What began as a fascination with the glass of Murano has become a way of life. Our webstore has all you will need to make jewelry, quality findings, stringing materials, Swarovski Crystals and a lot more, but our main focus is the Venetian Glass Bead. We have been an integral part in promoting Venetian glass beads throughout the world as well as helping to breathe new life into traditional Venetian techniques. A few years ago, we introduced our line of Venetian Dichroics to the US through as a result of years of efforts with our beadmakers in Murano. We continue to bring new and innovative ideas to this age old industry. Most recently, we developed the Furnace Glass along with our partner furnace in Venice. It's a blend of old glass making techniques to work with new fashion ideas.
We remain a family owned business located in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, CA, USA where we have been importing Venetian Glass and Murano Glass commercially since 1993. Our wholesale showroom has the largest collection of Venetian Beads on display anywhere.
The art of Murano Glass we all love is at severe risk. They had barely survived the crisis of COVID when they were required to close, confined to their homes and in fact many did not. Now the cost of gas has increased over 600% from .25 Euro per cubic meter to 1.27 Euro.
Murano Furnace
This rise in cost is felt both in the larger glass furnaces, like the one which produce the canes we use in our beads and is repeated as even the torches used to make beads use gas. And the cost of the raw materials such as sand and the mineral oxides used in the production of the glass and colors has increased as much as 50%.
The hope is that the Italian government (whichever one wins on 25 September) will come up with funds so that the history of Murano and Glass does not die. And so that families can heat their homes this winter.
The Art of Glass of Murano: Born 1291, Dies 2022
This sign in a glass furnace on Murano says it all: The Glass of Murano was born in 1291 and dies in 2022. 1291 was the year the furnaces were moved from Venice to Murano, a solid 731 years of continuing glass making.
Those who can have stocked up on the ever decreasing supply of Effetre glass canes. Effetre is using this opportunity to clear out their enormous stock of glass canes. Already gone are some of the filigrana as are some of the pasta (the solid colors) that we use in our beads. We will have to be creative in making beads.
So in the short time, we are expecting price increases in our beads as they cannot produce and sell at loss. We will do all we can to help maintain this historic industry and maintain prices as we can.
Today a customer who has been purchasing from us for sometime told me why she works. She works to make money to send her daughter to camp. Most of our customers aren’t huge businesses, but they are the backbone of all societies, the small business. The mom who works to be able to afford a special vacation, or needed therapy for her kids.
For some customers it is the simply joy of creating beautiful jewelry, of starting with a length of wire or ear wires and designing a piece as a gift, to sell or just for themselves. I am always amazed at our customer’s creativity.
Palazzo Barbarigo – Inspiration for Beads is everywhere!
Then I thought about Why I Work….And it is pretty similar. This will never be a company traded on the stock market, it will never be an investment by a VC. But it has given me and my family a wonderful life. A life where my son worked with me. Where my grandchildren have grown up riding their tricycles through the rows of beads, and 18 years later they have worked in the summers picking beads, counting beads. A place and space for us to enjoy each other, to make lunch for all of us, just like our bead makers do.
Traffic in Venice – the commute ;>)
I fell in love with Murano Glass and Venice and above all the people of these islands. And they became our family. So many of them are women whose mothers taught them to make beads and they take pride in their work, always creating new designs for us and our customers. It is a full circle as our customers create designs that make their customers happy.
Beadmaking – the Venetian Way
I work long hours, piecing together technology for our website, writing blogs, making photographs, editing the website and adding products. WHY?
For mornings like this – headed to Murano (but not before a cappuccino)
Well to support my love of Venice. To be able to wander the small streets and courtyards, to pop into a bar and have a cappuccino. To meet friends on the street and share an “ombra” (a little glass of wine). To see the amazing sunsets, watch the vaporetti come and go, to visit the incredible museums. I walk each morning very early before the tourist wake up. I walk late in the evening after the day trippers have left the city. I go to the top of the bell tower and soak in the view. The beauty of this city gives me peace. The kindness of the people of this city give me hope.
Tranquility in Murano
And I hope that the beauty of our Murano Glass beads provides our customers with a little of the same.
Here are some examples of wine charms we used for a family wedding. Actually, once we got started it was hard to stop. We made about 125 pieces. They do take time, but we learned a few things. Obviously, we used some Murano Glass Beads on each charm, but the silver toned charms and colored ones we bought at a crafts store.
