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Alibaba in Turkey: Customs, Samples and Delivery Terms

How a business order from Alibaba.com reaches Türkiye: tax number, tariff code, product checks, supplier checks, samples and delivery terms.

ByAbdullah Habib
19 min read Updated: October 21, 2026
Summarize with:
Illustration of a container quay in morning light: a wooden export crate with a yellow strap on a pallet in the foreground, stacked plain shipping containers behind it, a gantry crane and a cargo ship at the berth
Freight reaching a quay: a crate on a pallet, containers behind it. An illustration, not a photo.

Alibaba.com is a marketplace for businesses. An order from it for a company in Türkiye is an import. It needs a tax number, a customs declaration, a tariff code and checks that depend on what is in the crate.

In short · checked 21.10.2026

Know the crate,
then pay the supplier.

  • Who may import: every person or company that has a tax number (the Ministry of Trade’s import FAQ). File the declaration yourself, or give a customs broker a notarised power of attorney.
  • The tariff code decides: the customs tariff code (GTİP) has 12 digits and sets the duty, the taxes and the checks. A code on the supplier’s invoice does not bind Türkiye. Ask customs for a binding tariff information (BTB): it is free.
  • Checks follow the goods: some goods need a permit or an inspection before customs releases them. That includes some textiles, toys, radio products, products with the CE mark (the EU safety mark), used goods, food and health products.
  • From February 2026: goods sold on foreign e-commerce platforms no longer use the simplified customs declaration (the Ministry of Trade’s press release). For single parcels for yourself, read the AliExpress guide.
  • Trade Assurance: Alibaba describes refunds for orders that are not shipped, missing, defective, wrong or damaged. Turkish customs clearance is not part of that promise.

The crate

What goes in the crate?

Pick the goods you plan to order. They drop into the crate. The tag shows who checks that kind of goods, according to the Ministry of Trade’s customs FAQ, and what to ask. Then pull the strap between freight and courier.

  1. 1Textiles and clothing

    Who looks at it: The Import General Directorate of the Ministry of Trade: some textile and clothing products need its permit and an inspection.

    Ask: Is my tariff code on this year’s inspection list, and which document does it need?

  2. 2Toys

    Who looks at it: Import General Directorate: some toys need its permit and an inspection.

    Ask: Does this toy need CE papers, and for which exact model?

    Courier: Toys, shoes and leather bags and cases cannot use the courier exemption (the Ministry of Trade’s courier exemption FAQ). Commercial goods may still come by post or courier under the normal import procedure.

  3. 3Electronics with a radio part

    Who looks at it: Import General Directorate: some products with a frequency or licence limit, and some CE-marked products, need its permit and an inspection.

    Ask: Does my model need CE or frequency papers, and for which exact model number?

  4. 4Machines and parts

    Who looks at it: New: the tariff code decides. Used or refurbished: you need a permit from the Import General Directorate.

    Ask: Does the invoice say new, used or refurbished? Used goods need the permit before they ship.

  5. 5Food and farm goods

    Who looks at it: Some farm products need a permit and an inspection by the Import General Directorate. Animals and animal products go through veterinary checks by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

    Ask: Is my product on either list? Ask the broker, and give the tariff code.

  6. 6Cosmetics and care products

    Who looks at it: Products that the Ministry of Health supervises need its permit.

    Ask: Does the Health Ministry supervise this product, and which paper does it want?

    Courier: Cosmetics covered by the Cosmetics Law cannot use the courier exemption (the Ministry of Trade’s courier exemption FAQ). Commercial goods may still come by post or courier under the normal import procedure.

  7. 7Mobile phones

    Who looks at it: New phones in commercial quantity can be imported under the normal foreign trade rules, with the duties and measures of their tariff code. The importer must report the phones to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). Used or refurbished phones need a permit from the Import General Directorate.

    Ask: Who declares the phones to BTK, and when?

    Courier: Not possible. Phones cannot come by post or courier, with or without duty, and are not delivered (the Ministry of Trade’s courier exemption FAQ).

For every kind of goods

Freight: Before the goods arrive, the carrier files an entry summary declaration. The customs procedures for the goods must be finished within 45 days of it for sea freight and within 20 days for other modes. Until then the goods wait in temporary storage.

