Australian Customs
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- Nathan_Adams
Fucking pricks those customs mob!
I ordered 3 1GB sticks of Ram for my Mac (2 for me, 1 for a mate) from Crucial, and it was all hunky dory. Cheap, and delivered last week with no hassles. Got home from work today to find a letter asking me to pay my money owing to Customs. AU$111.32!!!!!
3 Fucking sticks of RAM. Totalling US$357 + shipping, and customs hits me for au$111.That's just fucking ridiculous.
(of the $111.37. $49.22 was for GST. $52.20 was for "other charges" - it doesn't care to indulge me what "other charges" actually are, and $9.90 on a disbursement fee. fuckers!)
- mydo0
the trick is to ask the company to send it to you as a gift. i bought some sweet trainers from the states when i was in oz. i found this small company who had what i wanted. the lady was very nice and packed them up like gift from my mum.. ahhh.
- Engage_London0
tax is taxing
- stem0
the trick is to ask the company to send it to you as a gift. i bought some sweet trainers from the states when i was in oz. i found this small company who had what i wanted. the lady was very nice and packed them up like gift from my mum.. ahhh.
mydo
(Jun 20 05, 02:08)Hahaha! - you're a smart motherfucker!
- mydo0
i learnt the hard way...
- imakedesign0
yep 3 way to avoid this.
send as gift
send as commerical samples
send as worth less then £20
- eficks0
It also depends how it is posted.
I've been told that a courier service like fedex has a limit of around $500 AUD before tax (gst on cost + shipping) gets charged, and if its a postal service like USPS, the limit is $1000 AUD
- -kappa-0
yep, I made a trip down to custom in Melbourne to pay the @#$%@#$% for a Sony Camera I bought on eBay.
The seller is known to them for undervaluing the items they ship to avoid the buyer paying stamp duty. I had to fork over another 10%. DOGS
- airey0
i bought swift 3d and UPS delivered it. i still got stung $96 for 'tax'. if i'd been a smart prick i would have just bought the download version. $96 for a metal tin. i'm a fucking idiot.
some companies will package the goods as 2nd hand which apparently doesn't drag a tax with it. apparently. be good to get some info from someone who has a clue though.
- toe_knee0
i buy about $200 worth of records bi-monthly and never got hit with any of that tax whoohaa. Is there a minimum?
- foreign0
most companies won't mark the package as gift, unless it's a small record company or something.
i always get record shops to mark it as promo.
the reason your custom tax is so high, is because you could've bough the ram in australia. but it's all hit and miss... sometime they check the packages, sometimes not.
- Nathan_Adams0
Yeah, but normally that's to protect local businesses. Last time I checked, no-one is manufacturing RAM in Australia.
yeah, couldn't get it marked as a gift, as it was Crucial sending it. When getting stuff off eBay, yeah always get them to mark it as such.
I just can't believe the charge is so ridiculously high. If it was worth $1000 plus, ok, maybe. but to hit me nearly a quarter of it's value is absurd.
- ultraclone0
Long but hope this helps.
You do not have to pay any GST or Duty if the total of the tax payable is less then $50.00 AU.
To work out what the tax on you parcel is.
1.Covert all prices to Australian dollars including the post.
2. Complete bikes, frames and forks have 5% duty. If you have any of these items work out the 5% and add to you total (tax payable). All other bike parts are duty free.
3. Now you have to work out the GST. This is payable on every thing, all parts, postage and even the newly added duty! Add all this together and then add 10% to the total (tax payable)
4. If the tax payable is under $50 you will not have to pay anything even if customs asks you to clear the parcel (customs will help you do this but ask nicely!) . If the tax is over $50 you will have to pay it though if your parcel is close to this limit and you are lucky Australian custom may not hold it up and you will get it tax free.
Example 1
1 x brake for MTB = $200 US DollarsUSPS Postage = $30 US
Total = $230 US
Divide 230 by 0.70(exchange rate on your invoice) = $328 Australian Dollars
GST on $328 = $32.80
Total tax = $32.80 (under $50 so no tax is payable)
Example 2
1 x forks for MTB = $300 US
Postage = $40 USConvert to Australian dollars separately to work out the duty on the forks.
Divide 340 by 0.70 = $428 AUD
5% duty on $428 =$21 (duty payable on forks)
Divide $40 (postage) by 0.70 = $57
GST is payable on the forks, postage and duty
428+57+21= $506
GST on $506 =50.60
Add the duty to the GST 50.60+21.00 = 71.60
If customs asks you to clear this parcel you would have to pay them $71.60 before they sent you the parcel. If you are lucky they might not hold it up and you would not have to clear it and would receive the fork tax-free.
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I like bikes so this is the best example i can give.
- ultraclone0
btw when buying things like ram and other products that are under the $200 buck threshold order one peice at a time.
postage might be a little more but never as much as customs.
gift or not if it is over 200 bucks (i always use this amount) you are gonna get hit up with something.
- foreign0
funny story...
my mom ordered these stainless steel alessi plates (that you put under normal plates) from europe, and they arrived at customs in a big wooden crate.
the guy at customs thought they were hubcaps, haha, so she saved a ton of money on the import tax.
- spongebob0
wow... what a rip. feeling sorry for ya fella.
- paraselene0
i don't know very much about this subject, but i have heard that australian youth, when they turn thirteen, must capture a mother kangaroo and suckle at her teat as a rite of passage. funny australians.
- paraselene0
laugh at my joke already, you heartless bastards!
- vespa0
heh para you crazy yankee!
strayan youf are too busy suckling vb and beerbongs at 13
- paraselene0
hiya, vespa! how are you? have you got yer beerbong out today?
thanks for acknowledging my joke, luv. it's a dirty job, but for some reason nobody wants to do it...
- vespa0
ah'll tell ye wit yer nae...
yer clearly not Strayan para, shazza 'n bruce wudda kicked your arse for that turd of a joke!
no beerbongs for me these days luv - oi speaking of which did you watch that documentary linking weed and schitzophrenia last night? eek!