Turkey is a large, young and mobile-first consumer market, and its online retail is strongly concentrated in marketplaces. For a foreign brand, that is good news: you do not need to build an audience from zero — you need to show up properly on the platforms where Turkish consumers already shop.
This guide maps the main platforms from a seller’s point of view. It is based on our daily work at AkıllıPanda managing marketplace stores for brands.
The big four at a glance
Trendyol
Turkey’s largest marketplace by transaction volume and visitors. Strongest in fashion and lifestyle but now a true general marketplace, with its own logistics network and large campaign periods that drive a significant share of yearly sales. If you only launch on one platform, it is usually this one — we covered the details in how to sell on Trendyol as a foreign brand.
Hepsiburada
One of Turkey’s oldest e-commerce players, historically strong in electronics, home and consumer goods, with its own delivery operation. Buyer trust is high and the seller tooling is mature. For many categories the realistic strategy is Trendyol and Hepsiburada together, not either-or; see our Hepsiburada consulting service.
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A general marketplace with a broad category range and a seller-friendly entry. Volumes are smaller than the top two, but competition is lighter in some categories — which can make it a sensible second step once your catalogue and operations are proven.
Amazon.com.tr
Amazon’s Turkish marketplace, familiar tooling if you already sell on Amazon elsewhere. Its share in Turkey is smaller than Trendyol’s or Hepsiburada’s, but for sellers with existing Amazon operations the marginal effort is low. Note that selling on Amazon’s Turkish site still requires meeting local seller requirements.
What all of them have in common
- Turkish-first: listings, customer questions, returns and invoices run in Turkish and under Turkish consumer law.
- Local presence: onboarding is built around Turkish entities and local bank accounts; foreign brands typically enter through a Turkish entity or a local partner. Requirements change, so verify on each platform’s official seller pages.
- Fast delivery expectations: Turkish consumers are used to next-day or two-day delivery in large cities. Stock in Turkey, or a fulfilment setup that behaves like it, is close to mandatory.
- Campaign-driven demand: big shopping events (most famously November campaigns such as “Efsane Kasım”) concentrate a large share of yearly volume. Joining them deliberately — with margin maths done in advance — separates profitable sellers from busy ones.
How to choose where to start
- Check your category’s reality. The same product can face thin competition on one platform and brutal price wars on another. We start every project with a category and competitor scan.
- Start on one, maximum two platforms. Every marketplace adds operational load: campaigns, questions, returns, score management. Spreading thin is the most common early mistake.
- Decide your logistics model first. Where the stock sits determines your delivery promise, your return cost and ultimately your margin.
- Plan content as a project, not a formality. Turkish titles and attributes written for each platform’s internal search are the cheapest ranking lever you have.
Beyond marketplaces
Marketplaces are the fastest entry, but they own the customer relationship. Brands that take Turkey seriously usually add their own Turkish e-commerce site in a second phase — something we build as part of our e-commerce development service — and run performance marketing alongside it. If your goal is exporting from Turkey rather than into it, our e-export consulting covers that direction.
Frequently asked questions
Which marketplace is biggest in Turkey?
Trendyol is the largest by transaction volume and visitors, with Hepsiburada the strongest challenger, particularly in electronics and home categories.
Can I test the market without a Turkish company?
The realistic low-commitment route is working with a local partner or distributor who already operates on the platforms. Direct selling generally requires a Turkish entity; platform-run international programs exist but their scope changes — check official seller pages.
Do I need separate stock for each marketplace?
No. With integration software, one stock pool in Turkey can feed several marketplaces with synchronised prices and inventory — this is how we run multi-platform stores for our clients. Talk to us about what that setup would look like for your catalogue.