New era in second-hand market: 'Whitelist' requirement on e-Devlet

The Ministry of Trade is taking a significant step toward expanding the refurbished product market by preparing to include televisions in its scope. The system, which previously covered mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, computers, and game consoles, will be expanded to include televisions with the new regulation.

While the prepared "Draft Regulation on Refurbished Products" has been submitted for the opinions of relevant parties, the primary goal of the regulation stands out as popularizing the resale of second-hand electronic products in a safe, auditable, and certified manner.

The draft regulation sets the rules for refurbishing used electronic products and re-introducing them to the market. With the inclusion of televisions in the system, the aim is to bring a wider group of products back into the economy and prevent waste.

YÜBİS SYSTEM TO BE ACTIVATED

With the Refurbished Product Information System (YÜBİS) to be implemented by the Ministry, all refurbishment processes will be tracked in a digital environment. It will become mandatory to carry out refurbishment operations through this system and to generate and provide electronic certificates for the products to the consumer.

Thanks to the system;

Authorized dealers and refurbishment points,

Authorization processes,

Inquiries for lost, smuggled, or stolen products,

Data traffic controls,

Validity status of qualification and authorization certificates

will be among the many topics that can be monitored. Furthermore, certain parts of this data will be made accessible and queryable for consumers.

STRICT MONITORING OF REFURBISHMENT PROCESSES

All stages of refurbishment operations and certificate production processes will be monitored via YÜBİS. It will be mandatory to record all information and documents related to refurbishment centers, authorized dealers, and on-site refurbishment points in the system.

Centers holding an authorization certificate will keep the Turkish user manuals prepared by the manufacturer or importer for the products they refurbish on their websites. If requested by the consumer, these manuals will be provided in writing or via a permanent data storage device.

In cases where changes to the product's user manual are required, the burden of proof that the consumer has been informed about these changes will lie with the refurbishment center.

Sales transactions carried out by authorized dealers via credit card will need to be processed through the virtual POS system belonging to the refurbishment center. For a refurbished product to be refurbished again, a condition of at least 30 days passing from the date of sale will be required.

AUTHORIZATION CONDITIONS REORGANIZED

With the draft regulation, the conditions for obtaining a refurbishment authorization certificate are also being updated. Accordingly, businesses applying will be required to hold a qualification certificate in accordance with the criteria determined by the Ministry and to have the status of a capital company.

Additionally, a commission consisting of 5 members will be established to evaluate decisions regarding warnings, suspension, or cancellation of the authorization certificate as a result of audit and inspection processes.

E-DEVLET “WHITELIST” REQUIREMENT

A requirement to be on the "whitelist" in e-Devlet will be introduced for the refurbishment of used products that have electronic identity information. In addition to this, the product must have at least one year of prior data, voice, or text message traffic.

The valuation process for used products will be completed within three business days following the date the product reaches the refurbishment center or authorized point.

The determined price and any promised benefits such as discounts or coupons will be provided on the day the consumer accepts this value. In contracts involving trade-ins, these benefits will be provided on the day the consumer fulfills their obligations.

14-DAY RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL FOR CONSUMERS

The draft regulation also envisions an expansion of consumer rights. Accordingly, the right of withdrawal, which is valid in distance sales contracts, will be expanded to cover all sales methods in refurbished product sales.

In this context, consumers will be able to withdraw from the contract within 14 days of purchasing a refurbished product without providing any justification and without paying any penalty clauses.

News Source: 12punto