Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade says it will monitor discount advertising throughout November, the month when Turkish retailers run large sales campaigns, and has warned that misleading ads can draw administrative fines of between 99,339 lira and 39,916,524 lira, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Wednesday.
According to the ministry statement carried by AA, Memurlar.net and Takvim, inspections will cover all channels, including websites, social media and in-store price notices, and will be opened both on the ministry’s own initiative and on consumer complaints. The amount of any fine depends on the medium where the ad ran and the nature of the breach.
The 10-day reference price rule
The key rule concerns the "before" price. For goods, the price shown as the pre-discount price must be the lowest price charged in the 10 days before the campaign starts. Memurlar.net reported that the rule comes from an amendment to the Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices Regulation published in the Official Gazette (Resmi Gazete) on 1 July 2026 and in force since 1 August, and that the reference period was previously 30 days. It added that perishable goods such as fruit and vegetables, and services, are treated differently.
Practices under scrutiny
The ministry listed practices it will act on, including:
– advertising discounts that do not actually exist; – not using the lowest price of the previous 10 days as the pre-discount price; – leaving out the start and end dates of a campaign; – stacking several rates such as "70% + 10% + 5%" in a way that misleads shoppers about the real discount; – breaking discount rules in loyalty-programme and conditional offers; – a mismatch between the headline promise of an ad and its exceptions, or hiding conditions where they are hard to see.
How to complain
Complaints go to the ministry’s Advertising Board (Reklam Kurulu). Takvim said they can be filed through e-Devlet using the "Reklam ve Haksız Ticari Uygulama Şikâyeti" service, with a screenshot of the ad and price information attached. Memurlar.net said the board can also order an ad to be stopped.
The ministry also advised shoppers to compare current prices with earlier ones, check that websites are secure, read campaign terms, look out for shipping or service fees added at checkout and share card details only on trusted platforms.
The ministry has also been acting on misleading ads in the property sector, where it recently doubled a fine on a misleading housing listing. For household budgeting, see our cost of living in Türkiye guide.
Sources
- Ticaret Bakanlığı kasım ayı indirim kampanyalarını mercek altına aldı (AA)
- Bakanlık, Kasım İndirimlerine Sıkı Takip Başlattı (Memurlar.net)
- Kasım indirimlerinde alışveriş yapacaklar dikkat! Bakanlıktan 8 kritik uyarı (Takvim)
Photo: The original uploader was Yalhi at Turkish Wikipedia. / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
