7 Steps to import products from Turkey

Importing products from Turkey, import with a quality as per the European standards, proximity for less logistic costs and prices.

The continuously developing exporter with a quality as per the European standards, proximity for less logistic costs and prices that are workable for most countries – can improve your business profitability by allowing you to increase your margins, add new products and/or work on customized items.

This guide shows you how to start importing from Turkey in 7 steps, from finding the products to import to shipping it to your country.

Import products from Turkey in 7 Steps.

The steps are as follows :

1. Step 1: Which products to import from Turkey?
2. Step 2: How to find the right supplier in Turkey?
3. Step 3: How to begin to work with a new Turkish supplier?
4. Step 4: How do I purchase a product?
5. Step 5: How to plan for the shipment?
6. Step 6: How to make custom clearance?
7. Step 7: How to proceed after importing a product?

Let’s go for the details

Step 1: Which products to import from Turkey?

Sourcing your products from Turkey allows you to have a wider range of products with lower total costs. But, you have to wisely select the products to import from Turkey.

If you are planning to work on profitability, you should choose products that are:

• Consistently and sufficiently in demand in your target market
• Sold with a margin of minimum 30%
• Reliable (the products that do not need a warranty certificate are better to import)
• Easily manageable on the storage chain. Choose product that do not have specific storage requirements
• Not forbidding or restricted on sale in the target market

Before selecting the products you want to import from Turkey, make sure to check these factors in your target market:

• The regulations and laws implemented in the destination country that restrict some categories of products for consumer health safety
• The licenses and permits requested by your country needed to import products from Turkey. Special permits are requested for certain commodities.
• The import taxes applicable on the products imported from Turkey. Note that Turkey have a lot of trade agreements and your country may have different duty applied on the Turkish imported products.

Step 2: How to find the right supplier in Turkey?

Once you have decided on the products you will import from Turkey, your next step is to find a partner to supply you the needed items.

When you are searching , you will encounter two types of suppliers; the producers and the sourcing companies like Turkevo.

The sourcing companies are suppliers with or without stocks of products that do not produce the goods but are contracted with the producers to sale their products. They get special prices that allow them to offer almost the same price as the producer even after adding their margin. They have a greater control of the quality of the product and a wider catalog as they source from several producers. They generally allow you a lower MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity).

The sourcing companies also have a robust customer service and sales strategy.

The producers are the companies that manufacture the goods from their raw materials. They are more flexible about the custom product if you are buying in large quantities. The exporting companies in Turkey have generally an export department that would insure all the communications with the customers. Their weak point is an average or poor customer service. Most of companies are able to communicate perfectly in Turkish and weakly in English.

Step 3: How to begin to work with a new Turkish supplier?

Once you have selected your potential supplier, the next step is to start the initial contact.

If you are not visiting them, initiate with more than one potential supplier at the time and eliminate the ones that do not fit you as you go. Send an email to the companies you intend to work with and give information about yourself; to gain trust; and about your request. You will find that some of the Turkish companies do not reply to incoming requests. If you have hard time to get answers, call the companies on the phone and ask to talk to the export team.

Make sure before agreeing with a Turkish supplier to discuss these points:

• Samples to be sent before confirming the orders
• Material technical specifications
• Quality standards
• Delivery times
• Payment terms
• Packaging
• Shipping terms

Some Turkish suppliers are not fluent in English. Send emails about all the important details to avoid misunderstanding and write in a simple language. You can use whatsapp as it is used in Turkish trade as a faster way of communication. Do not use translator and try to send them messages in Turkish.

If the products you will import from Turkey need sampling, request a sample. It is the best way to preview the product. Keep in mind that the samples are selected and produced to best represent the product so they may not always represent the products you will receive later.

Before making orders in large scale, it is always better to make small trial orders. This order allows you to check if the supplier respects the delays and the quality requirements. You will have a correct picture about the suppliers output.

Once you are satisfied with the products of the supplier you chose to import products from, do not hesitate to negotiate the prices. You are able to negotiate better for high volume orders, but, you can always negotiate for small orders also.

Step 4: How do I purchase a product?

In trade, the Turkish companies use the purchase order and/or the signed invoices as a confirmation of the order. You can also request that the technical documents of the products be included in the purchase order to avoid receiving different specifications.

All the commercial and logistic details should be included in the purchase order or the invoice without leaving any room for misunderstandings. The specifications of the products, the unit prices, the quantities, the payment terms, the delivery terms (Incoterm), the packaging and even the lead time should be part of these documents.-

Step 5: How to plan for the shipment?

Depending on the terms agreed with your Turkish supplier about the shipment, you have to arrange the transportation, the customer clearance and storage for your order. It is recommended to rely on a freight forwarded to handle the import.

The freight forwarder will take of the scheduling, the tracking, the insurance and other details for you. They have discounts from the shipping companies and they communicate easily with them in case a problem happens.

Step 6: How to make custom clearance?

Before you start the procedure, make sure you have the needed documents and follow the procedures applicable in your country. Otherwise, you will have delays and it will cost you high fees in the port of destination. The custom process, fees and requested documentation depends on the category and the value of the products you imported from Turkey.

If you are not used to the procedure, we recommend that you work with a custom broker.

The custom broker is an import and export professional that knows the relevant agencies and procedures. He prepares and submits needed documents to make the import procedure smoother and faster. A custom broker knows the laws and restrictions and can support you in the first step of deciding which products to import from Turkey.

After clearing your products through customs, your shipment needs to be transported to its final destination which is your storage area.

Step 7: How to proceed after importing a product?

Now that your product reached the storage, you can market the product for sale as any other product. You have to work on:

• The price of the products which should be profitable and workable in the local market
• Creating the listings and/or adding the products to your catalog
• Managing the sales as per the procedures you always use

You should not hesitate to tell your customers that the goods are imported from Turkey and present them the quality certifications received from your supplier. Turkish products are now well considered in most of the countries. There are known for their quality and for their durability depending on the product’s nature.

If you are not sure where to start and need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. We support our customer for all the seven steps to import products from Turkey.