Netizens speculated that ILLIT's 2nd mini album sales may have been manipulated, based on Circle Chart's yearly album sales chart.
Previously in October, Circle Chart's monthly album sales chart reported that ILLIT's 2nd mini album 'I'll Like You' had sold a total of 504,363 copies in its release month.
However, according to the yearly album sales chart published on January 10 KST, ILLIT's 2nd mini album sold a total of 412,040 copies in its release year, a decrease of 92,323 copies from the reported sales in October.
Netizens raised speculations that HYBE Labels had used the "advanced purchase" method to manipulate the group's album sales, a sales method believed by many to be a form of "sajaegi".
By using the "advanced purchase" method, companies supply a certain amount of albums to sellers with the option for the albums to be "returned" if the inventory is not entirely sold. This method allows companies to distribute more albums than the demand, also resulting in more albums being counted during the first-week sales period, even if not all of those albums are actually sold to buying customers.
K-netizens reacted with comments like,
"What happened to 'half-million sellers' ILLIT? Oops, guess that title gets revoked now."
"Nearly 100,000 albums were returned from album sellers? Wow."
"Calling the news reporters: Hello? Yes actually, what we said about ILLIT selling half a million albums is a lie. 100,000 of those albums were returned to us."
"And this is the company that goes to court and broadcasts to the world how much ILLIT failed and lost their endorsement deal offers."
"HYBE's underhanded tricks getting exposed one by one kekekekeke."
"So comparable to NewJeans..."
"The real culprits damaging ILLIT's image... those HYBE ahjusshis..."
"Okay HYBE, time to take down all those articles boasting about ILLIT selling a half a million copies."
"Seriously kekekeke. 92,000 albums got returned kekekeke."
"Wow almost 100,000 copies returned to the company, losing two endorsement offers, and being voted the #1 singer Japanese people do not want to see on TV. ILLIT are truly 5th generation's stars lol."
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