What DSD does

DSD Deri Sanayicileri Dış Ticaret A.Ş. (DSD) is a Turkish private joint-stock company specializing in export intermediary services, with VAT (KDV) refund intermediation as its core competency. Founded in 1998 by 139 industrialists as a Sectoral Foreign Trade Company (SDŞ) and now operating under Foreign Trade Capital Company (DTSŞ) status, DSD serves 200+ manufacturers and exporter firms and processes more than $400 million in annual commercial volume. The company is headquartered in Bakırköy, Istanbul, with 24-hour operational personnel stationed at various Turkish customs gates.

As an "aracı ihracatçı" (intermediary exporter), DSD operates a five-step workflow — pre-evaluation, contract, audit, tracking/control, and intermediation execution — to handle VAT refund procedures, customs declarations, special invoicing, and tax-free transactions on behalf of manufacturers. Its service portfolio spans core export facilitation products (VAT refund intermediation, customs-declaration exports, special invoice services, tax-free operations, customs gate operations) and add-on modules (joint-liability risk management with YMM audit support, government incentive consultancy, financing facilitation, and free consulting/training). The company holds 9,500,000 TL in paid-in capital and operates with 51–100 employees.

DSD generates revenue through transaction fees (commissions) on its export intermediation services. Its go-to-market is exclusively direct B2B enterprise field sales, with new client acquisition driven by referrals from the 139 founding industrialists and the broader 200+ exporter base, plus website contact form inquiries. Existing clients transact through an online operations portal (red.dsd.com.tr). Underlying technology is not publicly disclosed; the company's defensibility rests on regulatory expertise, operational scale, established capital structure, and 15+ years of specialized domain experience rather than proprietary technology.

Name

DSD

Legal name

DSD Deri Sanayicileri Dış Ticaret A.Ş.

Website

https://dsd.com.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DSD is a Turkish export intermediary company that facilitates VAT refunds, customs declarations, special invoicing, and tax-free export transactions for 200+ manufacturers and exporter firms, processing over $400 million in annual commercial volume through 24-hour customs gate operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Export Trade and VAT Refund Intermediation Services

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Indirect Tax (VAT/GST/Sales & Use) Services (BPAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transfer Pricing & International Tax Services (BPAHABAI)

Keywords

• VAT refund services
• Export intermediation
• Customs clearance
• Foreign trade services
• Tax-free transactions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakirkoy

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Export Intermediary Services: DSD charges fees for facilitating export operations on behalf of manufacturers. Their revenue is generated through commission or service fees from VAT refund intermediation, customs declaration processing, and export facilitation services. The company facilitates over $400 million in annual commercial volume.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DSD acts as an export intermediary (aracı ihracatçı) for manufacturers and supplier firms, primarily facilitating VAT (KDV) refund claims on export transactions. The company handles customs declarations, special invoices, and tax-free transactions on behalf of clients, while assuming joint liability before tax authorities and providing integrated risk management, government incentives support, financing facilitation, and complimentary consulting and training.

Product overview

DSD operates as a unified foreign trade services platform offering a portfolio of interconnected export intermediary services. The core offering is the KDV iadesi aracılık hizmeti (VAT refund intermediary service), supported by customs declaration, special invoice, and tax-free processing capabilities. Risk management, government incentive support, financing options, and consulting services are integrated add-on modules that enhance the core export facilitation function. The company manages the entire export intermediary lifecycle from pre-evaluation through contract, audit, tracking/control, and final intermediary export execution, processing over $400 million in annual commercial volume for more than 200 exporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KDV İadesi Aracılık Hizmeti (VAT Refund Intermediary Service) Core intermediary service that processes and facilitates VAT (KDV) refunds for exporters. DSD acts as an export intermediary (aracı ihracatçı), handling the bureaucratic procedures of VAT recovery on behalf of manufacturers and supplier firms exporting goods from Turkey.
• Gümrük Beyannameli İhracat (Customs Declaration Export Service) Export facilitation service that processes official customs declarations, enabling manufacturers and supplier firms to conduct foreign trade with proper customs documentation and full compliance.
• Özel Fatura Hizmetleri (Special Invoice Services) Special invoice processing service for exports, allowing transactions outside standard customs declaration procedures through customized invoicing solutions for exporter clients.
• Tax Free İşlemleri (Tax-Free Operations) Tax-free export transaction processing service enabling duty-free sales procedures for international buyers and tourists purchasing qualifying Turkish goods.
• Gümrük Kapısı Operasyonları (Customs Gate Operations) 24-hour operational service deployed at various Turkish customs gates with dedicated personnel who manage export processes and ensure complete control over customs declaration, special invoice, and tax-free transaction flows.
• Risk Yönetimi (Risk Management) Joint liability risk management service in which DSD shares responsibility with manufacturing partners before tax authorities, combining an internal control system with external YMM (Sworn-in Certified Public Accountant) audit and advisory services.
• Devlet Yardımları ve Teşvik Desteği (Government Incentives Support) Consultancy and support service that helps exporter clients access government incentives, subsidies, and export promotion benefits available to Turkish exporters.
• Finansman İmkanları (Financing Facilitation)

Quantifiable outcome

• $400+ million annual commercial volume processed for VAT refunds
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• YMM (Sworn-in Certified Public Accountants)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDSD utilizes external YMM (Sworn-in Certified Public Accountant) audit and advisory services as part of their internal control systems and risk management model. YMM professionals provide independent auditing and consulting for VAT refund operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte: Big Four firm offering indirect tax, customs, and global trade services across markets. Comparable in service-line breadth and customer base of large exporting manufacturers, but bundled into multi-disciplinary engagements.
• KPMG: Big Four professional services firm with substantial indirect tax, customs, and trade advisory practices. Competes with DSD for VAT/customs advisory work as part of a much broader portfolio of services.
• Sovos: Global tax compliance technology provider covering indirect tax, VAT determination, and e-invoicing. Comparable to DSD's compliance scope but positioned as a software incumbent serving the same Turkish/manufacturer tax-compliance needs.
• Avalara: Large SaaS platform automating indirect tax determination, filing, and compliance globally. Overlaps with DSD in VAT/GST compliance, but addresses the same need through technology rather than human-led intermediary services.
• Vertex Inc: Indirect tax automation software firm serving multinational enterprises. Overlaps with DSD on VAT and customs-related calculations but addresses the problem with enterprise software rather than intermediary services.

Direct peers

• Taxback International: Specializes in international VAT refund and recovery for corporations, including export-related VAT claims. Directly comparable to DSD in service line (VAT refund intermediation) and B2B exporter customer profile.
• VAT IT: Global B2B VAT recovery and refund specialist serving businesses across multiple jurisdictions. Closest comparable to DSD in terms of core activity (VAT refund intermediation on behalf of corporates), though operating internationally rather than in a single domestic market.
• Global Blue Group: Operates VAT-refund and tax-free shopping services for cross-border shoppers. Same underlying VAT-refund intermediation model as DSD, though primarily retail/travel VAT rather than industrial export VAT.

Regional players

• Mars Logistics: Turkish logistics and customs services firm serving industrial exporters. Comparable to DSD as a regional trade-services intermediary, but with stronger logistics orientation rather than tax-refund specialization.
• Ekol Logistics: Turkey-based integrated logistics provider offering customs brokerage, freight forwarding, and supply-chain services. Comparable as a Turkey-headquartered trade-services intermediary serving exporters, though broader scope than DSD.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dsddisticaret

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DSD