“Prepare a sleigh in summer, a cart in winter” - guided by this wise Russian proverb, many Russians come to Turkey not only to bask on the beach and admire the unforgettable Mediterranean sunsets, but also to prepare for winter - buy a fur coat.
It is known that there are many fur factories in Turkey and it is possible to make a significant purchase here more profitably than in Russia. Here you will be offered fur coats made from chinchilla, mink, sable, fox and other materials.
Today we will talk to you about how to make such a purchase wisely, how to choose a quality fur coat, how to bargain correctly, how to get tax free when exporting fur coats abroad... We hope that the article will be not only interesting, but also useful.
Fur shop: a little about the cost
Almost every hotel in Turkey has a representative office of a fur factory. And if not, the tour operator will still offer you a sightseeing trip, the route of which will definitely include a visit to a shopping center where they sell leather and fur. Many tourists gladly agree to such a trip. And this is right - if you have a goal to make such a purchase, then it is better to focus not on street stores, but on large shopping centers at factories. There is more choice and more room to bargain.
It is quite clear that the cost of a fur coat depends on several indicators: fur, its quality, style, new or old collection, seller’s integrity and much more. Analytics show that in the coming season “summer 2021” a long mink coat will cost about 500 euros (a little less or a little more depending on many indicators). But, in any case, experts do not advise purchasing cheap fur coats if they are sold for 300 euros - the quality will be very low. Of course, you will also find expensive fur coats, costing about 2000-3000 euros. Well, if you want to sew a fur coat to order, the price can triple!
Our path to the goal
After spending the whole morning reading reviews from happy customers and their recommendations, I realized that we desperately needed to get to the southern tip of Zeytinburnu , or rather to the place where the winding Kennedy Coastal Highway skirts the seaside park.
In general, here it is:
The same cutting and sewing factories are located here; the main contender for the possession of my money was supposed to be the Visto . It seems like this is where the union of price and quality gives rise to unsurpassed offers of quality products at reasonable prices.
Let's go!
From our base at the Oban Suites Istanbul hotel, we needed to go down to the Sea of Marmara and the aforementioned Kennedy Highway and there, in the party district of Kumkapi, make a strategic landing on a passing bus.
At that time, I possessed secret knowledge - the name of the stop at which the bus was supposed to open and the bus to first brake as if by magic.
Unfortunately, my memory, after the last emptying of the Recycle Bin, erased this phrase. So I won’t tell you the name of the stop. I remember that there was a pedestrian bridge overhead, and across the road was that same park and “it’s a tree.”
But, in case of your trip, kind people will help you and lead you on the right path.
And Google, handsome guy, remembers everything. Exactly! The stop is called 5 brothers . And in Turkish it’s written here on the map))
How to choose the right fur coat?
Only specialists can evaluate the quality of fur, flesh, dressing, and stitching. But there are some important tips that will be useful to every buyer.
- Look at how the stitches on the fur coat are made: is the stitch even, is the thread color the same everywhere? If you see a difference, it means the fur coat has been altered, altered, and this will certainly affect its quality.
- Feel the fur, remember, run your palm several times from the collar to the hem. If your hand is stained, you shouldn’t buy a fur coat.
- Don't be shy to smell the fur coat. A bad smell is important to show poor dressing, improper storage and, of course, low quality fur. Remember - it is impossible to remove this smell - it will remain forever. Do you need this?
- Ask the sellers or manager for documents: quality certificate and product warranty. By the way, the fur of the fur coat must be indicated in the documents. This is an important point. Otherwise, you will not be able to get your tax refund at the airport.
- Don't rush into purchasing: check the prices for similar products in your hometown to get an approximate cost. For a naive buyer, Turkish sellers will be very happy to increase prices tenfold!
Istanbul
Most of the country's large fur and mink factories are located in Istanbul. It is noteworthy that along with a large selection, prices are also pleasing - in one of the largest cities in Turkey they are most attractive.
- Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul. There is a shopping mall in the area. The assortment (photo) is pleasing to the eye, and so are the prices.
- A good selection of fur products can be found in another district of Istanbul - Laleli.
How to understand that you are in the wrong place?
Russians who often go on fur coat tours to Turkey have developed a guide for novice buyers. It contains basic tips on how to spot a bad fur store.
- Sellers offer you inflated prices. Well, a short mink coat can’t cost 10,000 euros!
- For various reasons, sellers refuse to show you documents for a fur coat: a product certificate and a quality guarantee.
- Stores often offer tea or coffee, but if you are suddenly offered to drink alcohol, this is a reason to be wary. In bad stores there is such a practice - to get the buyer drunk so that he becomes more accommodating and overpays for purchases at exorbitant prices!
- Another thing to be wary of is that the seller does not listen to your wishes and shows you other products. You tell him that you want to buy a fur coat, and he offers to look at sheepskin coats or men's jackets. Run away from this store!
- Never buy sheepskin coats with a shiny coating - this is how low-quality leather is most often masked.
