Buying a product online is legally different from buying the same product in a physical shop.

Turkish consumer law provides a specific right of withdrawal for many distance contracts, including ordinary internet purchases.

In many cases, the consumer does not need to prove that the product is defective. The right of withdrawal and the rights arising from defective goods are separate legal concepts.

What is the 14-day right of withdrawal?

Under the Turkish distance-sales regime, a consumer generally has 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract:

  • without giving a reason, and
  • without paying a contractual penalty.

For the sale of goods, the period generally begins when the consumer or a designated third person receives the goods.

For services, it generally begins on the date the contract is concluded.

A consumer may also exercise the right of withdrawal during the period between conclusion of the contract and delivery of the goods.

Does the product have to be defective?

No.

This is one of the most important differences between an ordinary withdrawal and a defective-goods claim.

For a transaction that falls within the distance-contract rules and is not covered by an exception, the consumer may normally withdraw within the statutory period even if:

  • the product works,
  • the seller did nothing wrong, and
  • the consumer simply changed their mind.

A claim relating to a defective product is different and may provide additional remedies even where the ordinary 14-day withdrawal period has already expired.

How should the consumer exercise the right?

The withdrawal notice should be directed to the seller, service provider or, where applicable, the intermediary platform before the withdrawal period expires.

The notification can be made in writing or through a durable medium.

This may include an appropriate electronic system, email or another method that allows the consumer to preserve evidence of the notification.

For practical purposes, the consumer should retain proof showing:

  • what was communicated,
  • to whom it was sent, and
  • when it was sent.

The law does not require the consumer to justify the decision to withdraw.

What responsibilities do online marketplaces have?

Where a marketplace or other intermediary service provider operates the platform through which the distance contract was concluded, it has specific statutory responsibilities.

The platform must provide a system through which consumers can submit and follow certain requests and notifications arising from the distance contract.

These include, among other things:

  • withdrawal notifications,
  • termination notifications,
  • refund requests,
  • requests for transaction records, and
  • complaints concerning delivery or performance.

Intermediary service providers may also share responsibility for pre-contractual information and, in certain circumstances, refund and payment-related obligations where they collect the payment on behalf of the seller or provider.

A consumer who purchased through a marketplace should therefore normally use the platform’s formal withdrawal or return system as well as preserve the resulting records.

When must the consumer return the product?

After notifying the seller of the withdrawal, the consumer generally must send the goods back within 14 days.

The consumer should use the return method identified in the pre-contractual information where one has been specified.

The date on which the product is given to the carrier can become important for determining the seller’s refund deadline.

When must the seller refund the money?

The seller or provider must generally refund the payments received, including applicable delivery costs, within the statutory 14-day period.

For returned goods, the beginning of this refund period can depend on the return method.

Where the consumer uses the carrier specified in the pre-contractual information, the refund period generally runs from the date the consumer delivers the goods to that carrier.

If the consumer uses a different carrier, the period may instead run from the date the seller receives the returned goods.

Where the product was never delivered, or where the contract concerns a service rather than returned goods, the refund period generally begins from the date the withdrawal notification is received.

How must the refund be made?

The refund should be made using a method compatible with the payment method originally used by the consumer and without imposing an additional cost or obligation on the consumer.

If an online purchase was made by credit card in instalments, the rules do not allow the seller simply to transform the statutory refund obligation into a new instalment plan of its own choosing.

The Ministry of Trade’s current guidance states that the seller must carry out the refund without additional cost to the consumer in a manner compatible with the original payment instrument.

Who pays the return shipping cost?

Current rules protect the consumer from return-shipping costs in important situations.

Where the consumer returns the goods using the carrier specified in the pre-contractual information, the consumer cannot generally be charged the return cost.

Likewise, if no return carrier was specified in the pre-contractual information and the consumer therefore uses another carrier, the consumer cannot ordinarily be made responsible for the return cost merely for that reason.

This is one reason why the pre-contractual information and the seller’s return instructions should be preserved.

What if the consumer was not properly informed about the withdrawal right?

The seller/provider and, where relevant, the intermediary service provider have information obligations before the contract is concluded.

The consumer should be informed about matters including:

  • the essential characteristics of the product or service,
  • the identity and contact information of the seller/provider and intermediary,
  • the total price,
  • delivery and additional costs,
  • the right of withdrawal, and
  • available legal remedies.

If the consumer was not properly informed about the right of withdrawal, the ordinary 14-day period does not necessarily apply in the normal way.

Turkish consumer law provides an extended period which may run for up to one year after the normal withdrawal period would have expired, subject to the applicable rules concerning later proper information.

Are there exceptions to the right of withdrawal?

Yes.

The right of withdrawal does not apply to every product or service bought online.

Important exceptions include contracts concerning, among other things:

  • goods whose prices depend on financial-market fluctuations outside the seller’s control;
  • goods made to the consumer’s specifications or clearly personalized;
  • goods that can deteriorate rapidly or whose expiry date may pass quickly;
  • certain sealed goods that are unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons once the protective packaging has been opened;
  • certain sealed digital-content products and computer consumables once the protective packaging has been opened;
  • newspapers and periodicals other than those supplied under a subscription;
  • accommodation, goods transport, vehicle rental, catering and certain leisure services to be provided on a specific date or during a specific period;
  • services performed instantly in an electronic environment;
  • intangible digital content delivered instantly; and
  • services which begin, with the consumer’s consent, before the withdrawal period ends where the applicable conditions are satisfied.

Whether an exception applies should be assessed according to the actual product or service rather than merely the seller’s return policy.

What about mobile phones, smart watches, tablets and computers?

Under the Ministry of Trade’s current guidance, delivered mobile phones, smart watches, tablets and computers are not automatically excluded from the withdrawal right.

The mere fact that such a device has been normally used during the withdrawal period does not automatically eliminate the statutory right.

The specific circumstances and the condition in which the product is returned can still matter, but the seller cannot simply treat all such electronic devices as categorically excluded from the withdrawal regime.

What if the seller simply says “we do not accept returns”?

A seller’s internal return policy cannot eliminate a statutory consumer right.

If the contract falls within the distance-sales regime and no legal exception applies, the issue is governed by consumer law rather than solely by the seller’s private policy.

The consumer should preserve:

  • the order confirmation,
  • invoice,
  • product page,
  • pre-contractual information,
  • withdrawal notification,
  • platform correspondence,
  • return-shipping record, and
  • payment records.

Where can a consumer bring a dispute?

For 2026, consumer disputes with a value below TRY 186,000 fall within the monetary jurisdiction of Consumer Arbitration Committees (Tüketici Hakem Heyetleri), subject to the statutory rules on jurisdiction.

The 2026 threshold took effect on 1 January 2026.

Disputes outside the Arbitration Committee’s monetary jurisdiction may need to proceed through the consumer-court system and the applicable mandatory pre-litigation procedure.

Because the monetary threshold is revised annually, the applicable threshold should always be checked for the year in which the application is made.

Sources: Consumer Protection Law No. 6502; Distance Contracts Regulation; Ministry of Trade Consumer Information Guide; 2026 Consumer Arbitration Committee monetary-threshold announcement.

This article provides general information on Turkish consumer law and does not constitute legal advice.