International Transformers retails and Australian GST. What retailers are doing.

[DELTAprime]

As people may know the Australian government as of the start of the 2018/19 financial year on the 1st of July will require the store to collect GST on behalf of the Australian government. This is going to affect us Transformers collectors.

So far we have word from two retailers as to what will happen as of the 1st of July.

Amazon - Amazon will block Australians from buying items from all non-Australian Amazon sites.
https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/amazon-to-block-its-us-website-for-aussie-shoppers-over-new-gst-rules-20180531-p4zikr.html
Update - We can use foreign Amazon sites again.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/amazon-international-to-resume-shipping-to-australia-after-controversial-online-gst-ban/news-story/6df54143018fd8cfd0e8d8f3bea71c97

HLJ - HLJ will be implementing GST collection as of the 1st of July.
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=587930&postcount=101

BBTS- BBTS will collect GST. Note that it sounds like they are collecting GST on items already paid for sitting in your POL, so ship existing POLs quickly.
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=588708&postcount=27

Amiami- Amiami will be charging GST as of the 1st on all orders under $1000 AUD.
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=589929&postcount=47

Ebay- Ebay is charging GST on all private sales. Larger sellers that have an ABN can apply for an exemption meaning their customers will not be charged 10% on eBay, because the seller should be collecting GST in their sale price.
https://sellercentre.ebay.com.au/content/gst-fees-ebaycomau

I'll try to keep this list updated but mods feel free to add more TF stockist to the list if I don't see them.

[hYpNoS]

Whelp I'm glad hlj at least lets us visit, anyone checked with amiami and other retailers?

Ones like bbts robot kingdom etc are also a worry.

Sucks about amazon though they sent me a coupon for $20, lets hope the range is actually any good this time

[ZoonMaster5000]

well goodbye hlj it was nice knowing you. If I have to pay gst I would rather support someone local like Savier’s toys or Toybot Importz thanks Gerry.

[ChlorHex]

What a pain!

[reillyd]

Given that RK openly advertises that they will put a lower price on customs, I am thinking they won't be passing on a lot of gst.

[Jetfire in the sky]

Its amazing that the gummint finally worked out how to do this, the initial problem was that collecting gst when the item arrived in Oz would have cost more than what was being collected, personally I think they could have just started with Oz-post international items needing to be collected in store to pay gst or do it online when your item is scanned into Australia and it could be delivered, still a costly exercise, but once automated could have worked.
Now they are getting people in countries who are paid a lot less to do the work, great outsourcing there d!ck$!

I think it is total BS and the over $1000 rule was enough, I know BTT has a lot to say about this and rightly so, and I agree with him.

If I were say RK or Chimungmung I wouldn't even bother, how can the Australian Government enforce anything on a Chinese seller, yes they might geo-block their page but really, there are other ways around it.

[1AZRAEL1]

2 words. Gerry Harvey

[Jazzman]

2 words. Gerry Harvey

Here here... whinging SOB that he is :mad:

[bowspearer]

Here here... whinging SOB that he is :mad:

What needs to happen, is a public boycott of Harvey Norman and Domayne. If noone buys from them, it cripples them and is the only thing that will harm or hurt him and his wife.

[bowspearer]

well goodbye hlj it was nice knowing you. If I have to pay gst I would rather support someone local like Savier’s toys or Toybot Importz thanks Gerry.

Depends on what you're buying. Gunpla will still work out at least a third cheaper buying from them than buying locally.

[ZoonMaster5000]

Depends on what you're buying. Gunpla will still work out at least a third cheaper buying from them than buying locally.

I only collect transformers so I was able to capatilise on shipping with the mp and legends line. With the legends line technically over and now the added costs it’s just no longer worth it

[Jazzman]

What needs to happen, is a public boycott of Harvey Norman and Domayne. If noone buys from them, it cripples them and is the only thing that will harm or hurt him and his wife.

I just wonder what'll happen to people who need to buy expensive medication that's not available in Oz... :(

[hYpNoS]

I just wonder what'll happen to people who need to buy expensive medication that's not available in Oz... :(

Shop lifters will fill in for that, sadly

[Bladestorm]

What will actually happen to parcels posted after 1st July that don't have GST collected on them?
Will they be stopped at the border? (seems like an expensive exercise to me)

Will gifts be required to pay GST too?
What's to stop someone getting a friend in another country to purchase and ship for them to avoid the hassle?

I don't mind paying GST on things I can't get here; my issue is restricting people from having choice because of its implementation.

[dirge]

Will gifts be required to pay GST too?
What's to stop someone getting a friend in another country to purchase and ship for them to avoid the hassle?


This will happen much more commonly. Friends & Family.

[Thorns2010]

I still can't figure out why all the big internet stores are blocking Australia because of a tax collection. I'm fairly certain that in the USA if you live in a State that has an Amazon warehouse, you have to pay local sales tax.

Also, my wife sells things on Etsy, and they are also thinking of blocking Australia, but when she sells things to people in England, on the invoice it has listed a VAT collected amount paid for by they buyer.

I'm just confused as to what the Australian Government is doing differently to everywhere else that already mandates collection of taxes and duties and such, that has pissed off the retailers so much that they are refusing to deal with Australian customers.

[1AZRAEL1]

What will actually happen to parcels posted after 1st July that don't have GST collected on them?
Will they be stopped at the border? (seems like an expensive exercise to me)

Will gifts be required to pay GST too?
What's to stop someone getting a friend in another country to purchase and ship for them to avoid the hassle?

