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In this guide, I will share my experiences of shopping online in Turkey, my favorite brands, how I shop, how I pay, and important Turkish words and tips.
As an expat living in Turkey for over 6 years, I have extensively experienced online shopping here compared to other countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. Overall, Turkey offers the best online shopping experience I’ve seen due to the incredible variety of products, great prices, product quality, and fast delivery.
Most Popular Online Shopping Platforms in Turkey
There are many great Turkish online shopping websites, but I have some clear favorites:
- Amazon Turkey is my top choice due to their Amazon Prime service which provides free 1-day delivery, great discounts, and assured product quality. Their mobile app makes browsing and buying a breeze.
- For clothes shopping, Trendyol reigns supreme in Turkey. They have an mind-boggling amount of Turkish and international brands like Mavi, LC Waikiki, Defacto, Nike, Adidas, Zara etc. Their collection caters to all styles, sizes and price points.
- For cosmetics and skincare, I like to shop at Rossmann, the German chain store in Turkey which offers a wide range of makeup, skincare and fragrance brands. Watsons and Gratis are also good options for cosmetics shopping.
- Amazon Turkey has the biggest book collection by far, but D&R is also excellent for finding an even bigger selection of books across genres and languages.
My Experience of Top Online Turkish Stores
The online platforms in Turkey are very user-friendly and intuitive. Most have mobile apps on iOS and Android that greatly simplify browsing, comparing products, reading reviews and buying.
The only issue is that the platforms are exclusively in Turkish, so some translation assistance may be needed for non-Turkish speakers.
Payment Methods for Online Shopping in Turkey
- Most people pay with credit/debit cards online. All major cards like Visa, MasterCard, Amex are accepted.
- Some sites offer pay on delivery (kapida ödeme) where you pay the delivery person in cash, but this is less common now.
- E-gift cards are another popular online payment method. You can buy gift cards for the exact shopping amount and apply them during checkout.
- Most large cities have options for cash payment at pickup points which I haven’t personally tried.
Delivery Times and Experiences
In my experience, e-commerce delivery in Turkey is very fast and reliable:
- In Istanbul, delivery often happens the same day or next day which is amazing.
- For places east of Istanbul, like Ankara, Bursa or Eskişehir delivery is usually the next day or maximum 2 days.
- Further east in the country, you can expect 2-4 day delivery which is still decent.
- Amazon Prime and HepsiJet (Hepsiburada’s delivery) have been the fastest and most reliable for me. My orders arrive in under 24 hours mostly.
- Trendyol Express, Yurtiçi Kargo and Aras Kargo are also pretty quick with 2-3 day delivery.
- Avoid Sürat Kargo. I’ve had consistently terrible experiences with delayed deliveries, damaged parcels, and more.
My Experince with Customer Service
E-commerce websites in Turkey offer very good customer service in my experience:
- Trendyol, Hepsiburada and Amazon Turkey have 24/7 chat support, which resolves issues quickly.
- Returns and refunds are very easy; you can start the process online, and parcels get picked up from home in 1-2 days.
- I haven’t faced any major customer service issues after hundreds of orders on these platforms. They always have my back.
Important Turkish Words I Used When Shopping Online
Here are some key Turkish words and phrases that I used when shopping on Turkish websites:
- Sepet – Cart
- İndirim – Discount
- Kampanya – Campaign/Sale
- Kupon – Coupon
- Kargo – Shipping
- Ücretsiz Kargo – Free Shipping
- Hızlı Teslimat – Fast Delivery
- Kapıda Ödeme – Cash on Delivery
- İade – Return
- Müşteri Hizmetleri – Customer Service
- Ürün Bilgisi – Product Information
- Ürün Yorumları – Product Reviews
Knowing these key words and phrases makes navigating Turkish shopping sites much easier. I always have Translation apps handy in case I come across any unfamiliar vocabulary while browsing products.
With this basic Turkish vocabulary, you’ll be able to search, compare products, apply discounts, choose delivery options, and understand order status updates. Online shopping in Turkey becomes quick and easy!
Handy Tips for Online Shopping in Turkey
Based on my shopping experience, here are some tips for newcomers to shopping online in Turkey:
- Don’t hesitate to shop online; the prices are very competitive and the product quality is great.
- Install the Akakçe app – it’s a shopping hack that compares prices for any product across multiple websites. Extremely useful for finding deals!
- Check seller ratings and reviews before buying – buy only from reputed sellers.
- Turkish is similar US/European sizing – so size you can buy clothes and shoes comfortably.
- Chat with customer support if you need help with ordering. 24/7 chat support is common.
My Favorite Turkish Brands
Living in Turkey has introduced me to many wonderful local brands that I love to shop from online. Here are some of my top favorite Turkish brands across categories:
- For fashion, Mavi is hands-down my go-to brand for denim. Their jeans fit me perfectly, and the quality lasts for years. I also love shopping at lcwaikiki and Defacto for trendy everyday wear.
- In shoes, I really love by Vakko. As a man who loves stylish shoe, I can always find stylish, comfortable shoes and sandals in my size at affordable prices.
- For homewares and furniture, IKEA Türkiye has a great selection but I also like products from local brands like Evidea, and Emsal.
- In beauty and skincare, Sek brands like The Puriest Solutins and Otacı are affordable Turkish finds that I enjoy using.
- For electronics, Casper and Vestel are reputable Turkish electronics companies with competitively priced laptops, TVs and home appliances.
- Food and grocery – My go-to is BİM Market for their quality produce and pantry staples at low prices. I also order Turkish coffee from Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi.
