Customs - what's the limit/threshold?

LotteBum said:

How much do you have to spend on overseas shopping before Customs hit you up for tax?

I spent $229 last week and still haven't received my package. Am getting a little anxious.

LotteBum

From Feb 1 the threshold was raised from $400. Im not totally sure what it was raised too. The figure of $900 is in my mind though.

Either way your $229 isnt significant and shouldn't have any problems. Im ordering stuff from probikekit every other month for totals more than that and i have never been pulled up.

Lotte - work on $250 as the limit for internet orders before Customs
gets interested. That's just a rough guide, though...

Byron27 - That $900 is for passengers only (ie. accompanied luggage).
There is a catch in the recent increase, though (as always!). If you go
over your $900 in "goodies purchased overseas & duty free stuff
purchased beforeyou go" (combined), then you pay the applicable
duty/GST on the ENTIRE AMOUNT (not just on the goods that take you over
the $900 limit). That is - if you bring over a set of $1000 wheels -
duty/GST is calculated & payable on $1000, but if you bring over a set
of $900 wheels (& nothing else) then you pay NO duty/GST.

Absent Husband (disclaimer, disclaimer...)

Absent Husband said:

Lotte - work on $250 as the limit for internet orders before Customs
gets interested. That's just a rough guide, though...

Byron27 - That $900 is for passengers only (ie. accompanied luggage).
There is a catch in the recent increase, though (as always!). If you go
over your $900 in "goodies purchased overseas & duty free stuff
purchased beforeyou go" (combined), then you pay the applicable
duty/GST on the ENTIRE AMOUNT (not just on the goods that take you over
the $900 limit). That is - if you bring over a set of $1000 wheels -
duty/GST is calculated & payable on $1000, but if you bring over a set
of $900 wheels (& nothing else) then you pay NO duty/GST.

Absent Husband (disclaimer, disclaimer...)

The explanation is here:

customs.gov.aupage.cfmOpen ↗

Its a bit detailed but it is a good explanation of the rules. You will see that duty is higher on some things such as clothing and footwear, so you may not be able to bring in as much of those before paying duty. In practice I have found Customs to be pretty good and err on the generous side if anything, when values are close to the relevant limits.

Steve(never paid duty on imported bike bits and pieces)A

She with lots of bum said:

How much do you have to spend on overseas shopping
before Customs hit you up for tax?

Quoted message said:

I spent $229 last week and still haven't received my package.
Am getting a little anxious.

I'd guess the threshhold is about $500. I've made heaps of purcheses around the $300-400 range, and never been charged anything by customs (except once, when the package arrived by DHL). However, last week, I received a rack (tubus stainless), some cranks (TA triple) and a Phil bottom bracket (total cost of $700 Aus, and copped GST of $70.

Regards,

Suzy

Hey suzyj,

There is a Customs by-law whereby we waive payment of duty/GST is if
the total payable is less than $50. But we collect the whole lot if the
total payable is above $50 (make sense??)...

So assuming that only GST is payable (ie duty is at 0%), then $500
would indeed be the threshold amount for internet purchases....

Cheers,
Absent Husband (disclaimer, disclaimer...)

suzyj said:

I'd guess the threshhold is about $500. I've made heaps of purcheses around the $300-400 range, and never been charged anything by customs (except once, when the package arrived by DHL). However, last week, I received a rack (tubus stainless), some cranks (TA triple) and a Phil bottom bracket (total cost of $700 Aus, and copped GST of $70.

Glad to hear you got punished for PW/TA/Tubus ... but only because you got it, and not me :P

Ive gone as far as $550 - $575 and not copped GST, via mail. You pretty much always get scragged when you go via courier though.

till

ps: concur w/Tubus, I got the cromo ones though after my ali blacburns disintegrated.

Till said:

Glad to hear you got punished for PW/TA/Tubus ... but
only because you got it, and not me :P

I was perfectly happy to pay the GST. On the whole, I'm probably averaging 1-2% GST on all the stuff I've bought, so who am I to complain.

As for the kit I bought, the rack is absolutely gorgeous. I'm also really impressed with the TA cranks. Very nice kit. I usually buy Campy Chorus, but I'm thinking of building a tandem in the future, and TA make a tandem version of the Alize crankset, so I thought it'd be nice to see what the TA cranks are like.

Cheers,

Suzy

suzyj said:

As for the kit I bought, the rack is absolutely gorgeous. I'm also really impressed with the TA cranks. Very nice kit. I usually buy Campy Chorus, but I'm thinking of building a tandem in the future, and TA make a tandem version of the Alize crankset, so I thought it'd be nice to see what the TA cranks are like.

Yeah the TA sure looks nice im heeding the financial imperatives to avoid it however. Perhaps a nice red set of hourus rings for my current bike =)

My partner always wanted a tandem ... well until she worked out that whilst she may be able to watch me, Id have both the brakes AND the steering.

till