Distance Selling in Türkiye: Contracts, Withdrawal and Defective Goods

سفير تركيا

سفير تركيا

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Distance Selling in Türkiye: Purchase Contracts, Withdrawal and Defective Goods
Pre-purchase information, separate rights procedures and traceable refunds​

A distance-selling policy must describe a purchase journey that can be carried out: what customers see before payment, what they receive after ordering, and how they withdraw or report a defect. Good wording helps customer service, warehouse staff and the accountant reach the same decision. Copying another store's contract may instead leave a different seller's name or an unusable return address, confronting employees with conditions they do not know how to apply.

This guide focuses on online sales of goods to consumers within Türkiye. Consumer rights differ from a stock-purchase agreement between two companies, while services, subscriptions and custom-made products require examination of their particular provisions. First identify the buyer's capacity and the nature of the goods, then connect each right to a clear procedure and retrievable record.

📌 Required outcome: correct information before payment, order evidence, separate withdrawal and defect procedures, and traceable refunds without conditions contradicting customer rights.
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A clear policy helps store owners manage orders consistently. — General illustrative photo.​

1️⃣ ⚖️ Identify the transaction type before applying the policy​


A distance contract concerns a purchase made without the seller and consumer meeting, within a system organized for distance selling. It may include websites, applications and organized sales through communication channels; the application's name alone does not decide the classification. Retain the order journey, correspondence and price presentation, because selling through a brief message does not remove responsibility when the conditions for this type of contract are met.

Record whether the customer buys for personal use or professional or commercial purposes, without relying solely on an individual's or company's name. Request the details needed for invoicing and identifying the relationship, avoiding unnecessary additional data. For services or digital content, do not automatically apply the procedure for returning a physical box. Designate someone responsible for unusual cases and give employees specific escalation instructions instead of allowing them to invent legal answers.


2️⃣ 🧾 Display essential information before the payment button​


Ensure the goods' characteristics, total price including taxes, delivery charges and extras appear before a payment obligation arises. State the seller's identity, address and contact details, how to exercise withdrawal, and routes for claiming rights. Information in an attractive advertisement must match the product and contract; small print at the bottom cannot correct a prominent contradictory promise in the advertising image.

Review the cart on a phone, then compare it with the product page and post-purchase email. If offering paid gift wrapping, installation or an optional service, make the choice clear and obtain genuine customer agreement. Do not preselect paid services and leave buyers to discover and cancel them. Record the version of the terms accepted for the order, rather than merely a link to a page that can later change without a date.

InformationPractical locationReadiness check
Seller identityContact page and pre-contract informationVerifiable name and address
Goods and priceProduct page and cartMatching size, quantity and price
Shipping and extrasBefore payment confirmationClear total and no preselected extras
Withdrawal and complaintsPre-contract information and policyWorking channel and correct return address


3️⃣ 💾 Make the information provided provable​


Retaining the contract involves more than a consent checkbox. You need a record connecting the customer and order to the displayed information version and confirmation time. Send order and contract information in a form customers can save and revisit, such as a fixed-content email or attachment, with the order number and notification channel. Retain sending logs and delivery failures.

On a marketplace, use platform tools for tracking orders and rights-related requests, retaining records relevant to your seller role. An intermediary platform does not excuse inaccurate product descriptions or seller details. Some information, confirmation and evidence responsibilities are shared by seller and intermediary depending on the circumstances. Test what a new buyer actually sees, rather than relying on the seller dashboard; terms may be hidden, outdated or refer to another seller.


4️⃣ 📅 Separate withdrawal from defect complaints​


For covered transactions, withdrawal means reversing a purchase within the deadline without requiring the consumer to give a reason or pay a penalty. For goods, the general fourteen-day withdrawal period starts at delivery; withdrawal may also be notified before delivery. A defect claim concerns goods that fail to match specifications or provide the characteristics due, and carries different rights and provisions.

