E-Commerce Operations and Legal Considerations – Part IV: After-Sales Services on E-Commerce

Under the Turkish Consumer Protection Law, producers and importers must provide after-sales maintenance and repair services for periods set by the Ministry of Trade. If you sell goods under your own brand or logo through your e-commerce store, you are treated as the producer — and you owe the same obligations.

Service Station Network Requirements

• Authorised service stations must be distributed across designated regions for the full lifespan of the product.
• Worked example: A waffle-maker producer must provide service for seven years, with 30 stations in total across Turkey’s seven regions, minimum three per region.
• Businesses can either build their own stations or contract with existing ones.

TSE Service Sufficiency Certificate

Service stations need a Ministry-approved Service Sufficiency Certificate, which requires:

• The certificate is issued by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE).
• Stations must have a technical service department and meet occupational health-and-safety standards.
• Reports on grounding, electrical safety and tool calibration must be in place.
• The TSE certificate is renewed annually; the Service Sufficiency Certificate is renewed every two years.

Registration

Certificate holders must register their authorised service stations on the Ministry of Trade Service Information System and submit the supporting documentation.

Key Takeaways

• After-sales is a core component of customer satisfaction — and a meaningful capital and labour commitment.
• The obligation falls on producers and importers specifically.
• An e-commerce seller using its own brand is treated as a producer — and inherits all of the above.