The Ministry of Commerce made an official statement regarding the accusation that have received widespread attention on social media in recent days and that the award won by a citizen in an international photography competition was destroyed at customs. In the information provided through the Ministry’s Press Advisor Abbas Pirali Tokatlı, it is stated that the goods in question were not destroyed due to a situation contrary to the legislation, on the contrary, the process operates entirely within the framework of customs laws. While it was emphasized that the news spreading on social media saying “the gifted product was confiscated and destroyed” did not reflect the truth, the technical details of the incident were shared with the public.

• It was claimed on social media that the camera a citizen won as a prize was destroyed at customs.

• The Ministry of Commerce announced that the product was not destroyed, but was processed because it exceeded the “exemption limits that the passenger may bring” in accordance with customs legislation.

• It was stated that the goods in question were kept at customs and after the legal processes, their ownership was transferred to the public and destruction was not possible.

How Does the Customs Legislation and Gift Product Process Work?

Postal, express cargo or passenger accompanying items coming to Türkiye from abroad are subject to certain customs exemptions. According to the information from the Ministry of Commerce, the prize won by the citizen in the mentioned incident remains above the determined value limits, even if it is not of a commercial amount or nature. According to customs laws, just because a product coming from abroad is a “gift” or “reward” does not mean that that product will be completely exempt from taxes or customs inspections.

Ministry officials remind that in such cases, the time the goods remain in customs is legally limited. If the goods are not received within the specified time by paying the necessary taxes or completing the legal procedures, the product enters the “liquidation” process. The liquidation process does not mean the destruction of the product, but the transfer of ownership to the state and then bringing it into the economy through sale.

Why Do Destruction Claims Do Not Reflect the Truth?

In the news that spread rapidly on social media, it was claimed that the camera was destroyed or rendered unusable. However, Abbas Pirali Tokatlı states that customs administrations do not have a procedure for destroying technological products that are intact and usable.

The destruction process is only applied to products that are harmful to health, illegal, counterfeit or pose a security risk. Electronic devices such as cameras are taken to liquidation warehouses and offered for sale by tender.

At this point, citizens need to be careful about awards or gifts coming from abroad. If the value of the sent product exceeds 150 Euros or falls into the commercial category, the sender may be required to indicate this and the recipient may need to file a declaration through the customs consultancy.

What Should Be Done to Avoid Victimization?

Internationally based competitions and sweepstakes are quite common in the technology world. However, winning a product “free of charge” does not guarantee that it will be received at the customs entrance at zero cost.

Customs consultants recommend that in such cases, contact the relevant customs office before the product enters the borders of Türkiye. While this latest statement of the Ministry aims to prevent information pollution, it also draws attention to the transparency of the functioning of customs. As a result, this is not a destruction operation, but a standard customs legislation application.