Suppose fast — how a lot does a top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Professional Max price? When you stated round $1,600, you’d be proper, however provided that you’re primarily based within the U.S. In Turkey, the identical cellphone will set you again nearly $3,000. That hole introduces a improbable alternative for arbitrage — and a energetic second-hand and refurbished market. Getmobil simply raised $4 million to legitimize cellphone refurbishing contained in the nation.
“The Turkish government wants to decrease the trade deficit,” explains Mehmet Uygun, CEO and founder at Getmobil. “The government wants to create a circular economy. They don’t want the customers to buy brand new phones, because whenever a customer buys a brand new phone, the dollar goes out of the country.”
International economics and commerce coverage is deeply fascinating, and may trigger some actually bizarre quirks in native cell phone markets. In 2010, for instance, Argentina launched a algorithm that meant that in the event you wished to promote merchandise within the nation, you’d should manufacture there. That had a ton of unusual results; English-language books turned nearly unattainable to purchase or insanely costly (I bear in mind paying $65 for a hard-copy of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs in a Buenos Aires guide retailer — which offered for about $29 within the U.S. on the time). It additionally meant that Apple yeeted out of the market altogether, selecting to not promote its iPhones in Argentina. And all of a sudden, lengthy after all people else had roughly forgotten BlackBerry even existed, the cellphone model had a resurgence within the nation when it determined to construct an meeting plant there.
The identical factor is occurring in Turkey for the time being; Turkey, determined to maintain its GDP throughout the nation’s borders, has put a hefty import levy on telephones. It’s not simple to get round these limitations both — in the event you sneak a cellphone into the nation, its IMEI will probably be blocked from the three main networks after 120 days.
The Getmobil crew exterior of its headquarters and restore lab. Picture Credit: Getmobil
Clearly, folks nonetheless want telephones, however, unwilling or unable to pay the extremely excessive import taxes, they search different options. Getmobil had its humble beginnings as a modest cellphone restore store, and has since advanced into one of many main e-commerce platforms in Turkey, specializing within the sale of refurbished electronics.
The lead investor, the marginally confusingly named Dutch Founders Fund (DFF), invested in Getmobil’s. “While DFF is based in the Netherlands, our focus at DFF lies in investing in B2B marketplaces during their seed phase,” says Hidde Hoogcarspel, co-founder and managing accomplice at DFF. “Our portfolio companies are not only located across Europe but also in regions such as Dubai and Egypt. These marketplaces typically operate across borders and sometimes even globally.”
The place there’s friction, there’s alternative
Because the Getmobil founders navigated the complexities of the electronics restore market, they recognized a major hole between the excessive price of brand-new units and the buyer’s want for extra economically viable options. This realization prompted a pivot away from merely repairing units to refurbishing and promoting them, thus laying the groundwork for what would change into Getmobil’s core enterprise mannequin.
In placing up excessive tariffs, the Turkish authorities created a gray market: Individuals have been promoting and shopping for telephones with money, none of which was reported to the federal government. The great factor was that the cash stayed throughout the nation’s borders, however clearly, no one was gathering taxes alongside the way in which, in order that triggered a brand new downside: Sure, the cash was round, however none of it was leaking into the nation’s tax coffers.
“Turkey is an absolute outlier refurbished market. The price of a new iPhone in Ankara is far higher than in any other place in the world. The government has created a unique and far-reaching regulatory framework and incentive scheme, and imports are limited,” explains Hoogcarspel. “The formal refurbishing sector in Turkey is still in its early stages; the informal trade is thriving and is estimated to surpass the entire market size of $7 billion for new device sales. Tens of thousands of merchants operate within this informal segment.”
Desirous to get the state of affairs beneath management, the federal government introduced in some huge adjustments, together with some new rules, tax incentives and alternatives. In 2021, Turkey launched a set of rules that considerably bolstered the refurbished electronics market, making a extra structured and dependable framework for corporations working inside this sector. These regulatory adjustments have been framed as encouraging sustainable consumption practices, enhancing the standard and reliability of refurbished units and decreasing the environmental influence of digital waste.
“[The Turkish government] launched a refurbishment middle regulation. They stated ‘if you build the refurbishment center with some specific standards, we will not take 20% in taxes, we will take 1%,” explains Uygun. In addition, the government made it possible for the vetted refurbishment centers to offer installment payments — rather than having to pay for the devices in full. That’s extraordinary, the founders clarify, as a result of client credit score is extremely regulated in Turkey. They are saying that Apple can not supply installment plans.
Getmobil’s development trajectory has been exceptional, pushed by a mix of strategic foresight, operational excellence and a deep understanding of the Turkish electronics — and regulatory — market. The corporate’s rise is characterised by its capability to supply shoppers high-quality, refurbished electronics at aggressive costs, thereby filling a crucial market hole. This worth proposition helped endear Getmobil to shoppers, and has positioned the corporate as an important participant in Turkey’s electronics sector. And, presumably, the federal government is happy to be one step nearer to having the ability to regulate the out-of-control second-hand market.
Winners: Native economic system and the atmosphere
Whereas there’s little doubt that the principle driving pressure behind the federal government’s rules is income, forcing a extra sturdy restore and second-hand market has various constructive unintended effects, akin to a dramatic enhance in usable lifetime of units, and a major discount of e-waste.
Earlier than the rules, the refurbished electronics market in Turkey was chaotic and fragmented, and the standard and guarantee protection of second-hand units was extremely variable. The brand new frameworks put in place established stringent requirements for refurbishing processes, together with high quality checks, guarantee necessities and after-sales companies. This legislative atmosphere has performed a pivotal function in leveling the enjoying area. By enjoying ball with the federal government’s rules, Getmobil purchased itself an edge — by promising to stay to the principles, adhering to excessive requirements of high quality and customer support, the corporate bought itself an amazing aggressive benefit.
By aligning the curiosity of the shoppers (price and high quality), the federal government (capability to maintain cash inside Turkey, and gathering some taxes alongside the way in which) and Getmobil, all people wins. Reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling extends the round economic system to a broader consumer base and signifies that the atmosphere will get just a little increase, too.
Navigating the intricacies of Turkey’s electronics market presents a novel set of challenges and alternatives for Getmobil. The crew tells TechCrunch that the pervasive black market continues to be an enormous problem: This shadow economic system not solely undercuts costs of official refurbished electronics but in addition typically compromises on high quality and after-sales companies, posing a major risk to client belief. Furthermore, staying abreast of and compliant with the evolving regulatory atmosphere in Turkey provides one other layer of complexity to Getmobil’s operations.
Depending on regulation
After all, step one towards suppressing the black market was creating another for it, and that’s the place the rules and Getmobil’s spherical of funding is available in.
For the buyers, it stays to be seen whether or not it is a good funding. DFF clearly believes that there’s an enormous alternative right here, however within the course of, it’s investing in a enterprise that’s basically made potential by a authorities regulation that suppresses cross-border commerce. Turkey isn’t a member of the EU (conversations stalled out over alleged human rights violations perpetrated by the Turkish authorities), but when it have been to change into a member, the whole enterprise mannequin for Getmobil falls aside: EU international locations can not impose commerce tariffs for cross-border imports and exports, and with out that, it’s simple to think about the Turkish market getting flooded with used and new electronics priced the identical as in the remainder of the EU.
Whether or not or not Getmobil’s future is safe relies upon fully on geopolitical occasions and the course of tomorrow’s commerce tariff winds.