Some of the finished Wine Charms – Note the crystals glued on each end
I looked at some premade charms, but decided that the closure on the premade charms wouldn’t be ideal for people to use. It makes them secure, but after a few toasts, might be a real skill test. And the curve/twist would not accommodate the 1mm hole of our Murano Glass Beads. And I definitely wanted to use some Murano Glass Beads. So I cannibalized the premade charms and used the dangles for accent. You might also notice that the charms that came with the premade ones do not dangle with the inscriptions to the front, so I added 5mm jump rings.
Premade Wine Charms
To begin with, you need memory wire. Sorry the memory wire we normally stock is 24 gauge and I didn’t feel it was strong enough to use. So at the craft store, I found rolls of 22 gauge memory wire which is stronger. Cut your wire so that you have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch overlap.
Cutting Memory Wire and Gluing Crystals
Glue a 4mm or 5mm crystal on one end so that your beads and charms do not fall off as you assemble the charms. We used E6000 but any glue that says it is for glass to metal works. Or you can use Gorilla glue which comes in small tubes easily applied. Apply glue to the end with a toothpick or just insert the end directly into the glue tube.
After the crystal dries, then just slide on your beads and charms. As you can see in our finished charms, we made the somewhat symmetrical, using Murano Glass 6x4mm rondelles which easily slide on. For the other Murano Beads we wire wrapped them so they slide on and dangle. (Yes for this family wedding, I think I made about 300 wire wraps. I think my skill level improved. :>)
The beads you choose are up to you. I wandered through our warehouse choosing some brightly colored beads that would lay flat on the wine stem, a lot of coins, squares, stars and a couple of hearts. Somewhere around #100, the designs became even more random. But as you can see even those are “charming”. Before beginning I sorted items by colors.
Choosing Colors and patterns
With the outdoor venue and flowers, all our charms were perfect. We put a wine charm on each champagne flute which had been engraved with the couple’s name and the guests were invited to take the flute and the wine charms home to remember the day.
Guest Tables with Champagne Flutes and Wine Charms
Seems I am not out of the wine charms business as there is a follow up party in the bride’s hometown. I think I have another 150 to make.
When we were working with our bead maker, we made this short video. It gives you some idea of the steps involved in making a complicated bead like this. But even before she sits down to turn on the “canello” the torch used in Murano, she has already assembled the fragments of mosaic canes, color fragments and the 24kt gold foil used on the bead. And she has preheated these fragments so they do not shock the base bead when they are attached. The slices of millefiori are added individually. The tool attached to the cane in the beginning is just a way to use even the short pieces of cane. The tools used to create the shape are made by a tool maker in Murano who is following in his father’s footsteps and without whom, we would be lost.
Making our Basilica Murano Glass Beads
Why are they called Basilica? If you have ever been to Piazza San Marco just looking at the mosaics above the huge doors will give you a clue. And once you enter into the Basilica San Marco, taking a look at the incredible gold and mosaic work on the domes you can definitely see the similarities.
Basilica San Marco with over 8,000 of Meters of Mosaics
The gold is exterior on these fabulous beads and the colors are perfect for the summer season. We made a bracelet with the blues and the design instructions are free.
You can find the instructions on the link to the photos as well as below on that page, you can order the beads. Here are a couple other examples of jewelry (design available on our website, just click on the photo).
Gold and Multi Mosaics Basilica Bracelet
And this over-the-top necklace in Aqua is equally as easy to make.
Aqua Basilica Necklace (Click on Photo for Design Instructions)
If you are like most of us, you do not have a photography staff or a person dedicated to photoshop or some similar program.
Over the years, we have always done our own photography. Glass unlike any other medium is extremely difficult to photograph as lights give reflections or your face shows in the image. And then editing the photograph requires patience and time. We have used image companies who will cut out the background of the photos, but that times time and more money.
On a whim, I started playing with an phone app called “PhotoRoom”. There is a free version which you can download to try. After experimenting with it, I moved up to “Professional” because it works so well.
After the time we all take to create our jewelry, simplifying the photography removes the stress. I still spend lots of time on photoshop to cutout the part this app doesn’t quite see. Then there is the issue that if the piece has crystal clear glass, the app things it is not part of the piece. In that case I use a colored background, but even then, the color may show through and require work with photoshop.
You can start by making a photo with your phone or you can select a photo from your photo album and play around with the free app. It also has backgrounds and the ability to post directly to
Here is an example of some photos that I have used.
Home Screen and Jewelry after the background is removed
It has templates for Shopify, Poshmark, eshop, depo and many more. For these marketplaces, you could easily upload directly as well as Facebook. But since we sell our own webshops, I have to go through a few more steps.
I make the photo and save on my photos which are automatically saved on my icloud account. (If you use a different system, it probably works similarly.) But what a time saver. If you have a favorite one you can send us yours and why you like it.
The latest crisis facing Murano furnaces is the exorbitant increase in Methane prices. Methane is the gas used to melt the sand into glass in most of the furnaces in Murano. It is piped under the lagoon directly to Murano.
The latest is a double whammy occurring on the tails of the shut-down for COVID. During 2019, 3+ months of complete lock-down where residents were only allowed outside their house for essential services, grocery shopping, visits to the doctor or the pharmacy. No workers were allowed inside the furnaces. During this time we were fortunate to have a few bead makers who work from their home and could continue making beads.
Tourism died as travel to Italy was not allowed. In fact it was only in the summer of 2021 that US residents were welcomed and then only those vaccinated and with negative Covid tests. Tourist from other reciprocal countries in the European Union were allowed earlier as was the travel between regions in Italy.
But Murano doesn’t receive a lot of money from the Italian tourist, for the most part, the Italian tourist is just on a day outing, perhaps buying lunch at a restaurant, but rarely large works of glass art. The same is true from EU tourist who arrive in the summer holidays with their families, often camping at Jesolo, across the lagoon spending much of their time on the sunny beaches.
Delivery Boat Murano
The tourist who are apt to purchase at the “glass factories” arrived in the past on tours by large tour companies, like Trafalgar, or other organized tours which included visits to various furnaces, especially a tourist furnace on the Island of Giudecca where the tourist were shuttled by boat from Tronchetto directly there. Tourist were also sent by hotels to specific furnaces where the furnace agreed to pay a fee for delivery. This so-called free taxi to Murano often backfired on tourist who didn’t get the point that in return for delivering them to the furnaces, the furnaces expected them to purchase (and not 10 Euro items). So sometimes these tourist found themselves learning public transportation to return to Venice.
Murano
Just as the furnaces were seeing an increase in tourist and sales, the news of the increase in gas prices has skyrocketed, from 0.23 cents to 0.90. A surge of 400%. Consider that the furnaces burn 24 hours a day otherwise the costly crucible inside the ovens will break a broken crucible cost about $2,300 US.
A medium-size glassblowing business consumes ~12,000 cubic meters (420,000 cubic feet) of methane a month to keep seven furnaces glowing at temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) 24 hours a day.
Monthly bills normally range from 11,000 to 13,000 euros ($12,700 to $15,000) a month, on a fixed-price contract that expired on Sept. 30, 2021. Now exposed to market volatility, an increase is projected in methane costs to 60,000 euros ($70,000).
And even those furnaces who are lucky enough to have volume orders from shops, markets abroad are now facing a certain loss on orders they are working to fill as they have already negotiated prices for the orders and those prices did not include this unexpected increase.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR BEADS?
Unfortunately, this increase in gas prices will manifest itself two ways in our beads. First, the furnace that produces all the glass canes our bead makers uses volumes of gas to keep its furnace glowing with each batch of just one color being about 250 Kilo (~500 Pounds). This furnace provides glass canes to the world. More importantly, it provides all the canes to our bead makers.
The Second Increase
Then, the torches (canello) that the bead makers use all are powered by gas. So they too are experiencing a huge increase each time they replace their cylinders of gas.
Tanks of Gas being delivered in Murano
The Confartigianto, the artisan association has pleaded to government in Rome to assist in negotiating better rates with the alternative that an artist craft active in Murano since 1291 will be in peril. Even now, furnaces are being leveled and hotels rising up. One of the latest to fall to the hotel industry is the old factory of Moretti along Fondamenta Manin just down from the boat stop Colonna. Profits are good for the hotels (not necessarily the workers and certainly not for the population of Murano) and they do provide some jobs and create some tax income for the Italian government. The downside of all this is that once the furnaces close it will be virtually impossible for the island to continue to maintain its place in the world of glass. As of now, already 7 more furnaces have closed.
