“Gray” schemes: how the shadow electronics market destroys honest business

“Gray” electronics sellers are displacing legal businesses. After all, by ignoring duties and illegally importing goods, they can set prices for equipment 20%-40% lower than the “market”. At the same time, sales on the “shadow” market take place in cash or cryptocurrency, without a fiscal receipt, Vitaliy Melnychenko, director of the official Apple distributor in Ukraine “Asbis‐Ukraine”, explained in his comment Forbes. 

According to him, such schemes allow to reduce prices on the “gray” market. At the same time, putting the buyer at risk, depriving him of warranty, the right to service and legal protection, in case of a defect.

“Gray” sellers have a price advantage of 20% to 40% if they ignore duties. In the shadow electronics market, sales mainly take place in cash or cryptocurrency without issuing a fiscal receipt 

International web? Who is behind the iStore network, which is suspected of illegal trade in equipment? 06.06.25, 16:27 • 220987 views

However, this is not the only scheme to reduce the cost of goods. Thus, “gray” companies often use related sole proprietorships, which formally operate under different names, but under a single brand –  Yuriy Vasyuk from the State Tax Service said. This scheme makes it possible to reduce the turnover of each individual company and avoid tax burden. 

Let’s addUNN discovered a criminal proceeding regarding “eStore” stores, which was investigated by law enforcement officers back in 2015. According to it, the network also uses the scheme of “splitting” sole proprietorships to avoid taxes. 

The tax authorities also discovered the facts of artificial division of sales. Thus, during a long inspection of “gray” market players, it was revealed that legal entities involved about 300 sole proprietorships on a simplified system. The turnover of 170 already identified sole proprietorships amounted to UAH 1.72 billion. Thanks to this, “shadow” sellers evaded VAT payment of over UAH 286 million. The State Tax Service did not name specific networks, but according to journalist-investigator Yevhen Plinsky, it is about “Yabko” and Yabluka, reported UNN. 

Attempt to appropriate the “Apple logo,” or who is behind the “Yabko” network and its tax debts20.05.25, 08:58 • 292475 views

Let us remind youEvery day more than 5,000 contraband Apple gadgets are imported into Ukraine. Because of this, the Ukrainian budget “underreceives” millions of hryvnias in taxes.