E-Commerce

Under Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce, e-commerce is any online economic and commercial activity carried out electronically without the parties being physically present. All platforms through which it is conducted, such as websites, mobile sites and mobile apps, are referred to as the “e-commerce environment”.

Structure of the Law

Law No. 6563 entered into force in 2015 and was substantially amended in 2022 by Law No. 7416. Details are set out in the Regulation on E-Commerce Intermediary Service Providers and E-Commerce Service Providers. The Law defines two main actors:

• E-commerce service provider: A seller offering goods and services on its own site or on a marketplace,
• E-commerce intermediary service provider: A marketplace providing an environment for others to sell.

Core Obligations

• ETBİS registration,
• Displaying the seller’s identity and contact details on the site,
• Allowing input errors to be corrected before ordering and confirming receipt of orders,
• Applying the rules on commercial communications; see Commercial Electronic Message,
• Additional obligations and a licence depending on scale; see Net Transaction Volume.

Related Legislation

For sales to consumers, Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 and the Distance Contracts Regulation also apply. Processing of personal data is subject to the KVKK, cookies to cookie rules, and advertising and discounts to commercial advertising rules. For details of the amendment, see The Innovations Introduced to the E-Commerce Law.