Bead Making Torch Murano Glass Beads
Murano holds a treasure of artisans, world class glass blowers whose names remain unknown because they just go to work each day and blow glass. They do not think of themselves as artist but they are responsible for the largest part of the glass sold. Murano is a legend in our world of glass – since 1291. I hope that the Italian Government comes to the aid of the furnaces in Murano otherwise Italy will be losing the history of Venice and Murano. Along with one of the reasons that tourist come to Venice.
Hooray! We have finally been successful in obtaining the necessary VAT number to once again ship to the EU. That was a major undertaking that I am sure caused me more grey hair. We can ship packages values at under €150 through our international parcel consolidator.
HOW IT WORKS:
Our website will now charge VAT at the rate in your EU country. It will be displayed as you checkout. VAT is also charged on shipping. If you have a VAT # already, be sure to send to us. And we will use that number in our shipments.
NOTE: VAT will show as a separate line called “Taxes” As we do not include any taxes in the price of an item which is how the US works. And this is how we must report to your country’s tax agency. It will always be a separate line item at the end of your order.
We collect and submit the VAT directly to your country. This is accomplished for us by a third party known as an IOSS which is authorized by the EU. Below are the rates as of 9-24-21.
PACKAGES OVER €150 – HOW IT WORKS:
Packages with a value over the €150 cannot be shipped via our international parcel consolidator. We can ship USPS Priority Mail International or through various carriers such as FedEX, DHL, or UPS. The VAT will be collected by these carriers before delivery.
In the event that your order is over the €150, and that our website adds VAT to the order. You will not be charged by us. As most of you know, we only get an authorization at the time of the order, but we will process your credit card for only the amount of the order plus the shipping, not including the VAT.
GOOD NEWS:
The good news is that we can once again use our international parcel consolidator for much more advantageous shipping rates. Shipping is of course, based on the weight of the parcel. Here is the international parcel shipping costs to Europe (Other rates apply to the UK, Australia and other Pacific Countries)
Shipping Rate in US $$ and based on US – Weight in Pounds. 16 Ounces = 1 Pound
I am sure we will have some hiccups as we learn more about this and we will make adjustments and corrections as we need to.
I am hoping we can resolve the UK quickly. We are awaiting registration of our VAT # in the UK. We’ll keep you posted.
I am just happy that we can once again ship to all our valued customers in the EU.
Venice Glass Week of 2021 was exciting but exhausting. There were so many exhibits, workshops that it would take a month to enjoy them all. There were exhibits not only in Venice, Murano and Giudecca but also in Mestre, the town before the bridge. In all, between open studios, gallery exhibits and events there were 132 listed.
The week also collided with the Venice Film Festival and the inauguration of the Rialto Bridge after its restoration which was paid for by Renzo Rosso (the head of Diesel and OTB – Only The Brave Foundation) .Rosso invited Andrea Boccelli to sing. The city was bursting with energy and the first cruise ship of the year also arrived.
The historic REGATA STORICA was held on 5 September. It commemorates the welcome of Caterina Cornaro in 1489, the wife of the King of Cyprus, who renounced her throne in favour of Venice.
My favorite event of the Venice Glass Week, and every year, is the Boca del Fuoco, a 5K run, in my case walk, around Murano beginning and ending at the beautiful San Donato Church. The 5K winds through the darken streets of Murano and through working glass furnaces. We were 550 people this year, everyone in masks of course, just not the fun ones of Carnevale. The kids were a favorite of the glass blowers who loved explaining how to blow glass to the kids.
View from the Bridge (named for Toffolo an actor born in Murano)
Our starting line was just outside the church on the fondamenta. We all received shirts with our route (you just needed someone to read as it was on the back). First over the bridge and to the EffetreMurano, the furnace that make the canes everyone uses to make beads, the cotise (the chunks that some furnaces use) and of course the millefiori.
Candles lit the way for us and the running team had enlisted the help of the youngsters with lighted torches to direct the traffic. The run is a benefit for the Venice Runners, a local group.
