Türkiye is alarmed by the first-ever deficit in e-commerce trade registered in 2024, attributed to uncontrolled product entries from China, prompting authorities to intensify inspections at customs, a report said on Monday.
To curb soaring imports, Türkiye last year announced stricter customs regulations and significantly hiked taxes on goods ordered from shopping platforms like Chinese Temu. The app is known to offer a wide range of goods at largely affordable prices.
Türkiye still recorded a $1.8 billion deficit in e-commerce trade last year, a report by the Sabah daily said, as controls appeared to have proven insufficient in lowering the volume at customs.
According to data from the Interbank Card Center (BKM), the amount spent via local cards for shopping from abroad increased by 40% last year, reaching TL 218 billion (about $6.1 billion). Online purchases made by foreigners in Türkiye rose by 38%, nearing TL 159 billion.
Current regulations allow a maximum of five items per package, no more than two of the same product, and a limit of five purchases per person per month.
To prevent it from escalating into a severe issue, the Trade Ministry plans to increase personnel at customs and subject every e-commerce package to stringent inspection, the Sabah report said.
It said packages labeled during these inspections would be returned to the sender's country, and buyers violating regulations would face penalties.
Recent inspections by the ministry revealed that Chinese-origin products pose a major health risk, according to the report. The Unsafe Products Information System (GÜBIS) shows the presence of carcinogenic substances such as antimony, arsenic, barium, mercury, cadmium, chromium, lead, and selenium in many Chinese-origin products.
Shoppers on platforms like Temu encounter tax-free product prices. An item listed at TL 700 ends up costing TL 1,150 after a TL 450 tax is added at checkout. Such practices are strictly prohibited in Türkiye, where local firms are required to display prices inclusive of value-added tax (VAT). Failure to comply with these regulations can result in hefty fines.
