Finding the Right Product to Import from China

A Data-Driven Method by Lupos Dış Ticaret

Lupos Dış Ticaret, headquartered in Ostim Ankara with a dedicated operations team in China, specializes in helping Turkish companies identify high-potential product opportunities and source them from verified Chinese manufacturers. Selecting the right product is the single most important factor for import success. Most companies rely on guesswork or copy what others are already importing, which leads to saturated markets and low margins.

Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) website: www.tuik.gov.tr/

Our approach is different: we use data, foreign trade analytics, and TÜİK transparency to uncover hidden opportunities before the competition notices them.

This page outlines our complete methodology for identifying profitable import products using the TÜİK database, the same system our internal Product Research Specialists use every day.

Why Our Method Works

Our competitive advantage is rooted in a structured, analytical workflow:

1. TÜİK foreign trade data is scanned monthly by our technical team, who filter thousands of pages of export–import records.
2. Our product research specialists evaluate which product groups have high potential, low competition, and favorable cost structures.
3. Our China team works with reliable factories to manufacture equivalent or improved versions for the Turkish market at competitive prices.

This process consistently identifies categories where Chinese products can enter the market with an edge in pricing, availability, and technical quality.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Identify Products Using TÜİK Data

This framework is designed by İbrahim Hekim, Product Research Specialist at Lupos Dış Ticaret, and refined through hundreds of client projects.

Step 1. Access the TÜİK Foreign Trade Database

Dış Ticaret → Veri Tabanları → Dış Ticaret İstatistikleri (Özel Ticaret Sistemi)

This page will be your primary tool; bookmark it. biruni.tuik.gov.tr/disticaretapp/menu.zul

Select/Click "Ürün/Ürün Grubu – Ülke" -> "Ürün – Ülke" -> "Harmonize Sistem" -> "HS6"

From the menu, choose:

• Ürün/Ürün Grubu – Ülke
• Ürün – Ülke
• Harmonize Sistem
• HS6
• Click İleri

Step 2. Focus on High-Volume Import Groups

Most Chinese consumer products fall under HS Code starting with 85, a broad class covering electronics and electrical appliances.

At Lupos Dış Ticaret At Lupos, we maintain a refined list of 22 HS6 codes specifically related to high-demand household electronics, selected after long-term analysis of import patterns.

850811 -> Elektrikli süpürge
850940 -> Gıda öğütücüler
850980 -> Elektromekanik ev aletleri
851010 -> Tıraş makineleri
851020 -> Saç kesme makineleri
851030 -> Saç alma cihazları
851610 -> Su ısıtıcıları
851629 -> Elektrikli ısıtıcılar
851631 -> Elektrikli saç kurutma makineleri
851632 -> Kuaför cihazları
851633 -> Elektrikli el kurutma cihazı
851650 -> Mikrodalga fırınlar
851660 -> Elektrikli fırınlar
851671 -> Elektrikli kahve/çay makineleri
851672 -> Elektrikli tost makineleri
851679 -> Elektrotermik cihazlar
851821 -> Tek hoparlörler
851822 -> Çoklu hoparlörler
851830 -> Kulaklıklar ve kulak içi kulaklıklar
853929 -> Filament lambalar
853951 -> LED
853952 -> LED

Step 3. Extract China’s Import Figures

In the TÜİK interface:

• Select HS6 Kodunu biliyorum and paste the HS codes separated by commas
• Under Ülke Bilgileri: choose Ülke kodunu biliyorum, → code 720 (China)
• Select İthalat
• Select $ Dolar
• Click Raporu Oluştur

Record the following in your spreadsheet: HS6 Kod, İthalat ($)
These represent China’s imports into Türkiye.

Step 4. Extract Total World Import Figures

Repeat the same process but set the country to:

• Ülke: Hepsini Getir
• Select Tümü

Use the Toplam column for each HS code.

Add this value into your Excel sheet next to China’s import figures.

Step 5. Calculate China’s Market Share

China Market Share Formula:

China Imports ÷ Total Imports × 100 

Interpretation:

• Over 50%: China dominates the category (high competition)
• Below 50%: Opportunity zone, less competition, easier entry

We color code these:

Red for saturated markets
Green for promising markets

Real Examples Using This Method

Example 1. Electric Shavers (HS 851010)

China’s share of electric shaver imports is relatively low, indicating an opening.
Steps:

1. Extract total import data for HS 851010
2. Identify top exporting countries
3. Examine dominant brands (via a quick AI recon):
• Philips
• Braun

On Trendyol (tıraş makineleri), the best-selling models include:

• Philips MG5920
• Braun BT5520

Add these products into your research sheet:

• Prices
• Specs
• Links
• Review counts
• Photos and dimensions

These become your reference templates for Chinese manufacturing.

The Turkish retail price range is 1600 TL to 2400 TL, while equivalent Chinese production costs are significantly lower, creating large margins for importers.

Pie chart of countries importing electric shavers to Türkiye

Example 2. Vacuum Cleaners (HS 850811)

Initial analysis shows low Chinese share, initially suggesting opportunity.
However, charting the market reveals:

• Malaysia exports almost as much as China
• Reason: Malaysia–Türkiye Free Trade Agreement, granting Malaysia 0% customs duty

This makes it difficult to compete with Malaysian suppliers, so we exclude this category.

Example 3. Loudspeakers (HS 851822)

China’s share is under 50%, signalling opportunity.
Top U.S. exports exceed 1 billion dollars, indicating demand for premium brands.

On Hepsiburada, strong sellers include:

• HP DHE-6002
• JBL IPX7

These are added to the spreadsheet for specification comparison and sourcing evaluation.

Final Step: China Sourcing and Manufacturing

Once promising HS codes and benchmark products are identified, our China team selects suitable factories capable of producing:

• Equivalent
• Improved
• Private label

These manufacturers deliver high-grade products at significantly lower unit costs.

Our process helps clients tap into high-value markets such as the 3.5 billion dollar global shaver market, which is largely dominated by European brands.

By positioning a competitively priced Chinese-made counterpart in Türkiye, our clients enter early, undercut existing prices, and capture market share with reduced risk.

Why TÜİK Data Gives You an Advantage

TÜİK’s transparency can be used to:

Identify demand surges

If an HS code spikes 30%–200% year-over-year, it usually signals:

• Rising demand
• Insufficient local production
• Early-stage market timing

These are ideal categories for Chinese import.

Detect seasonality

• Heaters peak in August–October
• A/Cs peak in April–June
• handheld electronics peak in November–December

This allows optimal timing and cash-flow planning.

Evaluate tariff and anti-dumping impact

TÜİK’s country-level breakdown shows instantly:

• When a new tariff reduces profitability
• When a trade agreement creates openings
• Which countries lose or gain dominance

Validate any business idea

Validate any business idea

Before spending 1 lira, you can check:

• Total import size
• Dominant suppliers
• Price levels
• Long-term stability

If the category is weak, drop it. If strong, proceed confidently. You can explore how we turn these feasibility studies into successful shipments in our from feasibility to delivery: our completed product import projects directory.

After the product selection phase, real execution begins with supplier verification, technical documentation review, and structuring a regulation-compliant import model. How this transition is managed in practice can be seen in our electric forklift import project from China and similarly in the consumer electrical devices import project from China to Turkey , where post-selection supplier analysis, technical file control, and import structuring were handled as single coordinated import operations.