17.01.2026 13:10
The Ministry of Trade expanded inspections following complaints of exorbitant prices in e-commerce after the removal of the 30 euro exemption, issued a directive to impose access restrictions on products with unlawful price increases, and announced that it would impose fines of up to 1,806,177 TL for each violation.
The Ministry of Trade has expanded its inspections following complaints that prices on online platforms in Turkey have increased after the removal of the 30 euro tax exemption for purchases made from abroad. The ministry has implemented additional inspection and sanction measures against exorbitant price increases in e-commerce; it will block access to products that have been increased in price in violation of regulations and impose administrative fines of up to 1,806,177 TL on businesses deemed to be applying exorbitant prices.
MINISTRY REQUESTED INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS FROM MARKETPLACES
The Ministry of Trade stated that it received complaints following the legislative changes under the Simplified Customs System and made determinations regarding products sold on e-commerce marketplaces that are the subject of complaints. The ministry emphasized the need to examine potential price increases under the provisions of Law No. 6585 on the Regulation of Retail Trade and Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce and initiated comprehensive investigations with the relevant marketplaces; it continuously requested information and documents from marketplaces for businesses deemed to have made high price increases.
INSTRUCTION TO BLOCK ACCESS TO EXORBITANTLY PRICED PRODUCTS
The ministry assessed that the products for which price increases were detected, as a result of examining the received information and documents, constituted a violation of the provisions regarding exorbitant price increases in Law No. 6585. In this context, it instructed e-commerce marketplaces to immediately block access to products that have been increased in price in violation of regulations, in accordance with the unlawful content provisions of Law No. 6563.
FINES OF UP TO 1,806,177 TL
The Ministry of Trade will address the inspection results obtained during the review process at the Unfair Price Assessment Board. The board will decide to impose administrative fines of up to 1,806,177 TL for each violation on businesses deemed to have made exorbitant price increases.
"OUR INSPECTIONS CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED"
The ministry emphasized that protecting consumer health and safety and ensuring fair trade is a priority, stating that it will continue the fight for a transparent and consumer-friendly market order; it noted that inspections against practices aimed at making unfair profits by exploiting social sensitivities continue uninterrupted.
WHEN WILL THE 30 EURO LIMIT BE LIFTED?
The decision generally comes into effect within 30 days after being published in the Official Gazette. This means that as of early February 2026 (Exact date: February 6), individual orders will face the risk of being held up at customs. Although consumers are currently trying to place their last orders in a panic, the real major change will occur after February. Consumers will no longer be able to bring in headphones, phone cases, or kitchen utensils that they "cheaply" imported from abroad.