Custom fee charged for second hand good (austalia)

yuko93

yuko93

Member
Nov 4, 2013
194
3
#1
Hi All,
Not sure am I posting at the right place. As this something to do with ebay, I thought this is the best option.
Alrighty, I recently purchased a designer bag from ebay (Japan seller) about 2 weeks ago. Just last week I received a letter saying my item is held by the Australia custom. Today I received my payment notice that I have to pay AU$2-300. The item cost about AU$2100.
I heard that usually second hand goods does not get charge gst ???
I am curious about how does it work?
 
#2
yuko93 said:
Hi All,
Not sure am I posting at the right place. As this something to do with ebay, I thought this is the best option.
Alrighty, I recently purchased a designer bag from ebay (Japan seller) about 2 weeks ago. Just last week I received a letter saying my item is held by the Australia custom. Today I received my payment notice that I have to pay AU$2-300. The item cost about AU$2100.
I heard that usually second hand goods does not get charge gst ???
I am curious about how does it work?
Click to expand...

Hi

Anything over $1000 you will have to pay import duties for. New or used, it doesn't matter it is based on value.

You can read this to get an idea how it works.

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5549.asp
 
#3
yuko93 said:
Hi All,
Not sure am I posting at the right place. As this something to do with ebay, I thought this is the best option.
Alrighty, I recently purchased a designer bag from ebay (Japan seller) about 2 weeks ago. Just last week I received a letter saying my item is held by the Australia custom. Today I received my payment notice that I have to pay AU$2-300. The item cost about AU$2100.
I heard that usually second hand goods does not get charge gst ???
I am curious about how does it work?
Click to expand...



Customs charges are based on value, not whether the item is new or used. Be grateful though as our import limit in the UK is 16GBP/around 28 AUD - anything beyond that and we get charged! :roflmfao:
 
#4
Echo the sentiments above. It's also the buyer's duty to pay any customs fees that incur when purchasing an item from overseas. I think If you don't pick up the item and it gets sent back to the seller, you lose buyer's protection but someone with more experience can chime in on that.
 
#5
Definitely charged on value, it doesn't make a difference if it is secondhand. Customs duty in Australia starts being paid in values over $1000, it is approximately 15% plus a $70 processing fee. Customs duty is calculated on the AUS dollar value of the item value, postage and insurance.
 
#7
yuko93 said:
I find it weird they sometime charge and sometimes don't charge. So i'm getting abit confused.
Click to expand...
Maybe sometimes you've gotten lucky and somehow slipped through the system, however the customs duty is definitely payable on items over $1000. I understand it's 10% GST, 5% customs duty, plus $70 processing fee. As it's on the AUS dollar you need to convert the US value to the Australian dollar.

I purchased something for $1850 US dollars a couple of weeks ago and was charged $370 in customs duty. The customs department rang the day it arrived, and I paid it immediately and it was sent the next day. It was also pre loved. That's the only reason I know about the fees in so much detail for the amount of the item you purchased.

It's something you need to factor in when purchasing from abroad. It doesn't make a difference either if the item is marked as a gift as well. It's unfortunate you weren't aware of the charges beforehand, I feel for you, unfortunately it's something as a buyer you need to be aware of when you purchase something.

If you refuse to pay the charges, the item will be returned to sender and you could possibly get a refund. However as someone who's also been on the side of selling something abroad and the buyer refusing to pay import tax, it's not a very nice thing to do and not fair on the seller. I am also unsure of the rules with PayPal and ebay regarding protection if you do not pay customs charges.
 
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