ANKARA: Apple has temporarily suspended online sales of devices through its official web store in Turkey, saying prices need revising after a sharp drop in the Turkish currency.
The US iPhone maker has not announced an official halt to sales in Turkey, but online shopping appears to be temporarily unavailable due to economic instability in the region.
According to Apple Insider, the company’s online store is currently live and displays complete product listings, specifications, and prices, but customers are unable to add items to their cart. Instead, the website reports nearly all devices as unavailable.
The company is expected to raise prices to offset the decline in its products’ value due to the fall in the Turkish lira, which plunged to a record low of 13.5 lira per dollar on Tuesday.
As the selling price of Apple products in Turkey includes several taxes and fees, they tend to cost significantly higher than in the United States. However, after the lira dropped some 15 percent, the situation reversed, which led Apple to halt all sales until it fixes the prices.
The Turkish currency clawed back some of its losses on Wednesday, climbing to 12.6 lira per dollar by 09:19 GMT, marking a 0.8 percent gain over the previous day’s close. Still, its losses against the greenback stand at 45 percent this year, with a 19 percent drop in the past ten days alone.
It is unclear when Apple will reverse course and restart online sales in the country, but it could be some time given the ongoing economic strife.