Courier: Commercial goods may come by post or courier. If the exemption conditions are not met, the normal import procedure applies (the Ministry of Trade’s import FAQ). A courier can file a detailed declaration only for goods for personal use that are not of commercial quantity and nature. The limit is 30 kg gross and €1,500 (the Ministry’s courier exemption FAQ). The exemption is limited to five shipments per person per calendar month.

Always first: the customs tariff code (GTİP). Get it from your broker, or ask customs for a binding tariff information (BTB). It is free and valid for six years.

The Ministry’s lists say “some” for textiles, toys and CE products. So the tag shows where to look, not a verdict on your product. Nothing is stored or sent.

What “Alibaba Türkiye” means for your order

A Turkish interface does not promise a Turkish warehouse, Turkish origin or local delivery. Check the supplier’s dispatch place and the route the goods take.

Where do the goods travel?

Import

The goods come from abroad

This is the normal case. You or your broker declare the goods at Turkish customs, and the steps below apply. Confirm the product’s tariff code and checks before a sample or a bulk order leaves the seller.

Export

A Turkish supplier sells abroad

The destination country sets the import rules. In Türkiye, the Ministry of Trade says goods may be exported freely unless a law, decree or international agreement limits them. They are declared to customs with an export declaration. Ask whether the seller makes the goods in Türkiye or trades goods made elsewhere.

Local stock

The goods are already here

Ask who issues the invoice and whether the goods have already been cleared through customs. A supplier address does not answer either question. For local wholesale, see the wholesale clothing guide.

One item for yourself

A single parcel for personal use is a different route with its own rules. See AliExpress in Türkiye for how the customs change of February 2026 works for parcels.

Who files and who may import

  1. A tax numberEvery person or company that has been given a tax number may import (the Ministry of Trade’s import FAQ). A few cases, such as books and goods for international fairs, need none.
  2. The declarationYou can file customs declarations yourself, or authorise a customs broker with a notarised power of attorney. The Ministry says a broker is not compulsory. A broker is a private professional who is paid a fee and holds a customs broker permit: ask to see it. Fees cannot go below the yearly minimum tariff, so ask what the fee covers. The Ministry’s broker contact list
  3. The entry summaryBefore the goods arrive, the carrier or its representative files an entry summary declaration. The customs procedures for the goods must be finished within 45 days of it for sea freight and 20 days for other modes. Until then the goods wait in temporary storage, only in places customs approves.
  4. The import declarationFor a commercial import, the normal written declaration is the free-circulation declaration. Customs duties are notified on it. Attach the permits and conformity papers that the goods need.

Declare what is true

Giving customs false information is fined. The Ministry’s import FAQ says a penalty applies if required checks were not done but the goods are declared as if they were. Never ask a supplier for a false value, description or “gift” label.

The tariff code decides duty and checks

The customs tariff code (GTİP) has 12 digits. The first six are the Harmonized System code, shared by all members of the World Customs Organization. Digits 7 and 8 follow the EU’s Combined Nomenclature. Digits 9 and 10 are Turkish subdivisions. The last two are for statistics.

You askWhat the Ministry of Trade saysSource
What is my tariff code?The Ministry does not classify goods on request. Apply for a binding tariff information (BTB) at the regional customs and foreign trade directorates, or online. It is free, valid for six years and binds customs for the same goods. A code on the supplier’s invoice or transport papers does not bind Türkiye, though customs may use it as a guide.Tariff FAQ
What duty applies?Once you know the tariff code, ask the office that sets the rate. Ask the Import General Directorate for customs duties, and the Ministry of Finance for ÖTV (special consumption tax) and KDV (value added tax). The Ministry adds that the rates in the Customs Tariff Schedule are not the ones used in practice.Tariff FAQ
What value is taxed?The customs value is the price actually paid or payable, with adjustments. Transport and insurance up to the Turkish port or border entry place are added.Customs value FAQ
Which checks and papers?Use the tariff code to find out, before you order, what customs may ask for. It can be a ban, a permit, a quota, a standard, a surveillance or control certificate, a health certificate, an analysis report or CE papers. The Ministry says to prepare for it. The products inspected at import follow the technical rules and are listed each year in notices. The checks run through the Ministry of Trade’s online product-safety check (TAREKS), which picks the shipments to check by risk.Import FAQ; product safety pages
  • Used or refurbished goods: they need a special permit from the Import General Directorate. This covers every kind of old, used, refurbished or defective goods.
  • Fake goods: customs can stop fake branded goods. Goods that carry, without authorisation, a trademark identical to or indistinguishable from a registered one are fake (the Ministry’s intellectual property rights FAQ). Customs hold them when the brand owner asks. When the evidence is clear, customs may also hold them on their own for three working days, so the owner can apply. The Ministry’s import FAQ adds that parallel import of an original product is allowed; fake goods fall under the Customs Law.
  • KDV is on top: the Ministry leaves KDV (value added tax) to the finance side. For how it is added to the customs value, read the AliExpress guide.