Create two clear support-form choices: changing one's mind about a purchase, and a problem with the goods. Also allow a free-text message because buyers may not know the correct legal category. Record the date and description, then classify the case without automatically citing expiry of the withdrawal period in response to every defect. An additional voluntary exchange policy may be more generous, but must not be presented as a substitute that removes established consumer rights.

ProcedureReason for requestHow to proceed
Withdrawal from purchaseNo reason requiredCheck the deadline and specific exception
Defect claimNonconformity or deficiency in the goodsReceive the description and identify the requested right
Additional commercial exchangeA benefit offered by the storeHonor the promise without reducing rights
Damage during deliveryDamage before the goods arriveDocument damage and handle the carrier internally

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Packing orders and documenting their contents reduce disputes at receipt. — General illustrative photo.​


5️⃣ 📨 Receive withdrawal notices and record each deadline's start​


Withdrawal may be communicated in writing or through a durable medium to the relevant parties; do not make a telephone call the only available route. Confirm receipt with the case number, next step, designated carrier and return address. Consumers retain their rights when using an ordinary message instead of your form if it clearly expresses withdrawal and meets its requirements.

After notification, the period for returning the goods is fourteen days according to current official information. Record notification, handover to the carrier, arrival and initiation of the refund separately. Do not combine them in one 'return date' field. Where correct information about withdrawal was not provided, the ordinary period cannot be treated as an absolute final barrier; escalate the case to assess the effect of inadequate information.


6️⃣ 🚚 Clearly specify the carrier and return costs​


When consumers return goods through the carrier designated in the pre-contract information, they do not bear return expenses. If no return carrier was designated, do not charge them for returning goods through any carrier. Arrange return services before launch and ensure practical availability in the buyer's area; naming a company is insufficient if the customer cannot use it.

Give instructions protecting the goods in transit without turning every packaging detail into a condition that forfeits the right. You may request inclusion of accessories, securing fragile parts and covering old shipment details. Keep a photograph or condition description when receiving returns, but do not impose an unboxing video as a general condition for accepting complaints. Handle carrier or supplier disputes separately from the consumer's request.

⚠️ Do not copy outdated conditions stating that returns are always at the customer's expense, or that delivered phones and computers automatically lose withdrawal rights. The current rule differs from these common statements.
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7️⃣ 💳 Refund correctly​


The start of the refund period for returned goods depends on how they were sent. With the designated carrier, it begins when the consumer hands over the goods; with a different carrier, it begins when the seller receives them. For undelivered goods and services, it begins with withdrawal notification. The general refund period in these cases is fourteen days; configure the actual procedure for the correct situation.

Link the refund request to the original payment and do not force store credit instead of a refund due. Refunds must suit the payment method used, without extra cost or obligation, and be made in one payment even if the purchase was in installments. The following hypothetical figures concern one order with all its goods returned and include original shipping in the refund; do not use the table to decide every partial-return detail.

Hypothetical itemAmount in liraTreatment
Goods price1000Part of the refund
Original shipping80Included in repayment
Withdrawal penalty0No penalty for exercising the right
Total refund10801000 + 80 without imposing a shopping voucher


8️⃣ 🛠️ Handle defects as a separate rights case​


A defect may be a difference from the sample or advertised specifications, or a deficiency reducing the expected benefit. Staff receive the problem description, available photographs and order number, then ask which right the consumer seeks. Available remedies include returning the goods and terminating the contract, a price reduction proportionate to the defect, free repair subject to its conditions, or replacement with nondefective goods if possible.

Do not charge customers for implementing a right due to them or automatically restrict the remedy to a repair they reject without examining the law and circumstances. If a defect appears within the first six months, a legal presumption exists that it was present at delivery, subject to details concerning the goods and defect's nature. Arrange professional inspection where needed and retain the report and an understandable explanation; merely referring customers to the manufacturer does not erase seller obligations.

