Nike halts sales to Türkiye in light of customs changes

Sportswear giant Nike appears to have halted sales via its Turkish website as a response to recent changes to customs regulations in the region.

In a statement on the brand’s Turkish website, Nike said: “We continue to review the impact of recent changes to Turkish customs regulations on the shopping experience of our consumers in Türkiye.

“As Nike cannot guarantee that our consumers’ orders will arrive on time and without any problems during this process, we unfortunately have to suspend online orders from Türkiye for the time being.”

Shoppers in the region will still be able to buy Nike products from the brand’s physical stores and retail partners.

Which of the changes influencing Nike’s decision had not been outlined in the statement, however, a number of renewed regulations were introduced on August 6 will indeed significantly alter customs and international shipments.

In the decree, published by the Turkish government, it is noted that the duty-free threshold for international shipments has been reduced from 150 euros to 30 euros, meaning purchases exceeding 30 euros will be subject to customs duties.

In addition to this, for goods originating from European Union countries, duty has been raised from 20 to 30 percent, while the rate of items from other countries has been increased from 30 to 60 percent.

According to trade minister Omer Bolat, who spoke to Anadolu Agency, the customs measures have been established to protect local industries and reduce foreign exchange losses from increased importation.