Check the supplier in Alibaba’s own words

Alibaba.com says a Verified Supplier is one whose company profile, production capabilities, products and process controls independent third-party institutions have inspected, assessed and verified. Buyers can download the inspection reports. Alibaba also states:

“Alibaba does not inspect/guarantee product or certificate authenticity of sellers or assume any liability on the authenticity, accuracy and timeliness of any information in respect of such assessment, certification, inspection and/or related examination.”

Alibaba.com, Verified Suppliers page

So read the report as the supplier’s file, not as a guarantee, and run your own checks:

Six checks before you pay a deposit

All six checks are done. Now ask for the quote.

Quote, minimum order and the sample

An RFQ, a request for quotation, is a buyer’s request that suppliers answer with quotes. Send every shortlisted supplier the same specification, so the answers can be compared. Keep sensitive designs out of a broadly circulated request.

What a request should contain

  • Product and use: specification, material, dimensions, tolerances and performance.
  • Quantity: pieces per size, colour or model, and what one selling unit means: a piece, a pack or a carton.
  • Delivery term: the Incoterms 2020 delivery rule and the named place, with every included and excluded charge.
  • Sample: price, freight, dispatch date, and whether the sample price is credited to the bulk order.
  • Papers: documents and test reports for the exact model, and the manufacturing origin.
  • Quality: the approved sample, the inspection method, the acceptance criteria and what happens to goods that do not match.
  • Protection: whether these commitments can be written into a Trade Assurance order, and how long the quote is valid.

MOQ means minimum order quantity. Ask whether it applies to the whole order or to each colour, size, design or carton. A new mould, a custom dye or printed packaging can make a small order uneconomic.

Illustration of a workbench with a folded striped towel and a small wooden toy duck as product samples, beside a brass caliper, a yellow folding rule, a small scale, a magnifying glass, blank kraft tags, an open cardboard box and a clipboard with blank sheets
A sample on the bench: measure it, test it and write the approved specification down. An illustration.

Order a sample that represents the product you will buy. Write down the approved materials, dimensions, finish, labelling and packaging. A sample also has to enter Türkiye. The Ministry of Trade’s press release says the simplified customs declaration stays available for samples and models that producer and exporter firms need. It also stays available for goods for examination, testing and analysis. For any other sample, ask your courier or broker which declaration applies.

What Trade Assurance covers

Alibaba describes Trade Assurance as protecting online orders when payment is made through Alibaba.com. On its money-back policy page it says:

“Claim refunds if orders haven’t been shipped, are missing, or arrive with product issues (e.g., defective, incorrect, damaged, etc.).”

Alibaba.com, Trade Assurance money-back policy
  • 30 or 60 days: you can apply for a refund within 30 days of the delivery date; Enterprise and Enterprise Pro buyers have 60 days.
  • Quick refund: a full and immediate refund if the order does not ship as agreed.
  • Mediation: if there is a problem with the refund, Alibaba says it will help mediate.
  • Easy Return & Refund: free returns to a local warehouse, offered for orders under USD 3,000 to buyers in the countries on a list. Türkiye is not on that list (checked 21.10.2026).
  • Not mentioned: Turkish import clearance, duties and permits. They stay with the importer.

