Sharmila Deewan wanted to buy a high end laptop for video editing. She found a good deal on an American website and immediately ordered it. And that was the beginning of her troubles. Her package was stopped as duty was not paid. She says, “I had to pay heavy duty and tax which I was not aware of. I ended up paying much more than the original price. It was a bad experience.”
But she was not sure if she is allowed to buy valuable goods on internet and bring them to Australia. She had to drop the idea because of the rules.
Buying items from an overseas market was never easier. You can order anything from your phone or laptop sitting here in Australia. You can order anything from India, US, Europe or any other country for that matter. The only question you ought to ask before making a payment is: Am I allowed to do that?
Australian Government’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection has set rules for buying over the internet. These rules are in accordance with the import regulations applied to bring anything in the country. For instance, you cannot order anything that is worth over AUD 1000.
According to the list of rules given on the website of DIBP:
- You can buy anything that is worth equal to or under AUD 1,000 without any duties, taxes or charges.
- You can buy good that are worth more than AUD 1000 only after filling out a special form called Import Declaration, and pay duties, taxes and charges.
- There are some exceptions of the rule of AUD 1000. You have to pay duties and taxes for some goods regardless of their value. Tobacco and Alcohol are such goods.
- There are certain good that cannot be brought into Australia or you need special permission for them. Here is the list of prohibited items.
One needs to be very careful when buying from overseas as buying a pirated or counterfeit item can be considered as supporting illegal trade. This could land you in serious trouble. The goods can be seized and the buyer can be prosecuted. To find more about pirated and counterfeit goods, visit this website: Counterfeiting and piracy.
