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- October 12, 202619°
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- October 12, 202619°
Safety warning for stationery shopping as 479,847 products inspected
Ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year, parents were urged to check safety markings, ingredients and manufacturer information on stationery products. Inspections conducted by the Ministry of Trade in all 81 provinces from August 10 to 14 covered 479,847 products at 3,612 businesses; 367 businesses were subject to administrative sanctions.
As stationery shopping intensifies ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year, parents were urged to check safety markings, ingredients and manufacturer information on products that come into direct contact with children.
Mahmut Şahin, president of the Consumers' Union, said stationery shopping increases with the start of the school year and that product inspections have therefore become more important. Şahin noted that parents cannot independently verify production conditions and product contents.
Şahin said public institutions should identify and prevent the sale of products containing substances that pose a risk to children's health. He added that parents should also be careful when choosing products, as sufficient inspections may not always be carried out at different points of sale.
Checking product markings and contents
Şahin recommended checking the TSE and CE markings on stationery products, which indicate compliance with standards. He said products that could pose a risk to children's health should not be used.
Şahin said school bags and textile products may contain synthetic azo dyes, erasers may contain phthalates, metal items may contain nickel and water bottles may contain Bisphenol A. He called for solvent-free, water-based adhesives to be preferred and also recommended avoiding scented products.
Şahin also said that when children ask for flashy but unhealthy products due to social media and peer influence, families should explain the issue in a way children can understand. He said commissions established within parent-teacher associations could organize bulk purchases of healthy products, helping family budgets while making economic differences among students less visible.
Sanctions imposed on 367 businesses during inspections
İbrahim Güllü, deputy president of the Consumer Confederation, said that families try to purchase stationery and school supplies from both stores and websites ahead of the new academic year. Güllü emphasized that, in addition to price, consumers should consider product safety, quality, label information and consumer rights.
Güllü announced that inspections of stationery products conducted by the Ministry of Trade in all 81 provinces from August 10 to 14 covered 479,847 products at 3,612 businesses. He said 367 businesses were subject to administrative sanctions and 2,954 businesses were issued warnings as a result of the inspections.
Güllü said price, high sales, popularity or social media recommendations alone should not be the criteria for products such as pens, erasers, paints, adhesives, pencil sharpeners and lunch bags that come into direct contact with children. He added that an expensive product is not necessarily high-quality, nor is a cheap product necessarily bad.
Choose genuine needs over popular products
Güllü urged parents to be more careful with licensed-character products, scented or colorful items and products designed to look like toys. He said safety information, manufacturer or importer details, age warnings, required markings and instructions for use should be examined.
Güllü said children may demand popular products because of pressure from peers and their surroundings, and recommended that parents distinguish between a child's wishes and genuine needs. He said priority should be given to products deemed necessary by the school and teacher, and that children should be taught that the most expensive or popular product is not always the best option.
Receipts and invoices should be kept
Güllü said receipts and invoices should be retained in case of disputes after shopping. He recommended preserving order, payment and delivery records for online purchases and documenting defective products or products that differ from what was promised with photographs and videos.
Güllü said that when the price on the label differs from the price at the checkout, the price favorable to the consumer must be applied. He added that if the shelf or label price is lower, the purchase can be made at the lower price. He urged parents to check the shelf price, compare it at the checkout and object if there is a discrepancy.
Güllü said price labels must be legible, accurate and not misleading, adding that violations can be reported to Provincial Directorates of Trade, municipalities and relevant chambers.
Warning on GÜBİS and online shopping
Güllü recommended checking the Unsafe Product Information System (GÜBİS) before buying stationery. He said products identified as unsafe by authorized public institutions are published on the system.
Güllü said that when shopping online, consumers should research the seller, product descriptions and delivery conditions. He added that social media advertisements, influencer recommendations and a high follower count are not, by themselves, indicators of reliability. He urged consumers to check the seller's identity, contact information, product specifications and after-sales procedures, and to be more cautious with products offered at prices far below the market price.
Güllü said that legal remedies can be pursued if a dispute with the seller cannot be resolved. He added that in 2026, applications could be submitted to Consumer Arbitration Committees for consumer disputes below 186,000 liras, and that the procedures could be completed through the Consumer Information System on e-Government.
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