Can you run an online store as a sole trader?

Yes, and it is a common way to start. The decision point is tax and liability: as turnover grows and outside investment or a partner appears, a limited company structure becomes necessary. Some banks also ask for different documents depending on company type during the gateway application — which is why the company decision belongs before the application.

Should I start on a marketplace first?

It is a reasonable way to test demand: setup costs little and you find out quickly whether the product sells. But what you accumulate on a marketplace is turnover; the customer relationship and the data do not stay with you. The usual right order is: validate demand on the marketplace, build your own store from the same product data, then run both.

What you need to open an online store in Türkiye

Short answer

Which steps does opening an online store involve?

Opening an online store needs three separate preparations: administrative (a company, a payment-gateway application, ETBİS registration and the required legal pages), operational (a shipping contract, a returns flow, stock management) and technical (platform, product data, payment integration). The most common sequencing mistake is finishing the site and leaving the gateway application until last; it is an administrative process and can take days.

Key takeaways

The payment-gateway application is administrative, not technical; company documents and a description of the business are requested, and it should be started before development.
E-commerce activity is recorded through ETBİS; the system is operated by the Turkish Ministry of Trade and registration runs through it.
The required legal pages — distance sales contract, pre-contract information, returns and delivery terms, privacy — are part of the site, not an afterthought.
Shipping contracts are priced on volume; running year one at list rates hits unit margin directly.
Product data (name, GTIN, brand, variants, stock, dimensions) is the shared input for the site, the ads and the marketplaces; a catalogue launched incomplete degrades all three.

Which preparation comes in which order?

Three columns of preparation and when to start each

Company and tax registration
Type
Administrative
When to start
Before anything else
Payment gateway application
Type
Administrative
When to start
Before development — it can take days
ETBİS registration
Type
Administrative
When to start
Before trading begins
Required legal pages
Type
Administrative
When to start
Alongside content production
Shipping contract
Type
Operational
When to start
Before the first order
Returns and exchange flow
Type
Operational
When to start
Written down before launch
Product data and photography
Type
Technical
When to start
The longest item — start earliest
Platform and payment integration
Type
Technical
When to start
After gateway approval

Three columns of preparation and when to start each
Item	Type	When to start
Company and tax registration	Administrative	Before anything else
Payment gateway application	Administrative	Before development — it can take days
ETBİS registration	Administrative	Before trading begins
Required legal pages	Administrative	Alongside content production
Shipping contract	Operational	Before the first order
Returns and exchange flow	Operational	Written down before launch
Product data and photography	Technical	The longest item — start earliest
Platform and payment integration	Technical	After gateway approval

On the legal side this guide gives a route map, not a legal opinion. For the current scope of the obligations, work from the Ministry of Trade's e-commerce pages and the ETBİS portal; for the contract texts themselves, work with a lawyer.

Where do launches most often slip?

The site sits finished while gateway approval is pending. When the application is not opened before development, a completed store waits weeks without being able to take payment.
Product photography does not arrive in time. On a hundred-product catalogue, shooting, retouching and background work is on its own the longest item in the project.
Product data goes in half-filled. A catalogue launched with GTIN, brand and variant fields empty then fails approval in ad channels, and correcting it costs more than entering it properly would have.
The returns flow was never written down. When the first return arrives and nobody knows who does what, the process gets improvised in customer service.
Legal pages are copied from a template. Text taken from another store does not describe your delivery and returns terms, and is of no use in the first dispute.

Frequently asked

Can you run an online store as a sole trader?: Yes, and it is a common way to start. The decision point is tax and liability: as turnover grows and outside investment or a partner appears, a limited company structure becomes necessary. Some banks also ask for different documents depending on company type during the gateway application — which is why the company decision belongs before the application.
Should I start on a marketplace first?: It is a reasonable way to test demand: setup costs little and you find out quickly whether the product sells. But what you accumulate on a marketplace is turnover; the customer relationship and the data do not stay with you. The usual right order is: validate demand on the marketplace, build your own store from the same product data, then run both.

Sources

01ETBİS — Elektronik Ticaret Bilgi Sistemi — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı, 2026
02Elektronik ticaret — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı, 2026
03Product data specification (GTIN, brand, availability) — Google Merchant Center, 2026

Queries this page answers

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etbis registration
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