Sahibinden English | My Experience with Buying and Selling Real Estate, Vehicles, & Shopping Items in Turkey

In this article, I’ll be sharing my personal experiences with Sahibinden, Turkey’s leading online marketplace for buying and selling a wide range of items including real estate, vehicles, and personal goods. From the eyes of an expat who has navigated the complexities of the Turkish market, I will provide you with an insightful guide on how to make the most out of this platform.

Sahibinden has become a staple in my daily life since moving to Turkey, thanks to its comprehensive listings and easy-to-use interface. From the comfort of my chair, I’ve successfully rented homes, purchased land, and even found a reliable vehicle, all through direct contact with owners or professional agents on the site. Join me as we delve into the functionalities of Sahibinden, and I’ll share some handy tips and precautions to ensure a safe and satisfying transaction.

What Is Sahibinden?

Sahibinden is an online listing and shopping platform where individuals and companies buy and sell real estate, cars and various goods and services.

In Turkish, the word “sahibinden” means “From the owner” and the site provides this. Those looking for land, cars or jobs post their own ads free of charge.

It is the largest site where real estate, second-hand cars and various products are bought and sold by the owner.

My experince with Sahibinden

I’ve really come to rely on Sahibinden while living in Turkey—it’s my go-to spot for dealing with classified ads directly from owners. Whether I’m buying or selling, it’s proven incredibly useful and trustworthy for these kinds of transactions.

Renting a house

Since I arrived in Turkey in 2017 as a foreign student, Sahibinden has been a lifesaver for me, especially given my limited Turkish language skills at the time. I didn’t feel comfortable navigating real estate brokers, so discovering Sahibinden’s English interface felt like striking gold. It was so straightforward—I contacted a house owner through the app, visited the place, and rented it right away. This experience has really shaped how I view and utilize the platform as a reliable resource.

As my Turkish improved, I continued to use Sahibinden, but switched to the Turkish interface. It was just as user-friendly, and when I moved again in 2019, it was my trusted tool to rent another house.

Buying a land

When my family came to Turkey in 2019 aiming to invest in agriculture, Sahibinden was our primary research tool. We scoured listings in many cities and, despite a lengthy search and a few setbacks, we successfully found a broker advertising land on Sahibinden. We reached out to him through the platform and efficiently closed the deal for our investment project. This experience cemented Sahibinden’s role as a trusted portal for my family’s real estate and investment endeavors.

Buying a car

We needed a pickup truck for the land we bought, and naturally, we turned to Sahibinden once again. We found a truck, contacted the owner directly, checked the vehicle, and obtained an expertise report, all seamlessly coordinated through the platform. By dealing with the owner directly, we avoided any broker fees, which was a great financial relief. This convenience reaffirmed my trust in Sahibinden as a direct and cost-effective channel for such essential purchases.

Buying a house

We also bought a house through Sahibinden, and this time the seller was a broker. This experience taught me that Sahibinden isn’t limited to just owners; brokers also post ads there to extend their reach. Buying the house through the platform showed me how it streamlines connections between buyers and professional sellers, attesting yet again to Sahibinden’s comprehensive service in the real estate market.

Selling a second hand labtop

In a switch from being a buyer, my brother actually sold his old laptop on Sahibinden. He posted the ad in Turkish and after it was listed for free for some time, he decided to pay the ad fee, which seemed to help attract a buyer. He mentioned using Sahibinden’s Param Güvende service, which securely holds the money until the buyer confirms that the product matches the description. Only then is the payment released.

This sale reinforced how reliable and secure Sahibinden is, not just for buying, but also for hassle-free selling.

Fees for Posting an Ad on sahibinden.com

The cost of advertising on sahibinden.com varies according to each category. There are also special campaigns for individual users that vary by category.

In the table below you can see the maximum number of ads you can publish each month and year under these individual offers. Once you reach your limit, you can continue to run ads, but you will have to pay regular fees.

**The special advertisement fee for the first paid advertisement in the real estate category is 400 TL with a discount instead of 544 TL. Starting from the second paid advertisement, the standard fee (544 TL) is applied.

**The special advertisement fee for the first paid advertisement in the vehicle category is 513 TL with a discount instead of 689 TL. The second paid ad price is 689 TL.

Source: www.sahibinden.com

History of sahibinden

In 1999, Taner Aksoy, the founder of sahibinden and also the founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aksoy Group, came up with the idea of ​​publishing classified ads on the internet to enable sellers to publish ads with rich content and visually detailed ads.

The site started in 2000 with just 2,700 listings. In 2010, there were approximately one and a half million ads in various categories on the site. It is the first site used for this purpose in Turkey.

How to Shop from sahibinden?

Enter the site by clicking here for Turkish and here for English .

Choose what you are looking for from real estate and real estate in Turkey, new or second-hand cars, various products or job and employment offers.

You can also type and search for the product or service you are looking for to be shown all ads that match your search results.

Once you have decided on a particular ad, you can send a message to the ad owner by clicking here. You can also contact the advertiser directly.

Tips for Shopping at sahibinden.com

Although Sahibinden is one of the most important and safest sites to buy and sell second-hand products online in Turkey, you should be careful when purchasing and follow the tips below:

• Make sure of the quality of the product sold.
• Do not provide personal information on the site.
• Meet with the seller in a public place.
• Be careful when transferring money.
• Purchase the product by paying only to trusted people.

How to Post an Ad on sahibinden

You can follow the steps below to order from sahibinden.

• To post an ad, download the sahibinden app or log in directly to the sahibinden website by clicking here .
• Log in to Sahibinden website or, if you are not registered, enter your details and email to register.
• Choose your ad classification among real estate, cars, parts and accessories, industrial machinery, services, private lessons, job postings, utilities and animal postings.
• Choose your payment preference.
• After that select the subcategory and then click Continue.
• Then, in the next step, enter the ad title, followed by a description of the service or product you are selling, its price, and any additional requirements.
• After that, your ad will be displayed. Confirm and press Continue.
• Your ad will now be published publicly on the sahibinden website.

Download Sahibinden App

You can download the sahibinden application by clicking here for Android system and here for iOS system .

Comparing Sahibinden To Hurriyet emlak

I’ve had the chance to explore Hurriyet Emlak as well, particularly when I was on the lookout for new homes. Unlike Sahibinden, which has a diverse range of categories, Hurriyet Emlak is more specialized, focusing only on real estate.

This specialization can sometimes mean a more curated list of properties which can be quite beneficial when searching for the perfect home, However, I noticed that most brokers and property owners list on both Sahibinden and Hurriyet Emlak to ensure they reach the widest possible audience.

Here’s a comparison I’ve made based on my experience: