to get a discount:

1. You can also get a discount for having multiple procedures done. Example (eyes, nose, and chin)
2. If you agree to release your before and after photos with nothing blurred out
3. You work with a licensed facilitator who can negotiate on your behalf. We provide this service. (https://myseoulsecret.com/patient-intake-form)
4. And by bargaining yourself.

Our advice is to not make price your deciding factor, but instead make it doctor qualifications, facility and the confidence you feel in their care and ability to give you the results you want. A procedure is something you ideally want to do once, and not have to go back for a revision. However, understandably price and budget are still important factors, so if you want to get a discount here are some tips:

How to Bargain and Ask for Discounts:

#1: Be A Nice Patient – Not haughty, arrogant or a know-it-all.

#2: Don’t obsess and have unrealistic expectations –  Going into intricate details of a celebrity’s appearance you want or a photoshopped version you made of yourself, and asking a lot of what-if scenarios. Showing print outs of medical journals and studies, etc…

#3: Don’t waste their time: Don’t drain the clinic’s time with multiple back and forth consults, and by comparing more than 3 clinics and inviting them into a price war.

#4: If you’re active on surgery forums, don’t mention it. A lot of clinics are burned out by users from there.

If you don’t pass the above four criteria, then some clinics may overcharge or not budge on price, on purpose. This is to make you not pick them because they might see you as an emotionally intensive case. It’s plastic surgery after all, not heart surgery, so clinics aren’t obligated to give discounts to people they think will be difficult, loud or overly emotional.

Know the Roles

When you go to a clinic you will meet with two to three people (doctor, consultant, clinic translator). Sometimes the consultant and translator may be one person serving both roles. At bigger clinics, doctors will usually be able to speak English, so communication won’t be a problem for the most part.

Doctor’s Role: Diagnosis
Consultant’s Role: Pricing and Scheduling

I only recommend an interpreter if you are going to a clinic that speaks 0% English and finding that interpreter through a legitimate translation company or contacting the Gangnam government to arrange a free one for you. We can also offer some recommendations.

Hiring an Interpreter or Facilitator

First, it’s important to know that there are two types of interpreters: a real interpreter and an illegal surgery broker in disguise as a translator. A lot of times foreign patients won’t be able to tell the difference. An illegal surgery broker usually inflates the price of the surgery. If you work with an ethical and licensed facilitator, like us, we work with your budget and the clinics have partner and referral agreements with licensed facilitators.

rice_cake, we know you’re a smart cookie! Because you’re asking the right questions, and we don’t want you to get bamboozled. If you plan it right, you don’t need a translator, if you do need one, we’ll show you where to get a legit one through the government.

Negotiating in English gives you more power because it’s your native language. When I went for my consultations, I was able to negotiate prices down using English. You just have to appear like a confident and knowledgeable consumer, and the more you ask questions on sites like this and research, you will become one.

Script & Dialogue During a Consultation

Ask for a discount using a script like this:

Is that the best price you can offer me? That’s much higher than my budget, but I really like your hospital. If you can get closer to this price ______, then I’m sure I can book my surgery with you

This should be true to be the most effective because several clinics can tell.

If you match my budget and I’m happy with my results, what if I write a very good testimonial/recommendation for your clinic that you can publish on your website, so more foreigners will have confidence in your clinic?

They will usually start to budge, but note some clinics are very strict about the price and may hold strong. In this case, tell them:

OK, thanks for your time, I’m still undecided. I’m planning to see other clinics and then I will decide. Can I have your card?

If you want surgery from them, then follow up the next day, and say:

Hi it’s ______, we met yesterday (give more details about who you are because consultants see a lot of people) I really like your clinic, so are you sure you can’t give me a better price? I’m ready to put down a deposit and book my surgery. If you need to talk about it with your coworkers or think about it more, please give me a call back later today by 2PM because I have to decide.

Again, the above should be true to be the most effective. If you don’t get a call back by 3 PM then follow up:

It’s me again, have you decided?

If they don’t budge by this point and you think it’s the right clinic, then I would say just go for it and know you tried your best to get the best price possible, and then just relax and prepare for your surgery. The hard part of the surgery is deciding which clinic, but that’s what this site is for, to help make it easier.

[SevenSeas]

Hi, this is my first post here

Totally agree with you there. However, it seems to be a very hard task to find the “best clinic for us” online. I mean, when you see one clinic’s review, it can be good and bad (mix of both), which sometimes can be very frustrating.

Do you have any good tips to find the good one? I have never been to Korea before and do not speak the language. However, I am planning to do a Rhino and eyelid surgery sometime in 2014 if time and budget allows. lol (PS: I am an asian male)

Thank you for starting this forum.

[Sophie]

In general most clinics will know the average prices for procedures in the industry. They will usually give you a quote on a business card or on their stationary. If they don’t, you can ask them to write it down for you on their business card.

In the scenario mentioned it will really be case by case, but the most important things you should note is at least you tried – some people don’t even ask. And also we recommend not to make price the absolute deciding factor.

Currency: Korean Won (1,000,000 KRW is about $1,000 USD)

2014 Prices for Procedures in Korea

Procedure	Minimum	Median	Maximum	Average
Breast Implant (Cohesive Gel)	9,000,000	10,500,000	15,500,000	10,450,000
Breast Fat Graft	9,000,000	12,000,000	15,500,000	12,200,000
Forehead contouring implant	3,750,000	3,900,000	11,550,000	4,208,000
Square Jaw Reduction	3,800,000	8,000,000	11,550,000	7,670,000
Cheekbone Reduction	3,800,000	7,000,000	18,300,000	6,650,000
Lower Jaw Surgery	1,200,000	6,400,000	18,300,000	7,860,000
Double Eyelids Surgery (non-incisional)	1,200,000	1,700,000	3,195,000	2,415,000
Double Eyelids Surgery (incisional)	1,800,000	2,450,000	3,500,000	2,415,000
Revision Double Eyelids	2,600,000	3,262,000	6,000,000	3,082,000
Revision Rhinoplasty	4,000,000	4,900,000	6,000,000	4,900,000
Nose Tip Surgery	320,000	2,275,000	3,000,000	2,061,000

 

* Price range was calculated based on the costs suggested from six plastic surgery clinics in Korea.
* Price can be changed at times by currency and clinic’s circumstances.
* This price chart does not represent all of the costs spent for plastic surgeries in Korea.
* The price includes medical services such as translator, medication, admission.
* 10% VAT is excluded

[Jeet Singh]

This is an update on pricing. These prices were calculated by the Korean Ministry of Health along with Korean Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, one of the three main governing boards of plastic surgeons in Korea.

NOTE:

• These are guidelines, so are not overcharged. Prices may still vary depending on the clinic.
• Prices are separated in their individual treatments.

How to use this table:

Example – Double Eyelid and Treating Inner Eye Skin Fold.

Let’s say for instance you want double eyelid surgery and to treat the inner corner fold of your eye. The clinic may diagnosis you with incisional double eyelid surgery and epicanthoplasty.

US Dollars

• low end you might pay $1,400 (incisional double eyelid) + $750 (epicantoplasty) = $2,150
• high end you might pay $2,300 (incisional double eyelid) + $1,100 (epicantoplasty) = $3,400
• And then of course you can have something in between, or maybe lower if you are bundling procedure.

[Author]

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