Turkish Export Companies: How to Choose and Verify the Right Exporter
Super Admin3 min read
When you search for suppliers in Turkey, many of the companies you find are not factories but export companies. They buy from manufacturers, combine products, prepare export documents and sell to foreign buyers. Working with an exporter can be a smart choice, as long as you know that is what you are doing.
Manufacturer or exporter: what is the difference?
A manufacturer owns the production and controls the specification, capacity and cost. An export company (sometimes called a trading company or "dış ticaret" firm) sources from one or more factories and adds services on top.
Exporters are often useful when you:
Need a mixed container of different products from several factories
Order quantities below a factory's minimum
Want one contract, one invoice and one point of contact
Need help with export paperwork, consolidation and freight
The trade-off is less direct control over production and a margin added to the factory price. A good exporter is transparent about this.
Ask the right questions
Which products do you manufacture yourself, and which do you source?
Can you share the factory name or let us visit or video-call the production site?
Who issues the commercial invoice and certificate of origin?
Who is responsible if the goods do not match the approved sample?
Verify the company
Check that the company is registered and active, that its address and tax number match its documents, and that the bank account beneficiary carries the same company name as the contract. Ask for export references in your region and look for a track record in your product category. Be cautious with suppliers who change bank details by email, push for urgent payment or refuse any form of verification.
Compare quotations carefully
Exporter quotations may bundle freight, packing or documents that factory quotations do not. Ask every supplier to quote the same specification, quantity and Incoterm, and to list separately the unit price, packing, inland transport, documentation and freight. Then compare the total cost to your door.
Agree documents and responsibilities
Before the order, agree in writing which documents you will receive: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading or CMR, and any product certificates your country requires. Make sure the description of goods and quantities match across every document, as mismatches are a common cause of customs delays.
Protect the payment
Link payments to milestones such as sample approval, production evidence and pre-shipment inspection, and avoid paying the full amount before goods are ready.
Find the right exporter
TurkLink helps buyers tell factories and exporters apart, verify them, and choose the model that best fits each order.
Cover photo: Port of Haydarpaşa by https://www.flickr.com/photos/franganillo/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
