Marketplaces provide quick access to an existing customer base, but the rules, customer relationship, and storefront belong to the platform; an independent e-commerce website requires more effort and promotional budget, while customer data, pricing policy, and the brand remain entirely with the business. For many businesses, the right answer is to use both in the right sequence and balance rather than choose just one.
This article addresses whether to sell on a marketplace or build a brand-owned online store through four dimensions: ownership, customer data, commission structure, and branding. It then covers the hybrid model combining both channels, roles under Law No. 6563 governing e-commerce, and questions to ask before deciding. No specific platforms or commission figures are named; rates vary by category and contract.
What is the fundamental difference between a marketplace and your own website?
The fundamental difference is who owns the environment where sales take place. On a marketplace, the business sets up a stall in a bazaar built by someone else; on its own website, it owns the shop’s title deed, storefront, and sign above the door.
This analogy shows the advantages of both sides. The bazaar already has crowds and setting up a stall is quick, but management decides its rules, rental conditions, and which stalls receive prominence. In its own shop, bringing customers to the door is the business’s job; in return, all decisions belong to the business. The channel is chosen according to which situation better suits the business’s current resources and long-term goals.
An often overlooked point is that the two models require different types of effort. On a marketplace, effort goes into tracking prices, following campaign calendars, and maintaining store ratings; on an independent website, it goes into content production, advertising management, and technical maintenance. Which work the team can handle more comfortably also affects the choice.
Comparison: ownership, customer data, commission, and branding
The table below summarizes differences between the two models in the most frequently asked areas. The commission row compares payment principles rather than giving rates.
| Area | Selling on a marketplace | Your own e-commerce website |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | The store page sits on the platform’s infrastructure and follows its rules | Domain, hosting, and content in the business’s name |
| Customer data | Access to order information, with limited subsequent customer communication | Customer records, order history, and permission-based contact lists stay with the business |
| Commission structure | Commission per sale according to category, with extra charges for some services | No sales commission; payment institution deductions, hosting, and maintenance expenses apply |
| Branding | The product stands out, while the seller’s name may remain secondary | Design, language, and packaging experience belong entirely to the brand |
| Traffic | The platform’s existing visitors | Visitors brought by the business through SEO, advertising, and social media |
| Price competition | Competitors selling the same product appear side by side on the same page | Comparisons happen elsewhere, with independent pricing policy |
| Speed of starting | Opening a store is relatively quick | Setup, payment, and legal pages require preparation |
No single row in the table makes the decision. Speed of starting carries more weight for a business seeking quick cash flow, while customer data and branding matter more for one aiming to build a brand over the long term.
Strengths of selling on a marketplace
A marketplace’s greatest advantage is visibility from the first day to a large audience arriving with shopping intent. For an unknown brand, this is one of the shortest routes to initial orders. Other prominent benefits are:
- The platform supplies ready-made payment infrastructure, cart, and refund workflows.
- Customers trust the platform and are therefore more willing to buy from an unfamiliar seller.
- Shipping agreements and shipment tracking are often made easier through the platform.
- It quickly becomes clear which products attract interest and in which price ranges.
- A separate website is not needed to test a new product.
In this respect, a marketplace functions as a valuable laboratory, especially when testing product-market fit.
Limitations of selling on a marketplace
The limitation of marketplace selling is that the seller does not set the rules of the game. Commissions, listing conditions, campaign participation, and the logic of search rankings can change at the platform’s discretion; the seller must adapt to these changes.
The customer relationship is also limited. After completing an order, establishing a direct, permission-based communication channel with the buyer is generally impossible; the repeat purchase decision takes place within the platform again, among competitors. Because sellers offering the same product appear side by side on the same screen, competition often becomes confined to price.
Another risk is dependence on one channel. A restriction on the store account or a change in category rules directly affects cash flow if all turnover comes from that channel.
