Turkey Regulatory Storm Subsides! Temu Establishes Local Entity and Resumes Cross-Border Operations

Ebrun Exclusive - February 15th: Pinduoduo's cross-border e-commerce platform Temu has officially resumed cross-border shipping services to Turkish consumers by establishing a local entity, WhaleCo, in Turkey. This marks a new phase of progress in the platform's localized compliance operations following recent regulatory challenges.

According to Turkish media reports, WhaleCo now serves as Temu's official local importer, fully responsible for product importation, customs declaration, and clearance processes. Under the new operational model, when consumers place orders on Temu Turkey, both the product payment and applicable taxes are settled at checkout. Subsequently, WhaleCo submits declarations to Turkish customs under its corporate name and completes clearance procedures, with packages delivered directly to the consumer's specified address without requiring additional user paperwork.

Temu stated that this move aims to enhance the convenience and transparency of cross-border shopping while complying with local customs and tax regulations.

Under the new system, Temu has also set a minimum order threshold of 580 Turkish Lira for the Turkish market, temporarily not processing orders below this amount. This is seen as a measure to cover the additional tax and clearance costs. Reports indicate that during the initial phase of the new model, the range of available product categories is relatively limited, but supply is expected to expand gradually as business processes stabilize.

This operational adjustment comes as Temu faces dual challenges from regulatory and policy changes.

In January 2026, the Turkish Competition Authority conducted an on-site inspection of Temu's office in Istanbul. Local media described the inspection as a "sudden early morning operation," raising significant market concerns about the platform's compliance. In response, Temu temporarily adjusted its product display strategy, removing cross-border items shipped from overseas warehouses and retaining only some local inventory items to adapt to policy shifts.

A more significant variable emerged from a major adjustment to Turkey's customs policy.

Effective February 6, 2026, Turkey officially abolished the tax-free clearance mechanism for low-value imported goods (approximately 30 euros and below). The government stated that the previous tax exemption system led to a flood of low-priced goods, impacting domestic manufacturing, with some products failing to meet quality and safety standards. Following the new policy, cross-border e-commerce platforms generally faced clearance bottlenecks, forcing Temu to suspend some direct overseas shipments and delist international products.

With the establishment of the WhaleCo local entity and the launch of the new operational model, Temu has been able to restart its cross-border shipping services. Consumers can now normally receive goods from overseas suppliers after paying the required taxes. Temu also stated that it will continue to cooperate with Turkish regulators to ensure its operations remain stable and compliant within the local legal framework.

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