Anyone had a package come thru customs after 1 July that did not already have GST paid?

[the_2nd_zoo]

What is the actual process for under 1K items imported where the seller has not paid GST and it is considered a consumer purchase?

[lyndal1838]

FedEx do not open the packages themselves.  They would be opened by Australian Customs after they arrive in the country via FedEx.

Were they resealed with yellow Customs tape?  If that is the case you need to complain to Customs.

If they were items sent via the Global Shipping (GSP) then they would have been repacked in the USA by Pitney Bowes and would be unlikely to be opened by Customs when they arrive here.   I can well imagine parts being lost by PB before shipping.

[redders_60]

I bought one of those spiralisers too! Zucchini noodles are great with some butter & parmesan! It's amazing how many cheap gadgets one can find on the site I mentioned, & with their "Flash Sale" feature you can get things for under 50c Au currency. Even if cash poor you can have a little spend up! (I only sell to fund my PPal for buying & my lights have been off for ages)

[stylesilver]

No -  FedEx DO have their own customs people in Sydney - & they check parcels, open them etc - acting as Customs officers for all parcels that come thru Sydney using FedEx! ... Don't trust,Fed-ex now because of this! The only company here to have their own customs!

[stylesilver]

Yes .. Nice with a bit of butter & cheese & black pepper ... My lights are on luckily - specially since adding a different product range ...But I also find doing "adverts " on Instagram helps too

[lyndal1838]

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@stylesilver wrote:

No -  FedEx DO have their own customs people in Sydney - & they check parcels, open them etc - acting as Customs officers for all parcels that come thru Sydney using FedEx! ... Don't trust,Fed-ex now because of this! The only company here to have their own customs!

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If you are sure that FedEx are opening parcels then you need to report it to Customs.....it is illegal for ayone but Customs Officers to actually open anything.

FedEx act as clearing agents.....they can facilitate the prompt clearance of shipments by fast tracking the paperwork but only Australian Customs can decide which parcels are going to be opened and indeed only Customs can open them.

[redders_60]

Well blow me down! I just bought a handbag for my daughter's Birthday from China here on ebay & the seller (or the system) had added 10% GST to the purchase price of $44.99 that only showed up when I went to pay by PPal via my cart. Now this is $4.50 that the Aussie Govt isn't going to see from any seller based in China!?; Or so I believe! A new rort for Chinese sellers? Take the tax & then not pay it? Maybe I shouldn't have bought via the cart? Any ideas anyone?

I would have backed out prior to purchase, but wanted to replace my daughter's much loved worn out black KKardashian bag - & this 356 F/B Chinese seller was the only seller on ebay or anywhere that had an identical item to what I wanted to buy. I've not found it in B&M shops having looked for a month, nor after the best part a day searching online.

Saddest part is the bag will not arrive in time for her Birthday. Hopefully it will arrive & look the same as the one my daughter has worn out from overuse!

Not exactly a customs duty type or problem, but still one that adds extra hidden costs to an O/S ebay purchase!

I wonder if & when the bag arrives will I be asked to pay the tax again? There was no way to opt out of that part of the purchase. Would customs accept my ebay receipt as proof that I've already paid GST on the item?

[lyndal1838]

Are you sure it has been added by the seller?

What you are describing sounds to me as though it is the GST added by ebay during payment....which is the way the system should work.

The ebay GST will show as a separate payment with the GST amount going to an ebay held paypal account and from there to the ATO.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@redders_60 wrote:

Well blow me down! I just bought a handbag for my daughter's Birthday from China here on ebay & the seller (or the system) had added 10% GST to the purchase price of $44.99 that only showed up when I went to pay by PPal via my cart. Now this is $4.50 that the Aussie Govt isn't going to see from any seller based in China!?; Or so I believe! A new rort for Chinese sellers? Take the tax & then not pay it? Maybe I shouldn't have bought via the cart? Any ideas anyone?

I would have backed out prior to purchase, but wanted to replace my daughter's much loved worn out black KKardashian bag - & this 356 F/B Chinese seller was the only seller on ebay or anywhere that had an identical item to what I wanted to buy. I've not found it in B&M shops having looked for a month, nor after the best part a day searching online.

Saddest part is the bag will not arrive in time for her Birthday. Hopefully it will arrive & look the same as the one my daughter has worn out from overuse!

Not exactly a customs duty type or problem, but still one that adds extra hidden costs to an O/S ebay purchase!

I wonder if & when the bag arrives will I be asked to pay the tax again? There was no way to opt out of that part of the purchase. Would customs accept my ebay receipt as proof that I've already paid GST on the item?

---

the issue I think that might surface is that the KKardashian bag might end up being . . . . . . now brace yourself . . . . . a counterfeit item!  I know it is hard to believe, but many items from China are fake/counterfeit/replica/copies of the real deal.

How much does a KKardashian bag normally sell for?  If it is much more than what you paid then that is enough evidence that you have bought a fake item.

The fact that the GST was added after you hit the buy-now button shows that the seller did not add the GST, eBay did.  eBay will be sending all the GST they collect to the ATO.  Your PayPal acct should show the account the GST was paid into.

[brerrabbit585]

Maybe all the others who were selling that particular fake got kicked off ebay and that's why it was the only one available. 🙂

There's obviously always going to be a market for fakes so how can ebay ever expect to do anything about those who sell them? It's not just ebay's fault, it's equally the fault of those who don't mind buying ILLEGAL copies of well-known, expensive brands.

[countessalmirena]

I have just received an item purchased from one of my favourite US manufacturers (in San Francisco).

It was sent via FedEx.

The parcel wasn't opened; it arrived without an issue. The customs declaration did not state that I'd paid GST (which I did, at point of sale on the website). I wasn't charged any extra GST. Customs did not interfere or assume that GST wasn't paid.

That's how the system is going to be working. If the seller sells directly to the customer, rather than through a large e-platform, it's up to the seller to have either signed up to collect the GST to be given to the ATO, or refrained from signing up to collect the GST. If the seller isn't collecting GST from Australian consumers, it isn't a case of dodging GST; rather, the seller presumably doesn't have to. Customs doesn't get involved in collecting GST on low value imported goods.