Page contents
What your own e-commerce website provides
Your own e-commerce website keeps the customer relationship and brand permanently with the business. Each new customer becomes a record that can be reached directly in the next campaign. The main gains are:
- New products and campaigns can be announced by email or message to customers who have given explicit consent.
- Product page design, descriptions, and photographic style are built according to the brand’s preferences.
- Pricing structures such as product bundles, member discounts, or free-shipping thresholds can be tested freely.
- Website content and category pages build a presence in search engines over time.
- No platform commission is paid per sale; profit margins become more predictable.
Permission-based communication is especially important. Article 6 of Law No. 6563 provides that commercial electronic messages may be sent to recipients only with their prior consent; tradespeople and merchants are exempt from this rule. Adding a separate consent checkbox to membership and order forms on an independent website allows the customer list to grow lawfully.
Opening the domain and accounts in the business’s name is a prerequisite for these gains. Decisions during setup are explained step by step on the e-commerce website development page.
What your own website requires: traffic, payments, and operations
The cost of an independent website is that everything a marketplace supplies ready-made must be established and maintained by the business. Traffic is the most decisive item: visitors do not arrive automatically on the day the website launches.
Traffic comes from three sources. Product and category pages need regular optimization for search engines; the points to check are collected in the e-commerce SEO checklist article. Shopping and search advertisements provide faster visibility; advertising budget is paid directly to the platform, while its structure can be planned within Google advertising management . The third source is social media and the existing customer base.
On the operational side, payment infrastructure, shipping integration, invoicing, refund processes, and legal pages are also the business’s responsibility. The total expense of these items is listed individually in the article on the cost of setting up an e-commerce website . Online stores built by Onur Freelance start at 24,000 TL; the final scope depends on product count and integrations.
Let us weigh the channel decision together
Share the product group, existing sales channels, and goals in a short message, and a free preliminary assessment is provided on how to balance a marketplace with an independent website. If website setup comes into consideration, the proposal is prepared that day after discussing scope and sent to the store owner.
The roles of the intermediary service provider and seller under Law No. 6563
The Law positions the company operating the marketplace as the “intermediary service provider” and the business selling there or on its own website as the “service provider.” Article 2 of Law No. 6563defines an intermediary service provider as a person providing an electronic commerce environment for commercial activities belonging to others; definitions added in 2022 also distinguish “electronic commerce intermediary service provider” and “electronic commerce service provider.”
This distinction has several practical consequences for sellers. Under Article 9 of the Law, unless other laws provide otherwise, an intermediary service provider is not held responsible for unlawful acts arising from content and products supplied by the seller; however, it removes unlawful content when it becomes aware of it. If a documented complaint of intellectual or industrial property infringement arrives, the product is removed; the seller can request republication through a documented objection.
A provision also deserves attention for trademark owners: without the seller’s prior affirmative statement, an electronic commerce intermediary service provider cannot advertise in search engines using the registered trademark forming the main element of the seller’s domain registered with ETBİS (Turkey’s Electronic Commerce Information System). Large intermediary service providers above a particular transaction volume face additional obligations, such as using seller data only for intermediation and allowing sellers access to those data. Whichever channel is used for sales, the registration obligation explained on the Ministry of Trade’s ETBİS page is reviewed before starting operations.
Note: This section summarizes the relevant legal provisions for information and is not a legal opinion. A legal professional should be consulted for a specific dispute or contract review.
The hybrid model: operating a marketplace and your own website together
The hybrid model uses a marketplace as a channel for acquiring new customers and the independent website as the center of the brand and repeat sales. Fluctuations in one channel are thus balanced by the other, reducing dependence on a single platform.
For the model to work properly, inventory information must stay current across the two channels; otherwise, a product sold out in one channel continues to sell in the other. Pricing policy is also determined at the outset: some businesses distinguish the channels through special bundles, website-exclusive color options, or member privileges on their own websites. To the extent allowed by marketplace rules, information cards inside packages, social media accounts, and email newsletters are natural ways to promote the brand’s website.
