New Australian extortion...I mean totally valid fees!
Just got a letter from Australia Customs - they're holding my latest shipment from Bruce until I pay them the best part of $100 for them to complete 'customs formalities'. The new GST on foreign purchases...
Sheesh - if I could buy these posters locally I would! Exactly which Australian business is being disadvantaged by me buying rare movie paper from O/S?
Sheesh - if I could buy these posters locally I would! Exactly which Australian business is being disadvantaged by me buying rare movie paper from O/S?
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Thank you for contacting the Australian Border Force.
We aim to process your postal import declaration within five working days of receipt of a complete and accurate declaration, subject to any regulatory impediments.
Due to operational priorities and during peak processing times, we aim to process your postal import declaration within eight working days of receipt of a complete and accurate declaration, subject to any regulatory impediments.
Import declarations are processed in order of receipt and cannot be processed without the correct tariff classification and a copy of the invoice.
Have had a handful of parcels come into Aus since the change, and not one held up...
Storage alone would be a killer...not mention what they do with all the parcels that people refuse to claim due to the unexpected fees.
Hopefully, the threshold for attention has remained at 1000.
Has anyone every had one held up for less?
You don't get held up for goods whose declared value is under $1,000 although they will hold it up if they suspect you are under declaring (or the sniffer dog has sat next to it).
Yes, you are right, they didn't always hold every parcel that was there or thereabouts but now it is so computer generated you rarely can get away with it. That said, it can be discretionary if the cost to collect is more than the value collected - I have had the odd one slip through.
People like Bruce won't under declare on your behalf, it's not worth it for his business to get caught - false declaration on export docs is a crime in most countries. Besides under declaring also runs the risk of losing out on insurance if the goods are damaged or go astray.
Very few people don't pay, who is going to walk aways from goods they paid (say) $1,200 for because they don't want to pay another $200 or so?
Oz is turning into a 3rd world country... Welcome lads!
I appreciate that items over 1000 have always been held up.
There was talk that the 10% would have to be captured by the seller and sent through, which was never going to work...so I was wondering what the go was with imported goods hitting customs. But it sounds like status quo...
It might be worthwhile going down there...talking to a person.
I am presuming it has come by Post (it will have a reference number beginning with V)
The form you need is a B374 - get it here https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Forms/Documents/B374.pdf, fill it in and email it to postimportsnsw@customs.gov.au
The goods will likely be released (after payment) in a couple of days usually, 8-10 days if busy. Whereas a Customs broker will charge you around $90-$150 (plus you still have to pay the duties/GST and may only quicken the process by just a few days) - but they provide the service for an area you don't know about, so it is your call.
Doing it yourself is the best option and is relatively painless (except to your wallet) and all can be done electronically.
Make sure you get the Tariff Classification correct, it's the difference between 5% duty and 20% - I can't remember what it it is, John will know.
Since it has hit Customs, duties and/or GST is now payable, you have no show of talking to anyone to get the goods released any faster.
I've 3 experiences with customs duties, but only two poster related.
1. Had to pay money at a local PO in order to have my goods released
2. Went in and got my stuff after an argument with the customs
3. Through Fedex..."pay us this money and we will deliver your goods"
What happens if there is no invoice included on the package?
How do they identify packages that already have had GST paid through ebay?
Packages sent through Fedex have an additional AQIS entry charge on top of duty and GST. How come that doesn't apply to all international packages?
It looks as though the process is flawed at the moment. Ultimately, I think it will put people off from buying from overseas dealers because it is a pain to have to complete all of the documentation and pay the fees.
Imports through the likes of FEDEX, TNT (owned by FEDEX), DHL, USPS are generally pre-cleared as part of their service is that they provide a Door-to-Door service and therefore clear shipments through Customs (hence the express part of their service) , usually this is whilst the good are in transit so there is no delay when it hits the ground.
It doesn't matter if there is no invoice included as the goods had to have declaration of value on the shipping docs the sender completed when they sent it (just like we have to complete when sending overseas).
AQIS fee may appear as a 'Security Fee' on your invoice. I can't answer if it is on every company's invoice but it is for USPS, DHL and TNT and private used logistic companies. https://tinyurl.com/ycvbbaze
You have to remember when it comes to the AustPost, they are not Customs Brokers nor do they do Customs clearances per se, it is all electronic and as soon as it lands if it is over $1,000 it is (likely) to be held in Bond and they send a letter to say with notification on what has happened, how to pay etc etc.
I'm still not completely clear on how all this will work but from what I can see ebay is charging/collecting GST on ALL overseas purchases irrespective of the value. If that is the case then surely all overseas non ebay sales should be attracting GST.
The particular entry:
This suggests that it should be free of additional tariffs. Should.
Yeah - and don't both searching for poster or advertising - nothing useful comes up. But some funny stuff does!
So now you all know the code for when you import your next 75% + elephant dung paper products. You're welcome.
On the open market, they may yield 30% less today. Without comparable prices, how are our lovely border force going to decide what they think my posters are worth?
All I can say is thank God they have no other pressing border security problems to deal with, so they are free to spend hours trolling Bruce's sales archive to decide what my 1970s German sexploitation daybill is worth. Tax money well spent.