Under the new regulation issued by the Ministry of Trade, e-commerce platforms such as TEMU will be required to publish documents and certificates for product reliability on their pages. Otherwise, there will be problems with the sale of products to Türkiye. China-based TEMU, which entered the Turkish market in June 2024 and started to sell over the internet, sends about 200 thousand products to Türkiye daily. These products, coming directly from China to Türkiye without passing any inspection, are drawing attention to the possible risks that these products may carry in terms of human health. The platform, featuring many different products ranging from clothing, shoes, toys and accessories, attracts the attention of consumers in Türkiye, especially due to its low prices.
A law passed in 2022 restricted companies selling in Türkiye from advertising, sponsorship and selling their own brands. In addition, those exceeding a certain volume are subject to a license fee, while at the same time they are subject to Turkish laws and taxes as they are resident here.
Deputy Trade Minister Mahmut Gürcan, speaking on the Yol Açık program in the joint live broadcast of Kayseradar and Radyoradar, underlined that TEMU is not subject to any of these laws: “It sends products from abroad to Türkiye. While the number of products sent daily was around 50 thousand last year, it reached around 200 thousand per day. Regarding this, we limited the cost of the goods they sent in the first place. Including the shipping cost, we reduced it to 30 euros. Thus, we wanted to reduce the number coming from here.”
Products sold through TEMU may pose a threat to human health
Drawing attention to the possible risks to human health posed by the products purchased here, Gürcan said: “When you shop on TEMU, a product from China comes directly to your home without going through any product safety and inspection. Whether it is a carcinogenic substance, a substance harmful to health, it comes to your home from China’s workshop without being examined. This is actually a very problematic situation.”
Explaining that they have taken action against this, Gürcan stated that with the regulation of the newly issued General Directorate of Product Safety, they asked these companies to publish their documents and certificates, including CE, on their pages. He underlined that if they do not publish these on their website, they will have a problem with their products coming to Türkiye.
It is stated that TEMU should take the necessary steps to comply with the legislation within the scope of the “Regulation on Market Surveillance and Inspection of Products Placed on the Market through Remote Communication Tools”, which entered into force on April 1.