Legal qualities of the relationships among parties in e-commerce marketplace and liability of e-commerce intermediary services provider for defective goods to consumer

Thanks to the today's technological developments, shopping on e-commerce marketplaces have emerged as a compelling alternative to in-store shopping. The widespread use of e-commerce marketplaces poses a risk of defective goods being sold to consumers by entering circulation. As a result of this questions of what the legal qualities of relationships among parties in the three-sided relationship consisting of e-commerce services provider, consumer and e-commerce intermediary services providers (who connect them) are and whether an intermediary services provider can be held liable for defective goods to a consumer arises. In this study, firstly, definition and types of e-commerce will be explained, next, legal qualities of relationships among parties of e-commerce will be analyzed and whether liability of an e-commerce intermediary services provider arises from defective goods sold to consumer on e-commerce marketplace will be examined within the framework of Turkish and Comparative law, in the context of both contractual and non-contractual liability.