Walkway with Candles – Note the tiny Moon just behind the bell tower
There was music in every furnace, but for those of you who blow glass, you know this. The maestro (who ever is in charge) gets to choose the music, but it is always blaring. It has to be loud for you to hear over the noise of the furnace. You can see on the marvering table a tiny horse that was made for the kids. Nothing serious tonight, just fun.
In the photo below, we are at the EffetreMoretti (now known as Effetre Murano) and the guys are demonstrating how to make zanfirico a cane we use in our beads with a twisted design inside the transparent canes. Bead makers sometimes pull their own canes, but here it is industrial, pulled 15-20 feet long.
Pulling Zanfirico Canes
It is pretty clear that furnaces are not glamorous, they are hot and dangerous.
Tagliapietra Furnace near Il Faro
Take a look below at the beautiful vases. The glass blower is making a fazzoletto, a handkerchief vase, named because it looks like someone holding a handkerchief.
Making a fazzoletto vase
After we ran/walked the 5K, we returned to the garden behind the San Donato church where these dedicated group had prepared food for 550 people. We ate pasta and fried fish and vegetables. The end to another great Venice Glass Week, even if I didn’t win the raffle.
Our brave Chiefs – Thank you! and See you next year!
The 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO has officially included the “Arte delle Perle di Vetro” This comes after several years of determined women of Venice, Cristina Bedin, Marisa Convento, and Claudia Cottica proposed to UNESCO so that this cultural heritage would not be lost.
Some ask why is the production of beads so important. (Well not anyone who ever made beaded jewelry.) Documents from Venice show that in 983 AD, a production of glass imitation of precious stones was underway. The furnaces were the domain of the men of Venice while the beadmaking became woman’s work. And as the furnaces were moved to Murano, the Venetians retained the right to create small pieces (figurines, beads, buttons) in their laboratories and homes in Venice. To watch the video prepared announcing this (it is in French and Italian) and stresses the art and the history. The pictures are worth the watch: Click Here: https://youtu.be/6BwcUVYAPsg
Conterie (what you now know as Seed Bead) were produced in the furnaces in Murano beginning with a bubble of glass and gravity which allowed the glass to stream down from tall scaffolds maintaining the shape as it became smaller and the hole from the original bubble. The women of Venice and Murano strung these tiny beads onto thread using a tool with up to 100 needles. The merchants of Venice to shipped these around the world.
Flowers made from these small beads became a favorite for bouquets for gravesides as they withstood the weather and lasted. These were popular until the Japanese invented the silk flowers which were less expensive and became the flower of choice. In the video above, you can see some of the flowers being made.
To answer all your questions on why shipping to the UK from VenetianBeadShop and why our wonderfully low shipping costs to you have disappeared. It’s all about the UK and Brexit and your exit from the European Union. But a question for UK Shoppers, are you willing to pay the VAT and pay against the total of your order? Let us hear from you. We cannot put a lower value on your order and we would be required to collect the ~20% VAT before we ship.
Starting January 1, 2021, shipping to the UK is becoming more complex due to Brexit. (This information is from Stamps.com a provider of shipping for the US. The link to this info is: https://blog.stamps.com/2020/12/22/shipping-from-the-u-s-to-uk-with-2021-vat-rules/) If you’re an online retailer shipping products from the U.S. to the United Kingdom (UK), you will need to change your fulfillment process starting January 1, 2021. The UK has left the European Union trading relationship and the country has implemented new rules for goods and services to be imported into the UK. Brexit Background – UK Exits the European Union Trade Agreement The UK officially left the European Union on January 31, 2020, a process that is commonly called “Brexit.” This announcement triggered a “transition period,” where trade would continue as is with no changes to UK Value-Added Tax (VAT) rules, treatment of transactions or filings through December 31, 2020. Starting on January 1, 2021, all UK imports and exports will fall under the World Trade Organization (WTO) terms, which requires changes to many fulfillment processes for U.S. e-commerce parcel deliveries to the UK. Changes for E-commerce Orders Being Delivered to UK: Under the World Trade Order terms, there are four important changes occurring for products being shipped to the UK from the U.S. (along with all countries): #1 Register for VAT and Collect VAT Fees: As a U.S. online retailer, you will now be required to register for a VAT number and create an online account from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in order to deliver e-commerce orders into the UK. Once you have your VAT number, you will be required to collect all VAT fees from your buyers at time of product purchase. This VAT fee was previously being completed when a parcel entered the