STORY: Turks' demand for used phones grows as prices of new ones soar
DATELINE: Oct. 6, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:54
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of people on the streets with cell phones
2. various of phone shops
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): GUVEN ISIK, Smartphone shop owner
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): OZAN SENOL, University student

STORYLINE:

With new smartphone prices skyrocketing due to a declining national currency, Turkish consumers, especially young people, are increasingly turning towards purchasing more affordable secondhand ones.
   
"The secondhand smartphone market is very vibrant these days," said Faruk Kocabas, Türkiye CEO of MediaMarkt, a German consumer electronics retailer.
   
"Consumers are looking for cheaper alternatives in the face of high prices. They are turning to secondhand or refurbished smartphones," he told Milliyet Daily, predicting that 300,000 to 500,000 refurbished phones would be sold in the country this year.
   
The main reason for the price hike of smartphones, which are mainly imported, is the local currency falling against the U.S. dollar or euro. High inflation of over 60 percent, a cost-of-living crisis, and high taxes are also to blame for the fluctuation in the mobile phone market.
     
SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): GUVEN ISIK, Smartphone shop owner
"There is a great demand, in the past three years especially, the price of smartphones has skyrocketed with inflation. As you can see here in the shop, there are more refurbished phones than brand-new ones because it is nearly half the price. Younger people cannot afford a phone that costs 65,000 or 70,000 liras, therefore, they turn to renewed phones for half the price. Türkiye is heavily reliant on imports from foreign countries, it imports most of its needs, smartphones included. There are some Turkish companies producing smartphones but they lack mostly in quality compared to big smartphone companies in the world."
   
However, some consumers say they may not prefer a used phone as they don't know its background.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): OZAN SENOL, University student
"It is normal that there's a growing interest in secondhand phones because the price of new phones is very expensive and taxes are high. But I think that buying a used phone may be a bit risky because you may not how it was used, and the device may prove faulty. My current phone is three years old, and I have used my previous phone for five years. It's not possible to change a phone every year. I believe that if economic troubles worsen, the demand for secondhand phones will further increase." 

The high price of new mobile phones is also partially due to the increased tax on smartphones. In July, the Turkish government tripled the registration tax for foreign smartphones amid other tax increases to help finance the reconstruction projects in southeastern provinces, which were severely affected by February's devastating earthquakes.
   
All foreigners and Turkish citizens entering the country with a smartphone purchased from abroad are required to register it within 120 days and pay tax.
   
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)