Sad days are ahead I fear.
Im an eBay buyer, mostly from overseas. Why? Because what I want or need isn’t available here to buy. Or it’s a pre loved item. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of the Global Shipping Program or likewise eyewatering shipping costs, but what’s a gal to do?
How the @@@ is this 10% GST on everything and anything going to work?
Yes people’s, everything , all items, be it a 10th hand vintage coat or an Art Deco cabinet plate, everything.
The fact that the seller, as a person making less than $75,000 a year from their online selling and is therefore actually exempt, is irrelevant, the Govt is going after the Marketplace ie EBay, Amazon, Etsy, Alibaba. I mean they even have PayPal in their sights as a collection agency!
Currently, if you buy an item over $1,000, apart from shipping and handling fees, the cost is $55 for a do it yourself customs declaration, more if you use Fedex or the Global Shipping Program.
So, you have to factor this extra $55 to $100 into your overall cost.
After 1 July, that $10 widget spinner you want has a $1 GST fee payable. How much extra is eBay going to charge an Aussie buyer to compensate themselves for the hassle and inconvenience of being responsible for collecting our Govts new fee? That whole $1!
Another 10% (ok if it’s a $10 widget, not so good if a $990 bag) or say $10 a purchase (ok if you’re buying that $990 bag, not so good for the $10 widget buyer).
And how hard does it get when you return that widget to the seller cos it’s faulty and want your $1 GST refunded. Imagine the cost and the effort for eBay to apply, on your behalf because they collected it, to retrieve your $1 back, and hopefully before you die.
Here’s your invoice from eBay, your $10 refund for the widget return, the $1 GST collected and subsequently refunded and our bill for $157 for the processing.
Or more likely, we’ll just be excluded.
