So I wanted to ask has anyone else had one of these notifications recently from Amazon demanding an Italian VAT number.

We sold into Italy prior to Brexit and had VAT numbers in six countries. But following Brexit the cost of doing business into the EU was crazy, parcel prices went through the roof and Amazons policies on returns expecting us to pay 10 euros for a customer choosing to return an 8 euro item ? was absurd.

So we shuttered it. Didnt send any stock and put the account on Holiday for 2 years.

We were told, you cant close the EU marketplaces without closing the UK, so they had to stay on Holiday forever.

We held a VAT number until October 2025 and once we were sure there was absolutely no way at all we could have any VAT activities in Italy, no returns, anything we had it ended.

Roll on last week, Amazon have demanded a VAT number for Italy.

I have sent them the stock reports proving no stock in italy.

I have sent them the orders for the past year proving not one sale.

They dont care, they just demand a VAT number, it feels like a huge over reach, they wont tell us what has triggered this, what the reason is its needed for or anything.

All you get is ! you need a VAT number.

So there you are, pay up and get a VAT number for a country you have not sold too for two years or else ......, has anyone else experienced this ?

I would not mind if they said oh yes X caused it. But once again it feels like a machine has decided its needed and thats it

Frustrating isnt the half of it. I have tried asking seller support but as usual they are No Support at all

Hi all,

I wanted to share my experience as a warning to other sellers considering AVASK for VAT registration services.

I engaged AVASK at the end of January 2026 to handle my Italian VAT registration and OSS, with a confirmed effective date of 1st March 2026.

As of today (almost 8 weeks later):

I have no proof of submission

No reference number or acknowledgement from the tax authority

No confirmation of what has actually been filed

Despite multiple follow-ups over several weeks

The only responses I’ve received are:

The application has been “submitted”

The tax authority is experiencing delays

They are unable to provide proof of submission due to volume

From a seller’s perspective, this is extremely concerning.

We rely on VAT agents for compliance, and without even basic documentation:

You have no visibility on whether anything has actually been filed

You carry potential tax and legal exposure

And you are left chasing for weeks after paying

I have now formally escalated this and set a deadline for resolution.

Based on my experience so far, I would strongly advise:

Do not proceed without clear written timelines

Ensure you receive proof of submission immediately

Do not rely on assurances alone

If anyone has had similar issues with AVASK or other VAT agents (especially Italy), I’d be interested to hear how you resolved it.

Thanks

I wish they would get rid of 2nd Class / RM48 / RMT48 so they can't use it as a 'backup service channel' when they have other issues.

I used to be surprised at the inefficiency of Royal Mail, but it seems to be a cultural thing in this country. The whole "it'll do" mentality combined with the public-sector legacy of Royal Mail make for an embarrassingly unreliable service compared with other countries with more complex logistical restrictions, which is one of the primary scapegoats Royal Mail uses when challenged on their poor service.

The staff on the ground are just regular people,doing a job for money. Out of all the postal workers I have dealt with in the last ten years (around 8) I would say 2-3 were actually proud to do their job and made an effort beyond the bare minimum. So, it makes me wonder why the others were doing the job: to have a job, simply? To exist?

I received a greeting card from Japan recently. The cost of the stamp was 140 yen (around £0.65 at the time) - for me to respond it would cost £3.40 or something - why? Japan is a developed nation in the eyes of the Universal Postal Union, just as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is. Whose shortfalls are we paying for?

On top of this, the service to/from Northern Ireland has become worse over the past 5 years since Brexit, and this route is not specifically covered or examined by Ofcom. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom: the second one part of the country is disregarded, the whole 'unity' in the country is also disregarded; however, Royal Mail seems to treat Northern Ireland as an inconvenience they cannot consistently handle - despite that we have air and sea links they can use, such links used daily by private couriers with no issues.

For two months after Brexit, Royal mail was sending Northern Ireland mail to Europe, bundled with mail from Great Britain (the two should be separated when going to Europe.)

Two months?

This resulted in all mail for the first two months being returned to sender, which took weeks, so we did not know for weeks and kept sending mail until early April. Even though Royal Mail fixed this issue (should have never become an issue) mail was intermittently returned over the next 6 months (around 12% of it - unacceptable.)

I then changed international operator to DHL Globalmail, and my Royal Mail account manager contacted me and told me I was being unreasonable. You can't make this stuff up. Be better, Royal Mail.

8 years of a well-performing account, and these idiots blocked it because of this verification nonsense. We are doing well in sales, but we don’t understand this bureaucracy with verification and cannot pass it, even though we exist, nothing has changed in 8 years — it’s the same company and the same owner. Are they completely out of their minds at Amazon, the ones making these decisions? My FBA products are blocked, and I can’t sell them through my website or eBay. Stupid bureaucrats.

posting here as not sure where else to pass on my experience.

Recently had a chargeback dispute with Onbuy as a seller, 8 weeks later was told that the bank did not accept the evidence and I would therefore be charged the full amount and pay a £14 admin charge to Onbuy, and of course the customer has kept the delivery This was despite not only a fully tracked service showing delivery with a photo of the parcel in the doorway next to the customer, but also a message from the customer confirming receipt of the parcel. It could not be more clearcut, but onbuy would not accept it, just keep blaiming the bank. When I asked for an escalation route to complain they say there is not one, it is in effect a final decision, just keep blaiming the bank.

Sorry to rant, but it is sooo hard being a seller on these resale channels, and examples like this just destroy me. Not even about the £50 lost, its the fact that a customer is scamming everyone, banks and onbuy just accept it and pass the cost onto the seller. and we as sellers should not let the channels get away with a policy if we feel it is unfair.

I guess it also shows the grass is not always greener outside of Amazon. Even Amazon would not do this to me. At least Amazon drives good traffic, onbuy does not even do that,

apologies, going for a glass of wine now,