Shipping to Australia can seem complicated but if you follow the right methods to ship your parcel it does not need to be daunting. So, here are some tips for send parcel to Australia:
Do not ignore Duties & Taxes
A first and most important tip is not to ignore duties and taxes while shipping to Australia. However, If a package you are shipping to Australia has a total declared worth less than the below listed de minimis value amount, then duties and taxes will not apply.
- De minimis Value for Duty: 1,000 AUD*
- De minimis Value for Tax: 1,000 AUD*
Please ensure that duties and taxes apply to alcohol and tobacco products while certain materials may cost you other types of fees or taxes according to Australian law.
Learn about Shipping Personal Effects
Any luggage shipments brought into Australia are considered as unaccompanied personal effects (UPEs) and may be liable to duty and the Goods and Services Tax. However, you do not have to pay anything if you meet the following criteria:
- Personally owned and used the goods before shipping for at least 12 months
- Have already arrived or intend to arrive in Australia
- Be a permanent resident of Australia or a first-time migrant from a place outside Australia taking up permanent residency.
Goods that can be reported as personal belongings usually include, but are not limited to personal clothing and footwear excluding fur clothes, grooming supplies but not concentrated on perfume or perfume itself, furniture, books, rugs, curtains and bicycles.
The following personal belongings do not count for UPE Exemption:
- Alcohol and tobacco goods
- Parts of vehicles
- Products you want to sell
- Products you have purchased from overseas while you are in Australia
- Products which were bequeathed to you
Don’t pay shipping charges for sending Gifts
It’s essential to understand that gifts are not considered personal effects, and as a result, they will undergo standard customs clearance procedures in Australia. When sending gifts to Australia, it’s important to note that there are no duty or tax concessions available. This implies that the recipient will be responsible for covering any applicable duties and taxes required to clear the gifts through customs. Regrettably, this regulation is set by the Australian authorities and is not subject to dispute.
The same regulations apply when send parcel to USA.
Customs Invoices
While shipping to Australia A customs invoice must accompany your parcel unless you’re sending only documents. It doesn’t matter if you are sending presents, personal items or something you sold online. Without the customs invoice, your package may not be able to cross the local country border, and you would have to pay return charges to get your parcel back.
The customs invoice is used by Australian Customs officials to evaluate and examine the imported products, and to impose any duties or taxes they may determine necessary and applicable to the items being imported into their country. It must contain the following information about your parcel:
- The receiver’s address also called the delivery address
- The shipper address also called the collection address
- The product description for each item you are sending
- The worth of each item for customs purposes along with the total shipment value
- The reason for export
Best Packaging is necessary
To prevent damage to its stunning natural environment and habitats from harmful diseases and pests, Australia imposes strict guidelines on goods and materials to arrive on its territory. This means that numerous products, goods and even some packaging materials are prohibited and will be denied entry. To avoid any major issues upon import into Australia, make sure to avoid the following packaging materials:
- Egg crates
- Wooden boxes (all wood boxes, crates or pallets must be fumigated, and be validated by a fumigation certificate for entry into Australia).
- Cardboard boxes that have been used before to hold fruit, vegetables or meat
- Straw material
- Dried plant material
Instead, use the ubiquitous but reliable double or even triple-corrugated cardboard box as the outer packaging. For the inner packaging, you can use bubble wrap, newspapers or foam to pack your goods safely.
Do not Send Prohibited and Restricted Goods
As a general rule, numerous medicines, cosmetics, perishable foods, live animals and animal products, wooden objects and plants come in the category of restricted or prohibited products. Other prohibited commodities follows:
- Tax stickers and banderols
- Bullion
- Cash-like’ negotiable instruments in bearer form other than event tickets
- Complete guns, weapons, ammunition and explosives
- Firearm components, including but not limited to, parts of toy guns, paintball guns, parts of air guns, parts of BB guns, parts of toy guns and parts of water pistols
- Human remains or ashes
- Illegal products
- Replicas of firearms, weapons, explosive devices or ammunition
In certain cases, when you need to send restricted items that are deemed necessary, it is still possible to proceed. However, it’s essential to be aware that such items may necessitate your recipient to obtain a permit or an import license in advance to facilitate customs clearance.
These guidelines remain applicable when send parcel to Italy.