Life in Australia Guide

When you order goods online to Australia or receive them by international mail (parcel), they pass through three different gates. For customs, the Australian Border Force (ABF) handles duties and import procedures, while for biosecurity, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) screens out risky goods such as food, plants, and animal products. On top of this, import GST may apply separately. Because the three have different responsible agencies and different rules, it is best to understand each one separately.\n\nGoods you carry in yourself at the airport (carry-in) are a separate process declared on arrival via the Incoming Passenger Card, and follow a different regulatory path from the mail and online imports this guide covers. For the accompanied-goods declaration process, refer to the separate 'Arrival customs and biosecurity' guide.

For GST on consumer goods bought overseas, when it is collected and by whom depends on whether the value of the goods is at or below the low value threshold or above it. For goods at or below the threshold, an overseas seller, online platform, or redeliverer that sells to Australia above a certain scale charges GST at the point of sale and remits it on your behalf. For goods above the threshold, GST is charged at the border (at the time of clearance) together with an import declaration, and customs duty may apply depending on the item, all settled before you can collect the goods.\n\nThe import GST referred to here is a consumption tax collected at the consumer, border, or platform level, and is an entirely different system from the business GST registration that a business registers for once it exceeds an annual turnover threshold. Personal online shopping has nothing to do with business GST registration. Thresholds, rates, and duty-free limits change with policy, so do not memorise the figures in this guide — check the latest values on the ATO and ABF official pages.

In international mail, what is most often held or seized is not a tax issue but goods subject to biosecurity. To protect its unique ecosystem and agricultural and livestock industries, Australia strictly blocks the entry of pests and diseases. The following items require particular care when received by parcel.\n\nRepresentative examples are meat and animal products (jerky, sausages, dried seafood, etc.), seeds, plants, and seedlings, honey and bee products (including royal jelly and propolis), timber and handicrafts, and traditional medicines containing plant or animal ingredients. In particular, traditional medicines may be subject to seizure if they contain plants or animals covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (for example, the bones or horns of certain animals, or certain plants). This guide provides only the facts about biosecurity and CITES and does not address the efficacy or method of taking any medicine. If you receive personal prescription medicines by international mail, the rules are separate, so refer to the 'Importing medicines' guide.\n\nBecause whether an item can be imported and under what conditions varies by item, the most reliable approach is to check via DAFF's BICON (Biosecurity Import Conditions) search before ordering.

• For food, seeds, plants, and animal products, search the import conditions on BICON before ordering — whether they are conditionally allowed, require an import permit, or are prohibited varies by item.
• For traditional medicines and health supplements containing plant or animal ingredients, check the ingredient list, and do not import any CITES ingredients (endangered plants or animals).
• Ask the seller to state the food and ingredients accurately on the parcel's customs declaration — failure to state or false statements are grounds for seizure and fines.

Here are four categories covering the situations commonly encountered with overseas online shopping and international mail. Check which one your goods fall into.

Checking in order from before you order through to receipt can greatly reduce customs and biosecurity problems and unexpected costs.

• Check importability before ordering: For food, plants, animal products, and medicines, first check on BICON; for regulated goods, check with the ABF whether they can be imported.
• Calculate the total cost: Beyond the item price and shipping, estimate the GST, customs duty, and processing fees that apply above the threshold to gauge the total cost.
• Check GST at checkout: For low value goods, check whether GST was charged at the point of sale to avoid double collection at the border.
• Accurate customs declaration: Ask the seller to state the contents, amount, and ingredients accurately, and do not request an under-valued declaration.
• Keep payment method and records: In case of a dispute, keep your order records, payment card, and delivery tracking records for a chargeback.

The following are common mistakes and misunderstandings in overseas online shopping. Knowing them in advance can help you avoid unnecessary losses and possible breaches of the law.

• Blindly trusting old figures: Thresholds and rates change. Check the official ATO and ABF values instead of the old figures in community and blog posts.
• Ignoring biosecurity: Many people focus only on tax and get caught at biosecurity with food, seeds, or medicines. Biosecurity is a problem more often than customs.
• False or under-valued declaration: Lowering the price or concealing the contents to save on tax is illegal and leads to seizure, fines, and visa risk.
• Expecting ACL from overseas sellers: The Australian Consumer Law does not generally apply to overseas sellers. Do not regard it as a refund guarantee, and prepare alternatives such as a card chargeback.
• Over-relying on chargebacks: A chargeback has time limits and conditions and does not guarantee recovery. Apply within the set period according to your bank's guidance (e.g. Moneysmart).