Customs Brokerage FAQ’s
Our service is around 1/2 the price of the general industry standard because we specialise in clearing airfreight consignments. This can be either via Australia Post or direct through ANY Airline (e.g. Qantas, Virgin, AAE etc).
As such we don’t need huge bonded warehouse facilities, quarantine premises, seafreight container trucks or vast numbers of imports and exports staff to administer all these operations.
All this means a Faster, Cheaper and Superior service for you.
Australia Post Consignments: If you have received a Customs Notice from Australia Post, regardless of your location, our customs brokers can clear it through customs and Australia Post will deliver it to your door.
General Airfreight Consignments: Because every clients imported goods and circumstances are different, if you have received an Air Waybill or freight arrival notification from an Airline please contact us via freecall 1800 670 978 to discuss with a Licenced Customs Broker the exact customs clearance processes for your specific consignment.
If you have received an Air Waybill or freight arrival notification from an Airline please contact us via freecall 1800 670 978 to discuss with a Licenced Customs Broker the exact customs clearance processes for your specific goods and circumstances.
When your goods are shipped from their origin via EMS, USPS or equivalent standard international mail service then you will receive an Customs Notice once your consignment has arrived in Australia.
If you have received a “Bill of Lading” from your shipper then your consignment has been sent via general Sea Freight and you cannot use our service.
Yes. All you need to do is call Australia Post on 13 13 18, and advise them of your new delivery address. You will need to provide them with your consignment reference number located at the top of your Customs Notice.
No. Unfortunately due to Australia Post’s increased security measures they no longer allow consignees to collect their parcels direct from the Australia Post bonded warehouse. You must wait for the goods to be delivered via Australia Post’s regular delivery cycle.
At the moment the problem with spam filters blocking mail is prominent. So if you have not received a dispatch notification email from us prior to the expiry of your service timeframe, please take the following steps:
- Check ‘Junk’ (or similar) folder in your mailbox collecting spam messages.
- Perform a search for this email by clicking Edit > Find > Message (or similar) in your email program, ensuring the “look in” option covers all your email folders. The exact sender e-mail address is service(AT)ecustomsbroker.com.au (Note: You MUST replace the “(AT)” with the “@” symbol first. All email addresses on this website are written with “(AT)” for anit-spam purposes.
- If after taking the above action you cannot locate our email please contact our customer service department by emailing service(AT)ecustomsbroker.com.au and include your Customs Notice number in your email.
You can calculate exactly how much duty and GST you will be liable for via our What It Costs page, however if you wish to you can contact us prior to clearing your consignment.
We accept Visa and Master Card, both of which attract a 1.5% processing surcharge. Unfortunately these credit card processing fees are levied by the banks and due to our extremely low professional fees, we are forced to pass them on.
For most clients this fee translates to around $4.00. For a full list of charges you can expect to pay please see What It Costs.
No. The local delivery cost is included in the freight charges you paid originally to send the goods from their origin.
Please ensure you have entered the correct email address service(AT)ecustomsbroker.com.au – You MUST replace the “(AT)” with the “@” symbol first. All email addresses on this website are written with “(AT)” for anit-spam purposes.
The Benefits of EMS are many…
It’s the Cheapest. Because EMS utilises the exporting countries Postal Service, they send HUGE volumes of freight and therefore receive large discounts from the airlines carrying this freight. These discounts are passed on to you, the consumer.
It’s also the Fastest. Freight sent via EMS is transported on the same commercial freighter aircraft (and it sits beside) freight sent via DHL, FedEx or any other private transport company. Therefore the transit time is exactly the same – but the price is not.
For your goods to arrive via Australia Post they must have been shipped from your supplier via EMS (Express Mail Service). “EMS” is an internationally recognised term that simply refers to the fastest method of international transport via the exporting countries postal service.
For example: If you instructed your supplier in the USA to send your goods via EMS, they would ship them with USPS (United States Postal Service) on their Express Mail Service. Upon arrival in Australia your goods would be received and processed via Australia Post.
Customs Clearance FAQ’s
Customs will stop your goods if they meet ANY of the below criteria:
- 1. Have a value over AUD $1,000.
- 2. Contain Alcohol or Tobacco of ANY quantity or value.
- 3. Contain goods of Customs Interest.
- 4. Contain any Customs Prohibited or Restricted Imports.
Note: The above is a guide only. Even if your goods do not meet any of the above criteria, Customs still maintains the right to hold and inspect any goods at their discretion.
Customs Duty is calculated as a percentage of the Customs Value (CV) of the imported goods. Depending on the product, the applicable duty rate can be anywhere from 0% to 10%, however the majority of goods attract a 5% duty rate.
Customs GST is calculated at 10% of the Value of the Taxable Import (VoTI). The VoTI is calculated by the addition of the Customs Value (CV)
PLUS the Duty PLUS the value of the International Transport and Insurance (T&I).
GST is levied on all importations at the border in exactly the same manner as you would pay GST on goods you purchase locally within Australia.
Duty and/or GST are only collected on imported goods where the value of the goods is above A$1000, OR where the goods include alcohol or tobacco products. Goods valued above A$1000 must be cleared through Customs and Border Protection by completing a formal Customs Entry.
Australia Post Consignments: If you have received a Customs Notice then the shipper has already advised customs that your goods meet this criteria.
General Airfreight Consignments: All goods arriving via general airfreight (i.e. Via ANY Airline – Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar etc) are required to have a formal customs entry lodged regardless of their value, however if the goods are under the AUD 1,000 threshold then we can apply the relevant legislation on your customs entry to exempt you from payment of any Duty/GST or Government entry fees.
The clearance process for General Airfreight Consignments is different to that of postal consignments and you cannot lodge your documentation online for these clearances. please click here to request a quote and we will emails all relevant information.