Put the agreed specification, the shipping commitments and the approved sample in the order itself. Keep the platform messages, payment receipts, inspection reports and photos of any problem. “Premium quality” is hard to prove. A named material, an agreed tolerance and a documented defect are not.

Delivery terms: who clears, who pays

The route

Where does the seller’s job end?

A delivery term in the quote is one of the Incoterms 2020 rules. Pick one. The pin marks where the delivery named by the rule ends. The blue and orange marks show who clears export, who clears import, who pays the duties and who pays the main freight. They follow the table of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

SellerYou, the buyer

  1. EXW Ex Works

    The goods are made available at the seller’s premises. You clear export, clear import and pay the duties, and you arrange and pay the main freight.

    Export clearance
    You
    Import clearance
    You
    Duties
    You
    Main freight
    You

    Ask: Can you or your forwarder really clear export from the seller’s country?

  2. FCA Free Carrier

    The seller clears export and hands the goods to the carrier you name, at the named place. Import clearance and duties are yours, and so is the main freight.

    Export clearance
    Seller
    Import clearance
    You
    Duties
    You
    Main freight
    You

    Ask: Which exact place is named, and who pays the onward journey?

  3. FOB Free On Board (sea and inland waterway only)

    The seller clears export and delivers the goods on board the ship at the port of departure. Main freight, import clearance and duties are yours.

    Export clearance
    Seller
    Import clearance
    You
    Duties
    You
    Main freight
    You

    Ask: Who pays the handling at the Turkish port?

  4. CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight (sea and inland waterway only)

    The seller clears export and pays freight and insurance to the port of arrival. Import clearance and duties are yours. The seller only has to buy the most basic cargo insurance. The ICC notes that the parties may agree a higher level.

    Export clearance
    Seller
    Import clearance
    You
    Duties
    You
    Main freight
    Seller

    Ask: Which insurance level did the seller agree in writing?

  5. DAP Delivered at Place

    The seller clears export and brings the goods to the named place, ready for unloading. Import clearance and duties are yours.

    Export clearance
    Seller
    Import clearance
    You
    Duties
    You
    Main freight
    Seller

    Ask: Which place is named, and who unloads? (If the seller unloads, the rule is DPU: delivered and unloaded at the named place.)

  6. DDP Delivered Duty Paid

    The seller brings the goods to the named place and also clears import and pays the duties. ICC calls it the only rule under which the seller pays tariffs.

    Export clearance
    Seller
    Import clearance
    Seller
    Duties
    Seller
    Main freight
    Seller

    Ask: Who files the Turkish import declaration, and under which tax number?

Whoever pays the freight, the customs value includes transport and insurance up to the entry port or place (the Ministry of Trade’s customs value FAQ). So compare quotes only on the same term.

Under DDP, ask who will be the importer on the Turkish declaration. The Ministry’s import FAQ says import transactions are carried out by tax-number holders. Do not compare one supplier’s factory-gate price with another’s delivered price. Ask each for the same quantity on the same term.

When the goods arrive late, held or wrong

  • Held at customs: ask which document, charge or requirement is missing. The permits and conformity papers must be attached to the declaration. The 45-day and 20-day periods from the entry summary declaration keep running.
  • Wrong or damaged goods: keep the packaging and compare the goods with the agreed specification and the approved sample. Raise the claim on Alibaba.com within 30 or 60 days of the delivery date.
  • Sending them back: the Ministry’s import FAQ lists four situations in which goods can go back to the country of origin. They were shown to customs and no customs procedure was declared yet. Or a warehouse declaration was registered. Or a free-circulation declaration was registered but the goods did not enter circulation. Or they entered circulation but were not yet taken out of temporary storage or the warehouse. In any other case, a return counts as an export or re-export.
Illustration of the closed doors of a plain shipping container with a red seal between the door handles, a clipboard of sheets, a round stamp, an ink pad and a pair of work gloves on a pallet in front, a striped barrier pole and a small trolley with two cartons
A sealed container and the papers: what is missing decides when the goods are released. An illustration.