Brand consistency also becomes important in a hybrid structure.
The profitability of the two channels should also be tracked separately. Even if marketplace sales volumes look high, unit profit can differ from the independent website after deducting commissions and campaign participation charges. Placing turnover, refunds, and net earnings side by side by channel at the end of every month allows decisions about where to invest more effort to be based on data.
Which route is more suitable for which business?
The right route in the marketplace-or-independent-website question depends on the product’s nature, the business’s recognition, and the time available for promotion. Even two businesses in the same industry can have different answers. A few typical situations make the decision concrete.
A marketplace is a good starting point for a business selling standard products also offered by other sellers and without brand recognition yet; however, intense price competition should be anticipated from the outset. A brand manufacturing its own products, distinguished by their story and design, takes ownership of customer relationships from the beginning if it builds its own website early. For businesses selling wholesale or to corporate customers, needs such as quotation forms, dealer logins, and special price lists generally make an independent website necessary.
For businesses with physical stores and existing customers, an independent website is the most direct way to move that audience online. When undecided, measuring demand through a marketplace while preparing an independent website in the same period offers a cautious start combining the advantages of both routes.
Questions to ask before deciding
Channel selection becomes clearer through honest answers to the questions below. Answering them in order also reveals how much resource should be allocated to each channel:
- Is the same product available from other sellers, or is it unique to the brand?
- Is the commission payable per sale sustainable with the current profit margin?
- How important are the customer’s second and third purchases to the business?
- Is there time and advertising budget available each month to bring visitors to the website?
- Can inventory, shipping, and customer service handle two channels simultaneously?
- In which channel should the brand’s recognition have accumulated five years from now?
If most answers point to the short term, a marketplace-focused plan makes more sense; if they point to the long term, a plan focused on the independent website is more meaningful. Strong answers in both directions bring the hybrid model into consideration.
Common mistakes in channel selection
Most mistakes come from treating one channel as a solution that completely replaces the other. The most common examples in practice are:
- Building an independent website and expecting sales without any promotional plan.
- Tying all turnover to one marketplace without preparing an alternative channel.
- Setting marketplace prices equal to independent website prices without accounting for commission.
- Starting sales without inventory synchronization between the channels.
- Postponing legal pages and ETBİS registration on the independent website.
Let us lay the foundations for your own store
For sellers wanting to add an independent website alongside a marketplace store or consider how to balance the two channels, the contact line is open every day from nine in the morning to nine in the evening. If setup proceeds, the website address and server account are registered in the store owner’s own name.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Should a business selling on a marketplace also have its own website?
It is not mandatory, but an independent website keeps the customer relationship and brand with the business and reduces dependence on a single platform. Many businesses establish this balance by operating both channels together.
Are commissions paid on an independent e-commerce website?
No platform commission is paid per sale, but expenses include payment institution or bank deductions, hosting, and maintenance. If advertising is used for traffic, the advertising budget is also included.
Can customer data be accessed on a marketplace?
Information needed to deliver the order is accessible, but subsequent customer communication is limited by platform rules. On an independent website, customers who have given permission can be contacted directly.
What does intermediary service provider mean?
Under Law No. 6563, it is a natural or legal person providing an electronic commerce environment for commercial activities belonging to others. Companies operating marketplaces fall within this definition.
Must prices be the same in both channels in a hybrid model?
No; commission differences and each channel’s particular conditions may require different pricing. Some businesses differentiate through exclusive bundles or product options on their own websites instead of price.
How do you bring traffic to an independent website?
The main sources are search engine optimization, search and shopping advertisements, social media, and the existing customer base. SEO takes time, while advertisements provide faster visibility; most stores use both together.
Must a business selling on a marketplace register with ETBİS?
The ETBİS registration obligations of service providers engaged in electronic commerce are explained on the Ministry of Trade’s page. That page and an accountant’s opinion should be considered together for the business’s specific situation.
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