How to Import Evil Eye Beads from Turkey

Almost every evil eye bead sold in the world is made in Turkey, and most of them within a short drive of Istanbul. If you sell souvenirs, gifts or fashion jewellery, buying directly from a Turkish workshop is usually 40–60% cheaper than buying the same item from a domestic distributor. The part that stops most retailers is not the price — it is not knowing what happens between the workshop and their shelf.

This guide walks through that process the way it actually works.

What you really pay for

A quote for glass beads is only the first of four numbers. Your landed cost per unit is the goods, plus international shipping, plus any duty, plus import VAT. If you compare suppliers on the goods price alone you will pick the wrong one, because a supplier 10% cheaper on the goods can easily be 20% more expensive once you add a poorly packed, overweight shipment.

The good news with evil eye beads is that they are small and light. A 500-piece order of small beads or keychains often weighs only a few kilos, so the shipping share of your landed cost stays modest. Large decorative pieces are the exception — a 25 cm piece is bulky, and airlines charge on volumetric weight, not just actual weight.

The documents you need

For any commercial shipment out of Turkey you will receive a commercial invoice and a packing list. These two travel with the goods and are what your customs broker works from. Make sure the invoice shows the correct HS code for glass beads and articles of glass — a wrong code is the single most common reason a shipment sits at customs.

EU buyers get a significant advantage. Turkey and the European Union have been in a customs union for industrial goods since 1995, and glass beads fall inside it. With an A.TR movement certificate issued at export, your goods enter the EU in free circulation, which means no customs duty. You still pay import VAT in your own country, but the duty line disappears. Ask your supplier to issue the A.TR with the shipment — it costs them very little and can save you several percent on every order.

Buyers outside the EU (the UK, US, Australia, Gulf states) do not use A.TR. You will normally pay your country's standard duty rate for glass articles, which is usually low, plus import tax. Your customs broker can tell you the exact rate for your tariff line before you order.

How long it takes

Standard navy beads are usually held in stock, so the production step is short. Coloured, glittered or printed variants are made to order and need production time, which depends on the size of your order and the workshop's current schedule. A realistic timeline for a first order of stock items is a few days for preparation and packing, then express air freight from Istanbul to most European capitals in two to four working days.

If your order includes made-to-order colours, ask for the production date and the ship date separately. A supplier who gives you one vague number is guessing.

Making your first order safe

Start small and specific. Put the specification in writing before anything is produced: the sizes in centimetres, whether the beads are perforated or not, the cord or magnet finish, the packing method, and the total gross weight with box dimensions. Weight and dimensions matter because your freight quote is built on them.

Then place one modest order, receive it, and check breakage. Glass travels well when it is packed properly and badly when it is not; one shipment tells you more about a supplier than any amount of correspondence.

Working with us

We produce in our own workshop in Istanbul, in thirteen sizes from 2.5 cm to 25 cm, with or without a hole. Our minimum order is 500 pieces and you can mix sizes, colours and models freely within it. Export invoices are issued VAT free, and we can provide the A.TR certificate for EU shipments.

Tell us which products and quantities you have in mind and we will come back with prices, production times and the exact shipping cost to your address.

See also: Wholesale evil eye beads · Keychains · Bracelets · Wall decor · Catalogue · Request a quote

Contact Us

ilbeyifatih@gmail.com

+90 534 389 82 68
+90 533 662 27 84

© 2026 Kale Cam. All rights reserved.