We launched an e-commerce site — which documents were needed, how did the process go, and what did we miss?

Don't password-protect your site from outside users before applying for a virtual POS; reviewers reject it on the spot if they can't access it. Your tax identification number or MERSİS number must be explicitly listed in the footer. We lost a full ten days on our first application over that simple oversight.

We went the limited company route last year. Setting up the company, getting the financial seal, and notary fees came out to around 24,000 TL in total. The licensed payment aggregator approved our virtual POS the next day, but headquarters approval from the courier took 19 business days. If you're doing under 20 orders a day, use aggregator pool rates instead of direct corporate carrier contracts.

Local carrier branch discretion is genuinely annoying, but you can definitely sign an agreement without providing a letter of guarantee. Instead of wasting time with a branch asking for a guarantee, you should have checked with another branch a few blocks away or an alternative carrier. Many branches will sign with zero guarantee just to hit their quotas.

definitely do not forget the etbis registration someone i know got fined. the system isnt super complicated it takes half an hour via e-devlet but the site has to be live and the server location needs to be set properly.

When I launched my first site, I just pasted a generic return policy I copied off the internet. The payment provider rejected my application saying the right of withdrawal timeframe didn't comply with the law. They read those texts word for word, you definitely shouldn't copy-paste templates blindly.

Did you finish your ETBİS registration, and did you go with a direct bank virtual POS or a licensed payment gateway provider? Banks usually ask for business history and a revenue commitment, whereas payment aggregators can be much more flexible with paperwork—which one did you get stuck on?

Let me round up the overlooked documents: 1) E-signature or financial seal, 2) Commercial checking account opened under the company name, 3) KEP address (often made mandatory, especially when dealing with enterprise suppliers), 4) KVKK-compliant membership and contact privacy disclosures. If you start without having these ready, you get stopped in your tracks at every step.

The first few weeks are always painful like this for beginners, don't let it discourage you. You took care of the missing pieces fast. As sales start coming in, once you get the e-arşiv invoice integration running smoothly, all that's left is focusing on marketing. Wishing you plenty of sales.

I agree, and I'd like to emphasize that. Second-time founders don't make the same mistakes but find new ones.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

I went through the same thing two years ago. If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later.

We experienced almost the exact same thing last year... The reason for failure isn't one big mistake, but the accumulation of small decisions.

Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval... That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Thanks for writing this, that's the right way. When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand.

The first thing to break as you grow is communication, not the numbers. If you post the result here, it will help others too.

I felt relieved reading this answer, so it's not just me. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I was thinking the same thing. When you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

The answer above hits the nail on the head. Extending terms makes customers happy but turns you into a financing institution.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

I felt relieved reading this answer, so it's not just me. The moment you depend on a single client, you no longer set the price.

Extending terms makes customers happy but turns you into a financing institution. I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Following.

My questions are cleared up, thanks.