Friday, Feb 22, 2019 at 12:15
Paulymcp - I haven't bought accumulators from overseas recently, but I've bought numerous other parts and small components, including items from Partsouq.
The "Customs costs" you speak of, are duties and GST payable on imported items.
As with most Govt operations, their systems are geared to what they can grab under structured arrangements.
There are still import duties payable at 5% on many items. The full list of dutiable products is available on the ATO website.
Customs duties rates
GST may be payable on all imported items. Previously, there was a lower limit of $1000 for the value of imported items - above which, GST was imposed.
From 1st July 2018, the Govt legislated for GST to be charged on all online purchases, of any value.
As with most legislation, the enforcement is patchy and lax, as it's impossible to
police all purchases.
Australian Border Force - Buying online
What has happened is, the authorities have targeted those companies carrying out more than $75,000 worth of business in Australia - using the $75,000 gross income limit of Australian business operations, above which level, the business has to then register for GST.
The authorities have simply extended the GST requirement to overseas businesses, as
well as Australian businesses, to try and enforce the GST collection on small transactions.
The GST is collected at the point of sale, not upon entry, from those overseas businesses who have entered into GST registration in Australia.
Thus, eBay has been forced to charge GST on ALL overseas transactions done through its website.
Naturally, many overseas businesses have now refused to register for GST or have declined to deal with Australian customers, claiming it's not worth the GST registration and administration hassle, for their level of sales to Australia.
But if you deal with overseas businesses direct, who have less than AU$75,000 in Australian sales, or are not registered for GST, and are happy to deal with you - and you buy less than $1000 worth of goods - then GST is rarely collected.
It is only if the shipment is examined upon importation, and deemed to be undervalued, is when you may be hit with a GST charge.
Customs will then hold that shipment and advise you that GST must be paid before it can be collected.
I recently imported several hundred dollars worth of forklift parts directly from a forklift parts supplier in Malaysia, they were flown in via DHL, they were valued at under $1000, and they went straight through, with no delay, and I didn't have to pay any GST.
These parts were in my hands within 5 days of ordering, despite coming from an Eastern Malaysian island.
Cheers, Ron.
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