The problem
When GittiGidiyor launched in 2001, buying a second-hand phone or selling excess stock online in Turkey meant trusting a stranger — no escrow, no ratings, no buyer protection. E-commerce needed a trusted middle layer.
How it works
GittiGidiyor ran auction-style and fixed-price listings where sellers opened storefronts and buyers transacted under platform-mediated trust with feedback histories. After eBay took a majority stake in 2011 it operated as eBay’s independent Turkish platform, remaining the country’s top online shopping site as late as 2018.
Pain points
Stranger-to-stranger transaction risk, no digital shelf for small sellers, and cash-based deals with no recourse.
Business model
Classic marketplace take-rate: listing fees plus a commission on each completed sale.
Challenges
The failure was strategic, not operational. From around 2019 Trendyol — backed by Alibaba money — subsidised logistics, coupons, and same-day delivery while Amazon entered Turkey; customer-acquisition costs exploded for a standalone listings marketplace with no captive logistics or payments flywheel. eBay, reviewing global operations, decided the Turkish asset was no longer worth recapitalising: listings froze on 20 June 2022, purchases ended 18 July, and account access closed 5 September 2022. Sellers lost years of ratings and storefront equity with weeks of migration notice.
Funding
- Raised: MISSING (eBay majority acquisition 2011; deal terms not cited in inspected sources).
- Valuation: MISSING.
- Status: closed — wound down by eBay; ~4M active buyers removed from eBay’s consolidated buyer count.
Latest — June 2022
On 20 June 2022 eBay announced it would close GittiGidiyor, citing ongoing competitive dynamics; sellers could no longer list from that day, buyers could purchase until 18 July, and account pages stayed accessible until 5 September 2022.