Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has resumed shipments to Türkiye, shifting to a company-managed import system following the elimination of the previous low-value customs exemption.
To manage its operations in Türkiye, the platform established a local entity called WhaleCo, which oversees imports and completes customs clearance on behalf of buyers.
Under this revised system, customers pay applicable taxes during checkout, while the company handles customs procedures and ensures direct delivery to recipients.
Under the new arrangement, WhaleCo serves as the official importer in Türkiye, ensuring goods enter under commercial import status rather than individual consumer shipments. Instead of customers submitting customs declarations, the company files entries in its own name, clears the goods, and manages final delivery.
The platform has also introduced a minimum order requirement, with purchases below ₺580 ($13.29) not processed under the revised system, according to reports. In the initial rollout, product selection remains limited, though the range is expected to broaden as operations stabilize under the new import model.
The change comes after the government abolished simplified customs clearance for items priced under €30, which had previously allowed low-value packages to enter Türkiye without standard import duties.
The decision was driven by product safety concerns and pressure from local industry groups, who argued the exemption unfairly disadvantaged local manufacturers by enabling large volumes of cheap foreign goods to flood the market.
The measure took effect in February, closing the duty-free channel that had previously supported cross-border online shopping from China through platforms like Temu. Once the exemption was removed, Temu halted shipments from its overseas warehouses to Türkiye.
After facing regulatory review, including an inspection by Türkiye’s Competition Authority in late January, the platform temporarily restricted international listings, showing only items available from domestic stock to Turkish shoppers.
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