UK, typically with the buyer having to pay VAT to release the package from Customs. The new WTO rules pushes that VT tax collection burden to the online retailer in the U.S. who is exporting the product to the UK. VAT rates for collection depend on the product price: A) Most Goods and Services valued UNDER £135 have a 20% VAT Rate Goods and services shipped to the UK with a value between £0.01 and £135 (between $1 and approximately $180 USD) will incur VAT fee of 20% of the product price (not including shipping fees). U.S. online retailers selling products to UK buyers are require to collect this 20% VAT fee at the time of sale. Online retailers will be responsible to pay all VAT collected to HMRC every three months. B) VAT for Goods and Services valued OVER £135 All shipments with goods and services valued higher than £135 (approximately $180 USD) will be subject to the current VAT procedures, which state VAT is payable as the parcels are being imported into the UK. These types of packages are often cleared through customs via parcel consolidators and all applicable duties and VAT will be paid to HMRC directly by the parcel consolidator, who then normally invoices the online retailer. #2 Make Quarterly VAT Return Payments to HMRC: Online retailers must report and pay the VAT Return (taxes) collected from their online sales each quarter to HMRC. You can find your actual deadline inside your VAT online account, but in general the deadline for HMRC’s bank to receive payment is one calendar month plus 7 days after the end of the accounting period (annual quarter). If your VAT Return payment is late, you could be liable for additional late fees. To submit your VAT Return, you can use HMRC’s free online service or one of the many commercial accounting software platforms that HMRC has partnered with. The approved software list includes many popular solutions such as QuickBooks Online, Sage Business Cloud and SAP. Your quarterly VAT Return should include key data points for your UK sales such as: · Total sales and purchases for your account (only orders delivered to UK) · The amount of VAT you owe from your UK sales · The amount of VAT you can reclaim (i.e. order returns, product defects) · The amount of VAT refund due from HRMC #3 More Info Required in Customs Documents: All parcel shipments into the UK will be subject to customs clearance and inspections, which could add significant delays for parcels being delivered to the buyer. U.S. online retailers shipping goods or services into the UK will need to provide import or export declarations to UK Customs. A customs invoice will be required for each parcel that shows UK VAT along with the product price in order for the parcel to be released out of customs. #4 Elimination of the Low Value Consignment Relief: In addition to implementing the WTO trade terms, the UK is removing Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) – a rule that allowed good and products from outside the EU that had a value of £15 or less (estimated $20) to be tax exempt. In 2021, those products will now be subject to the 20% VAT rate. The UK is taking these actions to ensure that goods and services from outside the UK are treated in the same manner as products within the country, so as UK businesses are not disadvantaged by competition from VAT free imports. Failure to adhere to these new UK Customs procedures could result in: · Parcels being refused entry into the UK by customs · Parcels being returned to sender (including return shipping fees depending on carrier used) · Parcels and products being destroyed · Parcels incurring major delays in being delivered to buyer · Parcels generating additional shipping and/or customs fees, or penalties Required actions to sell and ship products into the UK in 2021 Starting January 1, 2021, online retailers selling goods or services to UK buyers will be required to register their business with the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to obtain a VAT number. Here are the steps to complete this process: How to Create UK Government Gateway Account and Register for VAT 1. Go to the HMRC login in page by clicking the following link: https://www.gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services 2. Click on the Green “Sign in” button. 3. Click on “Create sign in details”. 4. Enter your Email Address and click “Continue”. 5. The site will email you a “Confirmation code”. Enter the code and click the Green “Confirm” button to continue. 6. User ID Issued. 7. Enter your name. 8. Create a Password and hit “Continue”. 9. Set up a Recovery Password and click “Continue”. 10. You will now receive your Government Gateway User ID which consists of 12 numbers. 11. You will then need to register for VAT using your Government Gateway User ID and Password. To register with HMRC for a VAT number, proceed to the following link: https://www.gov.uk/vat-registration/how-to-register Do Sellers on eBay, Amazon or another Online Marketplace Have to Collect VAT? Online marketplaces (OMP) such as eBay, Amazon, Etsy and others will be responsible for collecting the VAT from the buyer when the sale occurs on their website as long as the price is £135 or less. For sales that are over £135, the OMP will not collect the VAT and existing import rules will go into effect (seller pays at port of entry).