Selling from Türkiye on Alibaba.com

For a Turkish manufacturer or exporter, the same details make a stronger listing. Give exact materials and dimensions, a realistic MOQ by variant, the sample policy, packaging options, test documents and shipping terms. State whether you make or trade the product. For the export itself, the Ministry of Trade’s export FAQ says goods are declared with an export declaration. Goods brought to temporary storage for export may stay one month, and customs can add up to three more months. Alibaba’s seller terms and fees change, so read the current ones on Alibaba.com before you sign up.

Common questions about Alibaba and customs

Can I import from Alibaba as an individual?

Every person or company with a tax number may import, says the Ministry of Trade’s import FAQ. Goods of commercial quantity and nature follow the normal import procedure, with a broker if you choose one. A parcel for personal use is a different route: read the AliExpress guide.

Do I need a company?

The FAQ asks for a tax number, not for a company. Whether you can resell, claim KDV or issue invoices is a tax question for your accountant.

Is there still a €30 limit?

The old simplified route for parcels of up to €30 ended in February 2026, for goods sold on foreign e-commerce platforms (the Ministry’s press release). Do not plan around it. Ask your carrier which route applies to your order.

Can I have a phone sent by courier?

No. The Ministry says phones cannot come by post or courier, with or without duty, and are not delivered. New phones in commercial quantity can be imported as freight under the normal procedure. The importer reports them to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).

Does Trade Assurance cover customs?

Alibaba’s money-back policy describes refunds for orders that are not shipped, missing, defective, incorrect or damaged. Import clearance, duty and permits are not mentioned there.

Which delivery term should I choose?

No term fits every order. ICC’s table shows who clears export, who clears import and who pays tariffs under each rule. With DDP, ask who files the Turkish declaration and under which tax number.

Sources and dates checked

Customs rules and lists change. The pages below were checked on 21.10.2026; the Ministry’s own update dates are shown where the page gives them.

Open the source list
  1. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › İthalat — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): import FAQ, updated 05.06.2026 (cites the Import Regime Decision, art. 7, and Customs Law, art. 235), checked 21.10.2026
  2. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › Tarife — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): tariff FAQ, updated 31.08.2023, checked 21.10.2026
  3. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › Gümrük Müşavirleri — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): customs brokers FAQ, updated 09.02.2026, checked 21.10.2026
  4. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › Gümrük Kıymeti — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): customs value FAQ, updated 25.08.2023, checked 21.10.2026
  5. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › Özet Beyan — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): entry summary declaration FAQ, updated 14.05.2026, checked 21.10.2026
  6. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › İhracat — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): export FAQ, updated 08.01.2025, checked 21.10.2026
  7. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Ticari › Fikri Mülkiyet Hakları — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): intellectual property rights FAQ, updated 16.10.2023 (cites Customs Law, art. 57), checked 21.10.2026
  8. Sıkça Sorulan Sorular › Bireysel › Posta ve Hızlı Kargo Muafiyeti — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): courier exemption FAQ, updated 05.03.2026 (items 3, 9, 11, 13 and 20), checked 21.10.2026
  9. E-İTHALATTA “BASİTLEŞTİRİLMİŞ GÜMRÜK BEYANNAMESİ” KAPSAMININ DEĞİŞTİRİLMESİNE İLİŞKİN YENİ DÜZENLEME HAKKINDA BASIN AÇIKLAMASI — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): press release on the scope of the simplified customs declaration, 07.01.2026, checked 21.10.2026
  10. İthalatta Ürün Güvenliği Denetimleri — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): product safety checks at import, checked 21.10.2026
  11. TAREKS — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı (Ministry of Trade): the risk-based inspection system, checked 21.10.2026
  12. Introducing Verified Suppliers — Alibaba.com, checked 21.10.2026
  13. Trade Assurance: money-back policy — Alibaba.com, checked 21.10.2026
  14. Trade Assurance protects your Alibaba.com orders — Alibaba.com, checked 21.10.2026
  15. Using the Incoterms® 2020 Rules to Manage Tariff Risk in International Trade (April 2025) — International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): the rule table, and the CIF insurance default, Institute Cargo Clauses (C), checked 21.10.2026
  16. Incoterms® 2020: key changes — International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), checked 21.10.2026

Article Information

Written by: Abdullah Habib
Published: May 16, 2021
Category: Economy

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