- Another unpleasant moment is that they don’t let you out of the store, they grab you by the elbow, and the seller gets really offended. Threaten to call the police. And never set foot in this store again.
- Before going to the store, take a look at its website and read the reviews. We think that you will be able to distinguish positive reviews written by a robot from those left by real customers. If many people criticize the store, it’s better not to go there.
Other cities
Mink products can be bought in almost any resort town in Turkey: Kemer (Solenne Collezione store), Side, Alanya, Bodrum. There are even excursion tours specifically for fur coats, which are organized by the hotels where you are staying. We advise you to find out the routes in advance and decide for yourself whether you need this trip, or whether it is better to go shopping on your own. In any case, you need to weigh the pros and cons, study the reviews, and only then go shopping for furs.
Greece or Türkiye?
You can still hear debates about whether it is better to buy a fur coat: in Greece or Turkey. Let's take a closer look.
In Greece, fur coats are cheaper - there are not only many factories there, but also fur farms. In Turkey, fashion designers and technologists work more creatively; there are unexpected color solutions and fashionable cuts.
Therefore, the choice always remains with the buyer: if you want a classic, buy a Greek fur coat. If you want a youth fashionable option, go to a Turkish fur coat store.
Another important point is that in Turkey you can bargain. If you bargain successfully, you can buy a fur coat cheaper than in Greece.
By the way, what are fur coats made from in Turkey if there are no mink fur farms here? Turkish furriers use imported mink: Canadian, Scandinavian, Chinese... And sometimes even completely - they simply remake Greek fur coats!
Stores, selection and prices
Having dismounted in a given area, we set out on reconnaissance in force. The guide to getting inside was the “Leather & Fur” with slight variations on the theme of the store names.
Since it was Sunday (how did this happen?), not all the shops were open, and there were simply no people there. Small inclusions of international couples did not cause much excitement.
In the end, we only went to three stores and we didn’t get away from the third one.
We only managed to visit 3 locations before making a wonderful purchase:
- In the first Best , in addition to leather jackets, the main emphasis was on bags and shoes. There were several promotions going on here, so we paid about $60 for wonderful women’s sandals and a leather handbag. Go ahead.
- Derimod store was absolutely huge. Several floors with different themes, but the prices at the start were not rosy. All short options started at $400, and the extended ones had a starting price of $600. It is clear that we are discussing all this and that with the help of pressure and crawling on our knees we can bargain before leaving for our homeland. But there was nothing to fight for. All the models were some kind of leftovers and did not sympathize with me or my wife at all, except for one red “auto-lady” for 400 dollars)) But this is too much!
- But the third Deri Sarayı turned out to be what was needed.
We take a sheepskin coat, a jacket, drink coffee and rejoice at the purchase
Everything here turned out to be even simpler than we expected. At the entrance we were met by a tall Turk who, with a funny accent, spoke normal Russian. Having defined the boundaries of what was reasonable, he immediately led us to a stand of sheepskin coats with residual prices. Prices were around 200-300 dollars without the right to trade, discounts, installments and collateral loans.
It was even easier that way! You could immediately calculate your capabilities and take such a step towards an acquisition that would not harm your mental or financial state.
The result of the deal is $400 and a wonderful denim jacket ($150) and a cute double-sided sheepskin coat, about which you can’t say “dressed inside out” ($250).
And we didn’t take the cheapest positions yet! It was possible to buy it a little cheaper, but the style was clearly more “classical”.
In the far part of the hall there were new models, dressed in fur, which were already more expensive.
Since we were not given a discount in the end, we had to pay with a credit card rather than cash, but this is not a problem at all.
During the purchase process, we were also given luxurious Turkish coffee and, just in case, were forbidden to photograph the collections.
During the course of the play, I also clarified this. There are companies that sew clothes at their own manufacturing factories, and there are those that purchase raw materials from other manufacturers. So the first ones have a wider range of prices, thanks to their own production.
Although... maybe all this is just another move to beautifully fill naive tourists with the reasonableness of price and quality and the final cost of the purchase.
Don't know. But my wife is happy!!
TURKISH RUGS
We can talk about Turkish carpets for a long time, but we will summarize briefly - they are one of the most popular purchases among foreigners. A carpet store in Turkey is Ali Baba's cave - you can get lost among the wealth of colors, sizes and prices. An experienced seller will tell you about each piece you like, you can check the quality of the coloring and how the carpet was woven - by machine or by hand.
TIP 5. If you don’t want to run into a fake and buy a real Turkish carpet, you should contact your tour operator’s hotel guide: he will tell you which stores sell real products and can organize a free transfer to them. Otherwise - advice on the street, advertising, etc., you can buy for a very high cent something that is not a Turkish carpet.
The carpets are quite voluminous in size even when folded, and if the buyer wishes, representatives of the shopping center can arrange delivery for the flight home. Also, when purchasing a carpet in an official store with a receipt, you can receive a VAT refund upon departure from Turkey.
