E-Commerce Law Series · 2 of 5
In online textile sales, the contract process must provide clear information before the consumer commits to an order. The rules address the seller’s identity, price, delivery, withdrawal rights and available remedies. Accurate records help both sides understand what was agreed.
1. What is a distance contract?
A consumer distance contract is concluded without the simultaneous physical presence of the seller and consumer, through an organised distance-marketing system using remote communication up to and including conclusion. Websites, apps and telephone sales may qualify; a social-media message qualifies only where the statutory conditions are met. Genuine purchases for commercial or professional purposes require assessment under the applicable commercial rules rather than automatically applying consumer protections.
2. Information before the order
The consumer must receive clear and understandable information before being bound, in the form required for the chosen communication method. It includes:
- The seller’s identity, address and contact details and, where applicable, the intermediary’s details.
- The essential characteristics of the goods: for textiles, accurate information on composition, size, colour and care where relevant.
- The total price including taxes and disclosed delivery or additional charges.
- Payment methods, delivery arrangements, promised delivery time and complaint handling.
- Conditions, procedure, period and exceptions for withdrawal, together with required return information.
- Available consumer arbitration committee and court remedies, including pre-action mediation where required by Article 73/A of Law No. 6502.
The consumer must confirm receipt of the required preliminary information in a manner appropriate to the communication channel. A link buried only in a footer is not a substitute for a compliant checkout process. Depending on the breach, failure to inform may affect additional charges or withdrawal periods. For marketplace contracts, the regulation also assigns responsibilities to intermediaries.
3. Order and payment obligation
Immediately before the order is confirmed, the consumer must be clearly told that placing it creates a payment obligation. If that information is not provided, the consumer is not bound by the order under the applicable regulation.
The exact moment of contract formation depends on the offer, acceptance and system operation; clicking a button or a separate seller confirmation is not invariably decisive. Provide contract information and preserve evidence in the legally required durable medium or form, depending on the transaction. Extra paid options require separate express approval; preselected paid options do not replace it.
4. Unfair terms
Terms not individually negotiated that create a significant imbalance against the consumer contrary to good faith are not binding under the statutory rules. A blanket “no returns” notice cannot remove a statutory withdrawal right where an exception does not apply. Clauses excluding all responsibility for defective goods or late delivery, selecting a court to the consumer’s detriment, or allowing unilateral changes without adequate grounds require particular scrutiny.
5. Delivery, damage and records
The seller must perform within the promised period measured from receipt of the order. For goods, the ordinary maximum is thirty days; goods prepared according to the consumer’s wishes or personal needs are excepted from that maximum. A shorter promised period remains relevant.
If delivery is not made within the applicable period, the consumer may terminate under the regulation. Following termination, payments including delivery costs are to be returned within the prescribed fourteen-day period with statutory interest. Where performance becomes impossible, separate notification and refund rules apply; an item being out of stock is not automatically impossibility.
Photographs, correspondence and a carrier report can help prove damage or missing goods, but the absence of a report at delivery does not by itself extinguish consumer rights. Liability for loss before delivery depends on the statutory rule and the carrier chosen.
Retain versions of product pages, preliminary information, order confirmation and records of delivery and payment in accordance with applicable retention and data-protection rules. Secure payment data and assess any proposed storage separately.
Related series
Previous: legal foundations of textile e-commerce. Next: withdrawal, returns and textile exceptions.
Official sources
Ministry of Trade: distance contracts and Distance Contracts Regulation.
Reviewed 29 October 2026. General information on Turkish law; the contract, statutory exceptions and evidence require individual assessment. Turkish legislation governs.