Don't be ripped off: This is to will pay half price for brands you like

Since the the possibility of visiting Turkey with a sense of relative security and an atmosphere of warm hospitality has opened up to Israelis, its resorts have become sought-after destinations by families during vacations, and the great city of Istanbul has risen to the top of the list of preferred destinations. In tourist terms, Turkey is a hot destination. The neighboring city will remind you where you came from, as the Hebrew language will be heard on every street corner (or market) at any time of the year.

The reasons that made Turkey such a sought-after destination by Israelis are obvious: the short flight, the weather that is similar to Israel, the beauty, the size, the abundance, the food (from the street stalls to the luxury restaurants that offer fine cuisine) but above all, let's face it: the prices! Even if You only intended to relax your stomach and back, a visit to Turkey will make you open your wallet and the desire to shop will arise, both because of the supply and because of the prices, which, it turns out, are significantly cheaper than the prices in Israel, not only for local produce but also for international brands that you are used to purchasing such as: ZARA, MANGO, sports brands, fashion accessories, home and kitchen tools, cosmetic brands and even coffee brands like NESPRESSO.

From getting to know people who fly to Turkey frequently, mainly to shop, I became interested in how it is possible to purchase from there without spending the money on flights and hotels, not to mention time off from work and arranging for children or boarding for the dog, without carrying bags when I'm too cold or too hot, without buying another suitcase Because there is no room in the one that came with me without paying over weight on the suitcase to fly it back to Israel, full of all good things. About two years ago, during the Corona period, I heard about Yollando, a Turkish shipping company that opened the Turkish online shopping market to Israel. The truth? I was afraid, and don't ask me why.

About a month ago, during a visit to Istanbul, I got to know them a little more closely. I visited their headquarters offices, got to know the owners, the story of the establishment and the essence for which they arose. I became familiar with the shipping process and saw with my own eyes the stations, handling and stages that each package goes through from the moment of the order until it reaches us.

Founded in 2016 and operated out of a small home office in Istanbul by Turkish-Swiss young entrepreneur Serdar Govankia, Yollando.com is an international shipping company that currently makes e-commerce shipments to 144 countries worldwide. It also allows Israelis to go on a shopping trip in Turkey, without leaving home and still pay the low prices reserved for residents and visitors.

In 2019, Yollando.com held a pilot with local partners in Israel to establish a shipping line for customers in Israel, which led to cooperation with one of the largest logistics companies in Israel, ecargo, (E-Cargo) which provides service for the field of online trade (E-Commerce), international shipping, customs clearance and more.

Yollando.com's first shipment to Israel was in July 2017 and today shipments to us are 500-2,000 packages per week, depending on the period. Besides textiles and fashion, the delivery company's customers are also interested in products from the worlds of beauty, coffee, spare parts, household items and design items.

If anyone was wondering if they could purchase fake or imitation items then that's it - no. As part of the supervision and control process that each package goes through, it is opened and tested under cameras that record the opening in real time. If the product is suspected to be prohibited for sale, it will be returned with the customer's knowledge to the sender, so the so-called: don't try it!

Shopping in Turkey is actually open to everyone, but deliveries are made within Turkey itself - and this is where Yollando.com comes into the picture.

The Israeli customer actually opens a customer card on the company's website at www.yollando.com and immediately receives a local address in Turkey to which he sends the packages he purchases. The packages arrive at the company's warehouses, are cataloged and repackaged in order to reduce shipping costs (the shipping price is actually determined by the volume or weight of the package - whichever is greater).

When the package is ready, the customer receives an email notification and then actually confirms the payment for the package and it sets off, with the expected arrival being between 4-5 business days from the moment it leaves the company's warehouse in Istanbul. Customers can choose between several types of deliveries that vary according to price and package arrival times.

Packages can be combined, but be careful not to exceed the amount of $75, as in this case you will have to pay, as usual for deliveries to Israel, taxes (VAT, purchase tax and customs) according to the monetary value of the products in the package.

From an inspection we have done, often, the payment for the shipment - even together with the payment of the taxes, is still worthwhile and comes out cheaper compared to the price of the product in Israel. At the same time, the calculation of taxes is graded and sometimes complex, so it is recommended to check before the purchase what the final costs you will pay for the purchase will be - for more details on the amount of taxes and how they are calculated, you can go here.

Our recommendation: There are calculators (apps) for easy calculation of the taxes you will have to pay - according to the cost of the product, the shipping cost and the category, so you can know what the taxes are even before you make the purchase online - each case individually will be worth a preliminary check.