Thread: GST on purchases from UK etc

Originally Posted by 101RRS

I agree 100% - many o/s companies have their contracted couriers (often DHL) and will not use anyone else or take your package to the post. In the UK - Royal Mail is substantially cheaper than DHL and deliver just a quick and without the hassles but most sellers will not do a mail run to post your items as DHL pick it up.

Garry

Same in the US - Fedex and UPS pick up and deliver from many stores - the USPS is cheaper, but it's too hard for them to take it to the post office.
I have 2 outlets in the US who will do USPS for me, but it's a personal deal and a box of chocolates when I visit helps to keep the system working.
I won't share the names, but the US retailers are so entrenched with their shipping companies, they just wont budge.
And the bonus is the USPS does not add GST!
Alan

Originally Posted by ChookD2

On a side note, I ordered a small item from Amazon recently. There was no indication of where in the world it was but the seller had a good rap so I went with it.
Got the email saying my item had been shipped, so I went to have a look at the tracking through Amazon. This stated that ...... "The carrier has not provided tracking details for this shipment at this time." And when I look a little further down I see......."Carrier: Latvian post"

I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

Well my part arrived today (11/7/19) which I think is not too bad. Ordered on a Friday night (21/6) and advised of despatch on Wed 26/6 with a rather wide delivery expectation of 9/7 - 24/7. On another plus side this is what appears to be a genuine Bosch item which would have cost $100+ from a retailer here but I am very happy with $38.49 incl GST and free postage even though I had to wait. On a minus side I did get a tracking number but was unable to track the item once it left Latvia.

Originally Posted by ChookD2

Well my part arrived today (11/7/19) which I think is not too bad. Ordered on a Friday night (21/7) and advised of despatch on Wed 26/7 with a rather wide delivery expectation of 9/7 - 24/7.

Wow that is great - your part arrived before you ordered it and before it was despatched - I like that

Originally Posted by 101RRS

Wow that is great - your part arrived before you ordered it and before it was despatched - I like that

It's either old age or dyslexia take you pick. I'm going with old age.

Amended.

Here is one from powerbulbs in the UK.
I decided to upgrade the bulbs in the D3 high beam.
No GST and freight free. Also fast service if previous orders are anything to go by.
powerbulbs.JPG

Originally Posted by Aussie Jeepster

No GST and freight free. Also fast service if previous orders are anything to go by.

Not necessarily at all.
1. Have you actually received the item yet? If not, it may still be held up to await your payment of the GST component - I don't think this is likely though.
2. More likely is as the freight was free and the GST is often being collected by the freight companies as part of the delivery charges to Australia, it may just be that they, powerbulbs, paid the GST component as well when the paid the freight - as I would assume they don't actually get free freight from what ever delivery carrier they're using they would of had to pay them - in that case you still ended up paying GST and freight, it's just covered in the sale price they've charged you rather than being added on separately later...
Either way it sounds like your happy with the total price deal so that's good!

Yesterday I received a package of small items from the USA. No GST or duty. Straight through the postal service to my letter box. Same happened last month.

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

Yesterday I received a package of small items from the USA. No GST or duty. Straight through the postal service to my letter box. Same happened last month.

Again, if it's under AUD $1,000.00 then there's no duty.
How do you know there's no GST though? Most of the US carriers are incorporating the GST collection into their freight charges - so if the sender paid the freight for the packages then in doing so they likely also paid the GST component too. The fact that it's not showing GST collection separately doesn't mean it didn't happen just that it was included as part of the carrier costs - I do also accept that the reverse is potentially true too. But as it's generally been integrated into the carrier costs for parcels under AUD $1,000.00 it means that it will go straight through the postal service to your letter box with no hold up as it's all already sorted.