Distance sales contract (Turkey)
The invisible but mandatory document behind online selling in Turkey: the distance sales contract, its contents, the right of withdrawal, and common mistakes.
The moment you sell something online, whether you notice it or not, a contract comes into being. In Turkey that contract has a name: the distance sales contract (mesafeli satış sözleşmesi), the legal frame for any sale where buyer and seller never meet in person and agree instead through a website, a phone call, an email or a social media chat. Most small businesses treat it as "that block of text at the bottom of the checkout page," copy a template and move on. In reality it is mandatory for most online sales, and when it is done well it protects the seller as much as the customer.
This article explains, in plain language, what a distance sales contract is, what belongs inside it, how the right of withdrawal works, and the mistakes sellers make most often. The goal is not a law lecture; it is to remove the question marks. For anything binding, check the current regulation and talk to a professional, because the rules do change.
What a distance sales contract actually is
In short, it is a sale agreed without the two sides being physically together. When a customer orders shoes from your site, you never see them and they never touch the product. The distance contract governs exactly that "at a distance" relationship. In Turkey it is shaped by the Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 and the Regulation on Distance Contracts beneath it.
Here is the part people miss: the contract is formed the instant the customer clicks "confirm order." No signed sheet of paper is needed — consent given digitally is binding too. So the wording of the contract matters, but so does when and how it is shown to the buyer.
Let us be honest: if you run a small handmade-candle workshop, this can look like pointless bureaucracy. But in a single dispute, the gap between having a clear contract and not having one is the gap between a quiet evening and weeks of back-and-forth.
Who does this contract really protect?
Most sellers see the contract as "a burden that favours the customer." In truth it is a two-way shield. Once the price, delivery time and return terms are in writing, you have solid ground if a "but you told me something else" argument comes up.
Take an example: a two-person real-estate office that also sells an online training video. If the video is delivered instantly and you said so clearly in the contract, you have firm ground against an "I watched it but I still want a refund" request. If you did not, the same argument becomes far more painful.
So the contract is not a formality; it aligns expectations from the start, and a well-aligned expectation keeps a customer as well as a good product does.
What information the contract should carry
Think of the contract as a trust checklist: everything the customer should know before handing over money is written here, in the open. Broadly, the following headings are expected.
- The seller's identity: Trade name, address, phone and, where relevant, email, so the buyer knows exactly who stands behind the sale.
- The essential features of the product: What you are selling, and with which characteristics, described without room for guesswork.
- The full price, all costs included: Taxes, shipping and any extra fees, so no one meets a surprise at the payment step.
- Delivery and payment terms: When and how the product arrives, and how payment is taken.
- The right of withdrawal: Whether it applies, how long it lasts and how to use it, spelled out separately and clearly.
- Complaint and appeal routes: Where the customer can turn in a dispute, such as the consumer arbitration committees.
You do not need to memorise this list. Keep one thing in mind: when the customer decides to buy, they should never have to guess a single piece of information.
Pre-contract information: one step before the contract
The regulation expects not only the contract but a "preliminary information" step before it. Before the customer confirms, they should have seen the essence of the details above and agreed to them — in practice, a checkbox on the payment page with a text that opens beside it.
Laid out as a flow, it is clearer:
The critical detail is that consent must be real. A pre-ticked box the customer sails past without ever seeing the text is generally not enough. The point is that the person accepts knowing what they accept.
The right of withdrawal: the logic behind the window
The most talked-about part of online selling is the right of withdrawal. The logic is simple: because the customer could not handle the product before buying, they get a chance to change their mind after it arrives. In Turkey the consumer can, for most products, withdraw without giving any reason or penalty, generally within 14 days.
From the seller's chair this can be irritating; the worry that "the product will come back, maybe even used" is understandable. But there is another side. A clear withdrawal policy removes the "what if I don't like it" hesitation and makes the sale easier. A good return experience usually does not lower your conversion rate — it lifts it.
One detail matters: if the length and terms of the right of withdrawal were not properly communicated, that window can extend. So the "if I stay quiet, nobody will use it" tactic backfires. Transparency here is both the right thing and the profitable one.
Does every sale carry a right of withdrawal? The exceptions
No, not every product. The regulation keeps some goods — ones where a return makes little sense by their nature — outside this right. Knowing them prevents needless arguments and lets you be honest up front. The exceptions you meet most often:
- Custom-made products: Items prepared to the customer's own request or personalised for them are usually outside the scope of returns.
- Perishable goods: Products with a short shelf life, such as fresh food, fall into this group.
- Opened hygienic products: Items like underwear or cosmetics that, for health and hygiene reasons, are not suitable for return once opened.
- Instantly delivered digital content: Downloadable software or digital goods are often outside withdrawal when delivered immediately with the customer's consent.
An exception does not mean "there are no rules"; it only means "say up front that this rule works differently for this product."
If your product falls into one of these groups, state it clearly before the sale. Surprise exceptions are one of the fastest ways to break trust.
Keep the contract and return flow tidy
Rocketly gathers every customer message from order to return on one screen, so the process is easy to follow.
Explore RocketlyHow returns and refunds work in practice
When a customer exercises the right of withdrawal, the process runs both ways. The customer sends the product back within a set period; the seller refunds within the legal window — generally around 14 days after the withdrawal notice. Who pays return shipping depends on the contract, and settling that up front prevents many arguments.
A practical suggestion: frame returns not as a "loss" but as a customer-experience moment. Brands that make returns easy usually win that customer back. The reviews of satisfied buyers, and the content they create themselves, are the most convincing advertising the next buyer sees.
The mistakes sellers make most often
The same mistakes repeat for years. The good news: every one is preventable.
Copying a template blindly
Using a sample you found online without adapting it to your product and business model is the most common error. Selling a digital product on a physical-goods contract is trouble from the start.
Hiding or complicating the right of withdrawal
Some sellers deliberately make returns complicated. It may block a few returns now; over time it destroys trust and repeat sales. The power of social proof comes from exactly here — satisfied customers.
Not delivering the contract in a durable form
Failing to leave a copy the customer can reach later — a text sent by email, say — is common. A contract that flashes on the screen and vanishes is generally not treated as enough.
Ignoring the sales channel
Whether you sell on your own site or on a marketplace affects who carries which obligation. Answering the own store versus marketplace question consciously helps you sort this out early. Either way, your brand trust grows through transparency.
Frequently asked questions
Is a distance sales contract mandatory for every online sale?
As a general rule, most remote sales to consumers are expected to carry this contract and the preliminary information. The healthiest approach is to confirm whether your case falls within scope via the current regulation and a professional.
Do I need a wet-ink signature?
No. Online, the customer confirming the order is usually enough. What matters is that consent is informed and the text reaches the customer in a durable form.
How many days is the right of withdrawal?
In Turkey the general window for most consumer sales is 14 days, and the customer need not give a reason. Some products are exceptions; check the current rules for the period and conditions.
Who pays the return shipping?
That depends on how you set it out in your contract. Writing your policy clearly up front removes most disputes that would otherwise appear later.
A distance sales contract may look like a dull legal obligation, but it is really the ground of trust under your online business. A well-built contract tells the customer "everything here is in the open" — the best marketing there is. If you want every customer message, from order to return, in one place, a tool like Rocketly makes that flow easier to follow. Yet what comes before any technology is intent: be transparent, write clearly, and stay current as the rules change.
One last reminder: this is general information, not legal advice. For situations specific to your business, rely on the regulation in force and a professional's opinion.