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An organized warehouse improves the accuracy of receiving and inspecting returns. — General illustrative photo.​


9️⃣ 🔍 Apply exceptions to the specific product​


Examples of withdrawal exceptions include goods made to particular wishes or personal needs, perishable goods, and certain products unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons after protective elements are opened. There are also cases involving digital content, services and specified dates. Exceptions require specific conditions; saying all clothing, all digital products or every opened package is nonreturnable is insufficient.

Record the classification reason for each excepted product, the condition activating the exception, and how customers were informed before ordering. Choosing a different color from ready-made options does not automatically constitute personalized manufacture. A withdrawal exception also does not remove rights concerning defective goods. Test employees with an excepted product delivered contrary to specifications; the response should start by addressing the defect rather than repeating 'we do not accept returns of this type.'


⁦1️⃣0️⃣⁩ 📦 Connect delivery to stock and the promise​


Set a delivery date you can meet rather than using the final legal limit as the default marketing promise for every order. The general goods rule sets a maximum of thirty days, with special provisions for made-to-order goods. Unavailable stock alone does not constitute impossibility of performance that justifies escaping the obligation. When performance truly becomes impossible, notification and refund duties have specific deadlines that must be monitored.

Treat loss or damage before delivery to the customer as requiring seller action. Ask the carrier to trace the shipment and keep the customer informed of a workable outcome. Do not make them pursue three parties for an answer. Add early operational alerts for orders not prepared, not moving or unsuccessfully delivered, then review customer addresses and dispatch dates without exposing data to employees who do not need it.

SituationTeam actionRetained evidence
Preparation delayIdentify the cause, date and solutionPromised date and communications
Damaged shipmentOpen a case and pursue the customer's rightsShipment condition and damage description
Withdrawal before deliveryStop fulfillment if possible and refund what is dueNotification time and payment movements
Return receivedInspect, classify and reconcileCarrier, receipt and refund dates


⁦1️⃣1️⃣⁩ 🗂️ Prepare complaint records for escalation​


Keep the order, product description, agreed version, dates, correspondence, payment movements and invoice in one file. Also retain any refusal decision, its reason and approver. This allows quick correction of an internal error or a clear account when a dispute reaches a competent authority. Photographs alone are not a complete file, and scattered replies from different employees may turn a simple promise into contradictions.

Inform consumers of appropriate routes for claiming rights and verify current financial thresholds and escalation procedures. Some consumer-court cases require prior mediation depending on their scope and exceptions, so do not present a lawsuit link as the only route for every situation. Avoid publishing an angry customer's details or documents to defend the store. Support staff should resolve and document requests while reviewing recurring patterns: incomplete descriptions, differing samples or unsuitable carriers.


⁦1️⃣2️⃣⁩ ✅ FAQs and operating checklist​


Test the policy with hypothetical orders before opening to the public: withdrawal before shipping, a return through the designated carrier, and a defect complaint after the withdrawal deadline. Ask different employees to handle the same scenario, then compare decisions, dates and amounts. Differences reveal wording or training needs before they become real customer disputes.

Does opening the package always cancel withdrawal rights?
No. It depends on the goods and the specific exception's conditions, rather than opening any shipping box. Assess the case instead of imposing a blanket refusal.

Does the end of fourteen days end defect rights?
No. Withdrawal and defects are separate procedures; complaints and defect-liability provisions are assessed independently of the withdrawal period.

Can I refund an order with a shopping voucher?
Do not impose a voucher instead of a refund due. Refund appropriately for the payment method without additional consumer costs.

✅ I verified the transaction's nature and pre-payment information version.
✅ I matched the price, shipping, contract and confirmation message.
✅ I prepared a working notification channel, carrier and return address.
✅ I separated notification, transit, receipt and refund dates.
✅ I trained staff on withdrawal, defects and exceptions.
✅ I documented reconciliation and escalation and protected customer data.

🇹🇷 Related topics 🇹🇷​

 
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