Turkish e-commerce giant Sahibinden slapped with monopolistic charges

The Turkish Competition Authority launched an investigation into Türkiye’s leading e-commerce platform, Sahibinden, over its marketing practices related to its new vehicle sales service, Otobid.

According to a statement on the Competition Authority’s website on Thursday, the investigation will assess whether Sahibinden has gained an unfair competitive advantage by leveraging user data from both individual and corporate members in its second-hand vehicle trading service.

The probe also will examine Sahibinden’s substantial advertising expenditures for Otobid and whether these practices violate the Turkish Law on the Protection of Competition by establishing market dominance.

Interim measures imposed on Otobid

The statement indicated that evidence suggests Sahibinden’s practice of integrating user data across its services may constitute a violation of competition laws. To prevent potential irreversible damages, the authority has imposed temporary measures until a final decision is reached.

The following restrictions will apply to Sahibinden:

• Otobid advertisements on the Sahibinden homepage must not be designed in a way that overshadows the classified ad placement option.
• Individual users must not be directed toward the Otobid service during the listing process.
• Data collected from corporate and individual users, including classified ad information, must not be used for competitive advantage in the online second-hand vehicle trading market.

Founded in 2000, Sahibinden is one of Türkiye’s prominent online marketplaces, where individuals and businesses trade services, products, and real estate. With its new service, Otobid, Sahibinden has offered a platform for individual sellers looking to quickly sell their second-hand vehicles through an online auction system to registered corporate buyers.