Businesses that want to start selling online usually ask the same first question: should we sell on marketplaces like Trendyol and Hepsiburada, or build our own e-commerce site? Both models have strengths and weaknesses, and the right answer is often to use both in the right way.
Advantages of marketplaces
- Ready-made traffic: Millions of people are already there to shop.
- Quick start: The technical setup, payments and often shipping deals are ready.
- Trust: Because they’re buying from a well-known platform, customers more easily give an unfamiliar brand a chance.
Disadvantages of marketplaces
- Commission: Commissions vary by category and can take a significant share of the sale, cutting profit sharply.
- Price competition: You’re listed next to competitors selling the same product; the decision often comes down to price.
- The customer isn’t yours: Your access to customer details is limited, so you can’t reach them again with new products.
- The platform’s rules: Commission rates, campaign terms and visibility depend on the platform’s decisions.
Advantages of your own online store
- No commission: You only pay the payment provider’s transaction fee.
- Brand experience: Design, product storytelling and campaigns are entirely in your control.
- Customer data: Who buys what and how often; you can use that data to sell again.
Challenges of your own site
A site doesn’t bring visitors on its own. You have to build traffic through ads, social media and SEO, which takes a marketing budget and patience at the start. To build trust, you also need a professional design, clear return terms and genuine customer reviews.
The best strategy: both together
For many brands, the healthiest approach is to use the marketplace as a shop window for finding new customers and your own site as the main store for profitable, repeat sales. Putting a discount code for your own site in every package is the easiest way to move marketplace customers to your own channel.
The same logic applies to restaurants; in our post on restaurants’ own ordering systems we explain the commission maths with an example.