Ministry of Trade statement on return shipping fees

The Ministry of Trade has issued a statement regarding reports appearing in some media outlets and on social media, which claimed that under a regulation set to take effect on January 1, 2024, consumers would be required to pay return shipping fees when exercising their right of withdrawal for online purchases, unless the goods are defective. 

The statement noted, "In order to establish a more effective consumer protection system against new sales and marketing techniques emerging as a result of the growth in electronic commerce transactions and, consequently, the volume of distance contracts, and to ensure compliance with the European Union Directives that form the basis of our existing consumer legislation, as well as the amendments made by the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Consumer and the Condominium Law, published in the Official Gazette dated April 1, 2022, and numbered 31796, certain amendments were made to the Regulation on Distance Contracts via the regulations published in the Official Gazette dated August 23, 2022, and numbered 31932."

"IT IS ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE QUESTION"

The statement further clarified, “The implementation of the provision stating that return costs in the exercise of the right of withdrawal may be borne by the consumer, provided that it is specified in the preliminary information and does not exceed the initial delivery costs, has been postponed until January 1, 2025, by the regulation amendment published in the Official Gazette dated November 4, 2023, and numbered 32359; therefore, the reports in question are untrue.” The statement continued as follows:

“Until January 1, 2025, the date on which the regulations in question will begin to be implemented, the seller is obligated to cover the return shipping cost when the right of withdrawal is exercised in distance contracts, and it is absolutely out of the question for consumers to pay return shipping fees. 

For sellers who demand or collect return shipping fees from consumers exercising their right of withdrawal in distance contracts, particularly in e-commerce, an administrative fine of 1 thousand 371 TL will be applied for the year 2023 in accordance with the Law on the Protection of the Consumer No. 6502, and said fine amount will be applied by increasing it at the revaluation rate starting from January 1, 2024.”