Overseas online shopping breaks record despite tax hikes
ISTANBUL
Turkish consumers are setting new records in online overseas shopping, defying rising customs duties.
According to data from the Interbank Card Center (BKM), purchases made with Turkish-issued cards from foreign e-commerce platforms surged by 73 percent year-on-year in May 2025, reaching 29.2 billion Turkish Liras.
Total spending in the first five months of the year hit a whopping 125.7 billion liras — already surpassing the full-year figure for 2023.
The growth in cross-border online shopping has outpaced domestic e-commerce, driven by price advantages despite increased taxation.
In 2024, the government lowered the duty-free threshold and raised import taxes to protect local producers. Yet, consumers continue to favor foreign platforms, citing lower prices even after paying up to 60 percent in individual import taxes.
Education-related items led the surge, followed by electronics and clothing. Stationery and office supplies alone saw a 65 percent increase, totaling 6 billion liras. Electronics rose 66 percent to over 5 billion liras, while apparel grew 29 percent to 2.6 billion liras. Jewelry was the fastest-growing category, with a 118 percent jump.
Emre Ekmekçi, vice president of the E-Commerce Operators Association (ETİD), noted, “Even with higher taxes, imported goods remain cheaper than domestic alternatives. This trend is likely to continue, though it poses risks to local manufacturing and employment.”
In 2024, overseas online spending exceeded 200 billion liras for the first time, reaching 218 billion liras. This figure rose to 23.6 billion liras in 2021, and then surged to 48.8 billion liras in 2022. In 2023, spending jumped by more than 135 percent, reaching 115 billion liras.
