Buying From Overseas

[RoryAlexander]

Hey guys, ive been looking at stuff on ebay from the US and was wondering about a few things:

- once you pay for the item (including postage to australia) what other costs apply? (ie, GST)

- does the fee i pay for postage mean it gets to australia or it gets to my house?

i read that if the item is under $1000 and isnt prohibited (it will all be under 1 grand), it doesnt get taxed, but on the same government site it said all items are subjected to GST

The businesses are all reputable, and they have really good prices for what they are selling once its converted to AUD, i was just wondering if there are any surprises or is it just quite simply i pay for it on ebay with paypal and it gets to my door?

[vinnY]

as long as it's declared under 1k you shouldn't need to pay tax on it
shipping really depends on how they send it to you. majority of the US sellers i've used have just shipped it by either fedex or usps(like auspost) which have both delivered to my door

[RoryAlexander]

Thanks mate,

so basically what i pay for then and there is the only cost incurred?

that is very good news indeed.

so no GST is charged?

[vinnY]

up to their discretion really
but generally keep it under 1k to stay under the radar

[RoryAlexander]

Oh ok, Cool.

the most expensive thing i would be buying right now would be around $600

im guessing they only do how much the item cost, not the cost of delivery included too?

Also, i think its great that no one goes to sleep on Ozhonda. Haha.

and things like exhausts, headers, cai's etc etc are all fine to go through customs?

[ajbm]

Once your total cost is more than 1K
you have to pay:
-Customs duty = 10% of (Value of item)
-GST = 10% of total (Value of item + Customs Duty + shipping/insurance)

*Normally customs duty is 5%, but in your case - for Car parts it's 10%

hope this helps!

[SuiJin]

exhaust headers are both more than likely subjected to customs. careful with what you buy.

[ajbm]

exhaust headers are both more than likely subjected to customs. careful with what you buy.

It should be ok if ur buying 1 item (under $1000) not 5 items
they start sussing U out when U buy in bulk...
(for example: group buys - to lower the price down)

[RoryAlexander]

Alright guys, ive gone on to the customs site.

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5549

it says:

"All goods (except for tobacco products and alcoholic beverages) may be imported duty and tax free if their value is $1,000 or less."

and i spent a while trawling the net, and what you pay is all you pay as long as it is under $1000, no duties or taxes.

and its not on the prohibited items list and none of them are knock-off's or counterfeit.

I just wanted clarification about this because i had been told otherwise, but in my research apparently its quite a new rule.

Thanks guys.

[Riced_Civic]

its a good time to buy from the US now as the $ is getting stronger