What you need to set up an e-commerce site falls into three main areas: legal preparation (company, tax, ETBİS, contracts), technical infrastructure (platform, domain, payment, shipping) and sales readiness (products, categories, integrations). If these three don’t work together, your site will launch, but the order process will jam up. Below, we walk through what you need at each step, from the perspective of a boutique or small workshop owner, in plain language.
Start by clarifying your business model
Before setup, the first question should be commercial, not technical: What are you selling, to whom, and how do you make money? Say you run a small workshop selling handmade jewelry — that’s a direct-to-consumer (B2C) model. When pricing, don’t just look at competitor prices; factor in product cost, shipping, returns and payment fees so you can see your real profit margin clearly ([k1]).
You don’t have to commit to a single model. Your own site can stay at the center of your brand experience while you also use marketplaces as a channel for finding new customers ([k1]).
Legal and tax preparation: company, tax, ETBİS
In Turkey, individuals and businesses that sell regularly and for profit are expected to register for tax liability, set up either a sole proprietorship or a capital company, and publish their tax certificate on the site before they start selling ([k4]). In some exceptional cases — for example, people who sell only certain goods they produce at home exclusively online and who meet the conditions — an artisan exemption may apply. According to 2026 figures from Turkey’s Revenue Administration, the annual revenue cap for this exemption is 1,900,000 TL ([k1]). Be sure to confirm with an accountant whether your situation qualifies for this exemption.
There’s no single right answer to the sole proprietorship versus limited company question. A sole proprietorship is faster and cheaper to set up, but liability extends to your personal assets; setting up a limited company takes longer and costs more, but liability is limited to the company’s capital ([k4]). Many businesses start as a sole proprietorship and convert to a limited company once revenue passes a certain level ([k4]).
The business activity (NACE) code you choose when forming your company also matters. The code family commonly used for retail e-commerce is “47.91 – retail sale via mail order or the internet,” with a sub-code chosen based on your product category ([k4]).
When is ETBİS registration required?
If you take orders through your own electronic commerce environment (that is, your own website), check your ETBİS registration obligation. The Ministry of Trade states that sellers who operate only through domestic marketplaces are not subject to the ETBİS registration and notification requirement ([k1]). Registration is done through e-Devlet (Turkey’s e-government portal), there’s no fee, and it’s usually completed the same day; you’ll enter information such as your domain name, business activity, and payment and shipping methods ([k4]).
Legal texts your site needs to include
A distance sales contract, pre-information form, right of withdrawal notice, cancellation and return terms, a KVKK (Turkey’s personal data protection law) privacy notice, an explicit consent text, and a privacy and cookie policy are among the core texts expected from service providers operating their own e-commerce environment ([k4]). Consumers have the right to withdraw without giving a reason within 14 days of receiving the goods; some categories, such as custom-made products, perishable goods and hygiene products with broken packaging, may be exempt, but these exceptions must be clearly stated in the pre-information form ([k4]).
Don’t copy these texts from another site. Your company name, address, and the exceptions specific to your product category need to be written accurately. We recommend preparing these texts together with an accountant or legal advisor.
KVKK and personal data compliance
Because e-commerce sites process personal data such as name, address, phone number and email during membership, ordering and shipping processes, they fall under Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK) and act as a data controller ([k5]). Essentially, you need to: make the privacy notice accessible at every point data is collected (membership, orders, contact forms); set up a separate, not-pre-checked explicit consent box for non-mandatory activities such as marketing emails or SMS; and add a cookie policy along with a cookie management tool ([k5]). The VERBİS (Data Controllers’ Registry) registration requirement varies depending on criteria such as number of employees and annual financial balance sheet; confirm these thresholds based on your own situation ([k5]).
Technical infrastructure: platform, domain, payment, shipping
Your e-commerce infrastructure manages not just your store’s appearance, but also product, inventory, order, payment, shipping and integration processes together. When choosing, think not only about your needs today but also your growth plans a few years out ([k1]). Here are the areas worth evaluating:
- Product and category management, mobile compatibility and page speed
- Virtual POS and alternative payment integrations, 3D Secure
- Shipping and return processes
- Marketplace, e-invoice, ERP, CRM and accounting connections
- Security, SSL, backups and technical support ([k1], [k3])
With ready-made SaaS infrastructure, hosting and basic software maintenance are usually included in the package; with open-source or custom software solutions, that responsibility falls on you ([k1]). To accept credit card payments, you’ll need a virtual POS from a bank or a payment institution; this application typically requires documents such as your tax certificate, signature circular or declaration, trade registry gazette, and bank account details, and approval can take a few days with payment institutions or a few weeks with banks ([k4]). That’s why starting this application at the same time as your site setup speeds things up.
Setting up a contract with a shipping company usually just requires a tax certificate, signature circular/declaration, ID, and your site address; during the conversation, you’ll discuss per-desi (volumetric weight) pricing, return shipment fees, and any API integration details ([k4]).
Products, categories and a test order
Uploading products isn’t just about adding images and prices: every product needs the right category, description, variants, stock, price and shipping dimensions ([k1]). Before your site goes live, place a real test order to confirm that payment, stock, invoicing, shipping, notifications and returns all work end to end; this step lets you catch many issues in advance that you might otherwise run into after launch ([k1]).
If you’d rather plan infrastructure, legal texts, payment and shipping as a whole instead of setting each one up yourself, Clickolog’s e-commerce infrastructure service can help you manage this process from start to finish. If you want to handle your site’s overall design and user experience separately, check out the website service page, and if you’re curious about how setup affects your budget, take a look at our article how much does it cost to build a website?
In short
Setting up an e-commerce site means clarifying your business model, completing legal steps like company formation, tax registration and ETBİS, choosing the right infrastructure, and testing your payment, shipping and product processes before going live. Don’t copy legal texts from a template — confirm your situation with an accountant and legal advisor. If you’re ready, you can take advantage of a free check-up to spot any gaps before your site launches.