custom's question

[skitz]

hey i know this is the weirdest question ever but i have been talking with people and i dont know if this will make sense to anyone but i am hoping someone can shed some light!

when having things bought over seas into Australia obviously they go through customs, my question being why do some sellers on ebay say they wont ship it as a gift? i have heard customs puts a tax on the items bought over seas for not buying them over hear.... or am i being told story's....?

if i have spent 800USD before shipping on Car Audio gear will i get hard core custom charges.... is it a % or a set amount?

cheers guys

[Smikey]

As personal stuff, gifts etc. (excluding alcohol and tobacco) under $900 aud are excluded from general sales tax (gst), %10.

Commercial goods as imports may be different and the exporter may not be able to have as many benefits to claim on their own company just for the sake of you not having to pay the gst?

[skitz]

see i was reading over the customs web site and it stats

"Generally, all goods imported into Australia are subject to Customs duty and GST and are assessed for community protection risks. However, all goods (except for tobacco and alcoholic beverages) may be imported duty and tax free if the value of the goods is A$1000 or less."

but they have used the word "Generally" so i was after other peoples know abouts.

like i have bought the item now and its on its way so i am stuck with it now i just wanted to know what to expect....

so do they include shipping in there total or just the item cost... and then i am guessing 10% (GST) of that plus duty fees and charges... it could be up over $100...?

cheers

[Bear]

skitz, the best thing you could do is just call their general enquiries number between 8 and 5 weekdays ... they'll be able to give you a definite answer

[womble]

I've bought heaps of stuff over the net from the States, UK etc and have never had to pay extra. I think you'd be really unlucky to have to

[Smikey]

I think it'll come down to luck, but at the most 10%?

[Aaron]

The Generally applies becuase there's the price you "pay" for something and the actual "customs value" of the item. If you're seriously under paying for items like say an AUD2000 item and are claimingit was only USD200 for the new one then they'll use the higher value.

THe overall amount you pay is basically derived from two components:
AUD Cost of Item
AUD Cost of Shipping

The AUD conversion is based on a published rate of day from customs but they allow variances so this can be approximate.

You pay:
Duty on the cost of the item. This can range between 0 and 15% generally.

Then you pay GST of 10% on the (cost of Item + Duty + Cost of Shipping)

---
The reason they say generally under $1000 is OK is becuase it's based on the amount of work/mail they can process and there's provision in Law to collect down to an amount of $50 - indicating that about the $500 shipping price woudl be possible.

My own experience has been that these days the $1000 limit is being honoured far more.

The customs enquiry line people are great to deal with...

Oh the other thing - Gifts do not get an exemption - haven't for years because it is a dodge...

Also don't expect people to commit an offence to send you stuff, falsely marking goods values or purpose is illegal EVERYWHERE.

A.