Why make-up is so expensive in Istanbul

Ah-ha, the mystery is solved. The only "make-up" I have bought here is nail polish. Sure I'd like to try some of the European brands, or even American brands, but the prices are outragous and after talking to a reformed"cosmetics runner", I know why! She'd bring suitcases of cosmetics and stuff from the US to a shop in Istanbul, and the shop owner would pay her 50% over her cost, then retail it 100%-200% more! The business arrangement came to an end over a suitcase full of battery-operated Gillette razors a few years ago. The shop owner requested a bunch of them but by the time she got back to Istanbul, Carrefour was already selling them and the shop owner refused to pay over cost.

Apparently cosmetics are subjected to the following: a 'special goods' (i.e. 'luxury') tax of 20% in addition to the 18% VAT and 10% freight charges. You can then add a 30% distributor margin and a 25% retailer margin. What do you get at the end? A cosmetic product costing $100 to the Turkish distributor ends up on the shelf at the high-end pharmacies for $341!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A lot of Turkish women apparently buy from strawberrynet, which ships to Turkey. So...anyone coming to Turkey, bring a huge suitcase full of make-up with you. If I had only known.... :-)