For a foreign brand entering Türkiye, the choice between direct-to-consumer (your own .com.tr site) and marketplace is increasingly tilting marketplace. The reasons: faster customer acquisition, lower fixed costs, and Turkish consumers' marked preference for known platforms with their own logistics, payment and trust layers. But marketplace economics require a fundamentally different operating model than D2C — and an ERP that connects you cleanly to multiple marketplaces simultaneously.
This guide walks through the three platforms most foreign brands consider, their integration realities, and the five operational misunderstandings that cost real money in year one.
The three-platform landscape
Trendyol
Türkiye's largest marketplace with a sophisticated seller program. Trendyol Partner API supports product listing, real-time stock and price sync, order ingestion, cargo integration (Trendyol Express plus other carriers), returns management and customer Q&A. Onboarding requires entity registration and may involve a category-specific approval; minimum performance metrics need to be maintained.
Hepsiburada
Second-largest. Hepsiburada Marketplace API offers a comparable feature set to Trendyol. Hepsijet (their own logistics arm) integrates via API. Strong in electronics, home goods and fashion.
Amazon TR (amazon.com.tr)
Operating since 2018. Amazon Selling Partner API (SP-API) — REST-based, modern, well-documented. Replaces the older Amazon MWS, which is no longer being updated. SP-API handles product listing, stock and price updates, order processing, payment reporting, and customer messages. FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is supported in Türkiye; FBA inventory is managed via SP-API.
Note: API access requirements vary by platform. Some require minimum monthly sales or seller-rating thresholds before granting API credentials. Application timelines range from 1 to 4 weeks. Confirm current requirements directly with each platform before committing to a launch timeline.
Smaller platforms
n11, Pazarama, Çiçeksepeti and GittiGidiyor (Hepsiglobal) also have APIs but with less mature documentation. Worth considering as expansion channels after the big three are stable.
Commission and fee economics (illustrative)
Marketplace commissions vary by category and platform; structures change. Always verify current rates with the platform — these are illustrative ranges:
- Trendyol: roughly 12-22% commission depending on category, plus payment processing fees and optional advertising costs
- Hepsiburada: roughly 10-17% commission, similar structure
- Amazon TR: roughly 8-15% commission depending on category, plus FBA fees if you use fulfillment
For foreign brands, the often-overlooked items are return fees, late-shipment penalties, and category-specific commission tiers. A 12% nominal commission can become an effective 18-22% by the time all costs are accounted for.
Logistics: the three models
Marketplace fulfillment in Türkiye typically follows one of three models:
Self-fulfillment You ship from your own warehouse; the marketplace passes the order to you, you arrange cargo. Trendyol/HB/Amazon all support this. You pay cargo cost, marketplace takes commission. Margin-friendly but operational-heavy.
Marketplace logistics Trendyol Express, Hepsijet or Amazon FBA take physical inventory custody. They pick, pack, ship and handle returns. Higher fees but lower operational complexity. For foreign brands without a Turkish warehouse, this is usually the right starting model.
Cross-docking Hybrid: you ship to the marketplace's hub, they distribute. Less common but available for specific categories.
For foreign brands, the question is: do you set up a Turkish warehouse from day one (enabling self-fulfillment) or use marketplace logistics (faster start, slightly worse margin)? The right answer depends on volume; below ~500 orders/month, marketplace logistics is almost always cheaper.
ERP integration: what to require
A multi-marketplace operation needs an ERP that handles:
Single inventory pool, multiple channel windows. Stock for the same SKU is one number; each marketplace sees its allocated portion (or the full pool with reservation rules). When Trendyol takes an order, Hepsiburada inventory drops simultaneously.
Per-channel pricing. Trendyol commission differs from Amazon; if you target the same net margin, the listed price differs by channel. The ERP should support a price matrix and recompute when commission rates change.
Order ingestion via webhook (preferred) or polling. Webhook is real-time; polling introduces 5-15 minute lag. For high-velocity SKUs, webhook is mandatory.
Cargo label generation per channel. Trendyol prefers Trendyol Express; Hepsiburada prefers Hepsijet; Amazon FBA bypasses cargo for you. The ERP should print the right label automatically.
Automatic e-Invoice issuance. Each order generates an e-Arşiv invoice (B2C) or e-Fatura (B2B with registered tax ID), routed correctly to GİB and the customer.
Returns workflow. Marketplace returns trigger a reverse flow: stock adjustment, refund initiation, e-Invoice cancellation. All four steps must be coordinated.
Reconciliation with marketplace settlements. Marketplaces pay sellers on a delayed schedule (typically 14-21 days after order). The ERP must reconcile expected payments against actual settlements, flagging missing or short payments.
The 5 operational misunderstandings
1. "We'll list everything on launch day." Listing 500 SKUs simultaneously without optimised photos, descriptions and pricing kills your initial seller rating. Start with 50 SKUs, optimise listings, then expand.
2. "Customer service can be handled by HQ." Marketplace customer questions (Trendyol Q&A, Amazon Customer Messages) require Turkish-language responses within 24 hours. HQ-time-zone English-language support is non-viable. Hire a local part-timer or use a Turkish customer service outsourcer.
3. "Returns will be 5%." Apparel, footwear and home goods routinely see 20-40% returns on marketplaces. Underestimating return rate leads to inventory chaos and margin shock. Plan returns logistics from day one.
4. "Marketplace and own-site can use the same prices." Marketplace pricing is a public function of commission. Your own-site can be slightly cheaper (no commission), but if it's much cheaper, marketplace algorithms penalise you. Consistency or carefully managed differential pricing is required.
5. "We'll add Hepsiburada / Amazon next month." Adding a second marketplace is typically a 4-6 week project: SKU listing, photo formatting, category mapping, channel integration testing, pricing strategy, customer service capacity. Plan it as a project, not a flip-of-a-switch.
Birasyo's marketplace integration
Birasyo's marketplace module supports:
- Trendyol Partner API — full stack: products, stock, orders, cargo, returns, Q&A
- Hepsiburada Marketplace API — full stack including Hepsijet
- Amazon SP-API — products, inventory (incl. FBA), orders, financial reports, customer messages
- n11, Pazarama, Çiçeksepeti — basic order + stock sync
Single-pool inventory with channel reservations, per-channel margin-driven pricing, automatic e-Arşiv issuance, settlement reconciliation, and unified customer Q&A panel.
For a foreign brand entering Türkiye via marketplace, book a 1-hour planning call — we'll map your SKU range to category-appropriate platforms and produce a launch sequence.
Sources
- Amazon Selling Partner API documentation
- Trendyol Partner Center (developer portal — registration required)
- Hepsiburada Marketplace Developer Portal
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