The tariff classification is an 8 digit reference number and 2 digit statistical code, obtained from the Australian Customs Tariff that identifies the imported item and the rate of Customs duty that applies.
Yes. The law requires that all goods – whether second hand or new, commercial or private – be subject to the assessment of customs duty and GST and checked for community protection risks.
The law requires that all goods, even gifts, over the value of AUD$1000 are subject to the assessment of customs duty and GST and checked for community protection risks.
The previous “gift concession” (by-law number 9740019) was revoked on and from 1 October 2008. However importations up to a value of AUD$1,000 are exempt payment of duty and GST (except for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products).
All goods that come into the country are subject to Customs, Border Protection and Quarantine controls. Your parcel is being held by Australia Post awaiting a Customs Entry to be lodged in order to provide more information about these goods to Australian Customs. You may also need to pay customs duty and/or GST before your parcel can be delivered.
Yes. The law requires that all goods – whether second hand or new, commercial or private – be subject to the assessment of customs duty and GST and checked for community protection risks.
Duty and/or GST are only collected on imported goods where the value of the goods is above A$1000, OR where the goods include alcohol or tobacco products. Goods valued above A$1000 must be cleared through Customs and Border Protection by completing a formal Customs Entry.
If you have received a Customs Notice then the shipper has already advised customs that your goods meet this criteria.
No. You only need to provide your ABN if the goods are for use by your business and you wish to claim input tax credits on your BAS for the GST you pay upon importation.
The duty rates for alcohol varies depending on its exact specifications, however to give you a general idea most Wines are 5% duty, however Spirits commonly attract a the 5% duty PLUS $76.37 per litre of alcohol content. Beers made from malt usually attracts a duty rate of $45.08 per litre or alcohol content by which it exceeds 1.15%.
Note: In addition to duty and GST, most wines also attract Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) which is calculated at 29% of [the customs value (CV) PLUS the duty PLUS the Transport and Insurance (T&I)].
Tobacco duty rates also vary but again to give you an idea, the most common rate is $663.72/kg of tobacco content.
Wine Calculation Example
The Duty, WET and GST payable on a 700ml bottle of Wine valued at $100 with an alcohol content of 13.5% would be calculated as follows:
- If the Customs value (CV) of the Wine = $100.00
- Then the Customs duty @ 5% of the $100 (CV) = $5.00 (Payable)
- International transport and insurance or postage (T&I) = $50.00
- Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) @ 29% of (CV + Duty + T&I) = $44.95 (Payable)
- Value of the Taxable Importation (VoTI) = (CV + Duty + T&I + WET) = $199.95
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) @ 10% of the VoTI = $19.99 (Payable)
- Total Payable (Duty + WET + GST) = $69.94
Spirits Calculation Example
The Duty and GST payable on a 700ml bottle of Whiskey valued at $100 with an alcohol content of 37.0% would be calculated as follows:
- If the Customs value (CV) of the Whiskey = $100.00
- Then the Customs duty @ 5% of the $100 (CV) = $5.00 (Payable)
- The Litres of Alcohol (La) content is 0.7L x 37.0% = 0.259 La
- The La duty rate of $76.37/La x 0.259 La = $19.77 (Payable)
- International transport and insurance or postage (T&I) = $50.00
- Value of the Taxable Importation (VoTI) = (CV + 5% Duty + La Duty + T&I) = $174.77
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) @ 10% of the VoTI = $17.47 (Payable)
- Total Payable (Duty + GST) = $42.24
Beer Calculation Example
The Duty and GST payable on a Carton of 24 x 375ml bottles of Beer valued at $70 with an alcohol content of 4.9% would be calculated as follows:
- If the Customs value (CV) of the Beer = $70.00
- The dutyable Litres of Alcohol (La) is 4.9% – 1.15% = 3.75%
- The Litres of Alcohol (La) content is 24 x 0.375L x 3.75% = 0.3375 La
- Therefore the duty rate of $45.08/La x 0.3375 La = $15.21 (Payable)
- International transport and insurance or postage (T&I) = $50.00
- Value of the Taxable Importation (VoTI) = (CV + Duty + T&I) = $135.21
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) @ 10% of the VoTI = $13.52 (Payable)
- Total Payable (Duty + GST) = $28.73
The Customs value of goods imported into Australia is based on the value of the goods as determined by the importers commercial invoice.
When the goods are valued at more than AUD$1000 threshold, or include alcohol or tobacco products of any value, a Customs value will be determined which is used as the basis for calculating the value of any duty and/or GST.
The Customs value is combined with other items (customs duty, international transport and insurance costs and, where applicable, Wine Equalisation Tax) to produce the value of the taxable importation (VoTI). The Customs value is equivalent to the Australian currency purchase price of the goods.
We apply one of two possible exchange rates depending on whether the goods have already been paid for or not.
If at the time of importation the importer has not already transferred payment to the overseas supplier for the goods then we use the customs exchange rate, which is the average of the four major banks at the date of exportation of the goods from the origin.
If the goods have already been paid for and you provide the payment remittance (e.g. T/T, Paypal Receipt, Credit Card Statement etc.) then we use the exchange rate that you paid for the goods on hence the Duty/GST is calculated based on the actual AUD amount you paid.
No. We are an independent Government Licensed Customs Brokerage who specialise in the customs clearance of general airfreight and Australia Post consignments.
Yes. However you will need the unique Customs reference for us to clear your consignment. You can call customs on 1300 363 263 (Option 5, then 1) and request they verbally advise you this PPC (parcel post carding) reference for your consignment.
Once obtained you can lodge online without the physical notice, just select “I did not receive this notice” where the form requests the physical Customs notice.
Please note it can take up to 72 hrs after your consignments arrival in Australia for customs to have processed your consignment and generated the above reference number.
