How to Set Up an E-Commerce Site in 2026: From Marketplace to Your Own Store

You sell on a marketplace, but commission rates climb every year, and the customer belongs to the platform, not to you. That is why your own e-commerce site is on the table. This guide walks the steps in order: product structure, payments, shipping, returns, required pages.

The decision first: not leaving the marketplace, balancing it

Your own site is not an alternative to the marketplace, it is the complement. The marketplace gives ready traffic; your own site gives sales without commission and the customer data. Run both: stay visible on the marketplace, move loyal customers to your own store. Even a discount code slipped into the shipping box starts that migration.

Product and category structure

This is the most neglected step. Before the software, settle these:

• How many products do you have, and how many variants (size, color, dimension)?
• How will categories be grouped? Two levels are enough for most stores.
• Are the product photos and descriptions ready? Coming from a marketplace, you can usually export existing content in bulk.

Category structure decides how the customer browses and how Google understands your site. Dumping hundreds of products into one category called "Products" is a common mistake; search engine and customer both get lost.

The virtual POS agreement

To take card payments you need a virtual POS agreement, the Turkish term for the payment gateway between your store and the banks. There are two routes:

1. Going straight to a bank: commission is usually lower, but the application takes longer and the integration is on you.
2. A licensed payment institution: the application is fast, the integration comes ready, and installment options across banks arrive with one agreement. Commission is somewhat higher in return.

If you are starting out, a payment institution is practical; as revenue grows, so does your bargaining power with the banks. Applications ask for tax registration, signature circular and a live website, so the order matters: site first, payment application second.

Shipping integrations and carrier agreements

Sign corporate agreements with the carriers; the gap between those rates and individual parcel prices is serious. While volume is low, aggregator platforms that put several carriers in one panel are a sensible start.

Your shipping integration should automate three things: creating the label when an order comes in, sending the tracking number to the customer, showing delivery status in your panel. At five orders a day this looks like a luxury. At fifty it is a requirement.

Design the returns process from day one

In distance selling the customer has a 14 day right of withdrawal and you have to honor it. Set the process up early and returns will not wear you down:

• Write the return conditions on the site, clearly and easy to find.
• Define a free or flat rate return code with your carrier.
• Tie return requests to the order record in your panel: which product came back, and why.

Where returns run high, especially clothing, a size chart and detailed photos are the cheapest way to cut return costs.

Distance sales contract and required pages

If you are opening an e-commerce site in Turkey, these pages are mandatory:

• Distance sales contract
• Pre-contractual information form
• Return and withdrawal conditions
• Privacy policy and the KVKK privacy notice (KVKK is Turkey's personal data protection law)
• Cookie policy
• Company details: legal name, address, tax number, contact

These texts should not be templates copied off the internet; they have to fit your product and process. The contract has to be approved during checkout and delivered permanently. A serious e-commerce setup brings that flow ready on day one.

E-Arşiv invoices

You have to invoice every sale, and in e-commerce the practical way is the e-Arşiv invoice, Turkey's electronic invoice for sales to end customers. It is issued electronically instead of on paper and reaches the buyer by e-mail. Talk to your accountant to start it. On the site side, order details flowing into the invoicing system automatically takes real weight off you. Entering invoices by hand is the first thing that jams as orders rise.

What drives the cost of the site?

Search for e-commerce prices and you get wild ranges. The items that set the price are countable:

• Product and variant count: setting up 50 products and 5,000 is not the same effort.
• Integrations: payment, shipping, invoicing, marketplace sync. Each is separate work.
• Design: a ready made theme, or a design built for your brand?
• Management panel: can you run products, orders, returns and campaigns yourself?

There is one more cost you do not see: infrastructure you do not own. On rented systems, the site goes the day you stop paying. The Oktoks e-commerce Standard package is $2,250 + VAT; the site is handed over with its management panel and the source code belongs to you. Every item is written openly on the pricing page.

Where to start

The order goes like this: settle your product and category structure, get the site built and live, then run the payment application, the carrier agreement and the e-Arşiv switch in parallel. Have the distance sales contract and the required pages ready on launch day. To pin the project down item by item, fill in the quote form and we will draw up a plan that fits.