I don't mind paying GST on things I can't get here; my issue is restricting people from having choice because of its implementation.

One of my friend in the US has a package of stuff to send me for things not available here. Some things from Amazon that wouldn't send outside of the US, and Grotusque which we couldn't get here at all.

All I see is this as an exercise for Gerry to limit his competition instead of trying to fight it. Easier to just block his competitors. And even then, makes me want to not buy from his stores even more

[dirge]

I still can't figure out why all the big internet stores are blocking Australia because of a tax collection.

Because we're such a small segment of their market.

They'd simply rather not sell to us than invest in adding Australian GST collection to their systems. It's a business decision.

[DaptoDog]

I still can't figure out why all the big internet stores are blocking Australia because of a tax collection. I'm fairly certain that in the USA if you live in a State that has an Amazon warehouse, you have to pay local sales tax.

Also, my wife sells things on Etsy, and they are also thinking of blocking Australia, but when she sells things to people in England, on the invoice it has listed a VAT collected amount paid for by they buyer.

I'm just confused as to what the Australian Government is doing differently to everywhere else that already mandates collection of taxes and duties and such, that has pissed off the retailers so much that they are refusing to deal with Australian customers.

The controversy around Australia's implementation of the low value GST is that they have adopted a vendor collection model, which imposes the collection of GST on onlne retailers, third party marketplaces and freight forwarders (ie redeliverers). They will be the first country in the world to use this approach, other countries collect the GST or VAT through customs (like Australia will continue to collect GST for goods over $1,000 in value). Australia is rightly or wrongly imposing the cost of administering this to vendors because they know it will be extremely costly to have customs collect it.

You are quite right that Amazon collects different sales taxes in the US depending on the state of the buyer. For all you people crying poor about paying this GST, the US is a very interesting case study. Up until last year, Amazon avoided paying the state sales tax where it didn't have a physical presence (ie distribution centre) whereas local stores like Best Buy were required to collect the tax. US retailers therefore cried poor for many years because they were at a competitive disadvantage. Amazon resisted it but was eventually forced to comply. It's one of the main reasons Amazon has grown so quickly and seen numerous store based retailers go bust. I'm pretty sure that is not a good thing.

The funny thing about this Gerry hate is that he stands to benefit far less from this than what you may expect. Most of what Harvey Norman sells (ie TVs, matresses, fridges, washing machines etc) is not subject to foreign competition anyway.

[llamatron]

We have a GST, it's part of our tax system, if tax revenue decreases because too much spending shifts to overseas where GST isn't collected then that revenue still needs to come from somewhere.

The implementation may be bad, Gerry may be an idiot, but it's pretty flimsy to reject the principle of what's happening.

[Maruten]

I'm happy to pay the tax, but I wish it was being implemented in a way that didn't mean retailers like Amazon were shutting us out. Amazon Australia as an alternative is an offensive joke.

[MV75]

Well it's hard for them as people are using a vpn with a shipping company. Those parcels hit Australia with the big amazon logo on it and they get in trouble with a please explain and pay this fine. People have brought it on themselves to force amazons hand like that.

If it was pay at the border then fine.

Gerry Harvey is the ultimate anti Australian businessman. He wants people to pay more tax while paying zero himself. Just like the online shopping he had a cry about a few years ago, his stores are still around. He keeps making it harder for everyone while the outcome has no change of what he's crying over.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I think it is total BS and the over $1000 rule was enough, I know BTT has a lot to say about this and rightly so, and I agree with him.



Why thank you sir :)

This is what I had to say several months ago:


If it came through it would stuff most of us that live in the bush. Not only are a lot of TFs not sold in this county but a helluva lot that are don't appear in a 500km radius of remote rural areas. And Aussie divisions of companies like TRU, Myer and the like actually charge MORE to ship goods domestically then foreign companies to ship internationally.

Case in point, it was going to cost more in postage to me to have TRU ship CW Computron 500km from Melb than HLJ were charging to ship me UW Computron from Japan! :eek: it's why I just left it and hoped to find one on a shelf on my yearly trip to the big city (which luckily I did)

Yup, this whole thing is a kick in the guts for all Aussie shoppers, but especially those in rural areas, not that the government gives a stuff about us :(

[DaptoDog]

Gerry Harvey is the ultimate anti Australian businessman. He wants people to pay more tax while paying zero himself.

Per Harvey Norman's 2017 Annual Report:

Cash tax paid: $152m
Gerry Harvey owns 30.4% of Harvey Norman
Therefore Gerry paid $46m of tax through his Harvey Norman shareholding alone.

Compare this to Apple, which paid only $128m of corporate tax in 2016 on $7.5b of revenue. (https://www.itnews.com.au/news/apple-pays-biggest-aussie-tax-bill-in-years-481972)

Other giants like Google paid even less. These multinationals divert billions of dollars of income to low tax countries like Ireland, Singapore etc to avoid paying Australian tax. These companies have now been made to pay more only due to the Federal Government introducing new laws to clamp down on this.

But let's not let facts get in the way of a good story.

[MV75]

Per Harvey Norman's 2017 Annual Report:

Cash tax paid: $152m
Gerry Harvey owns 30.4% of Harvey Norman
Therefore Gerry paid $46m of tax through his Harvey Norman shareholding alone.

Compare this to Apple, which paid only $128m of corporate tax in 2016 on $7.5b of revenue. (https://www.itnews.com.au/news/apple-pays-biggest-aussie-tax-bill-in-years-481972)

Other giants like Google paid even less. These multinationals divert billions of dollars of income to low tax countries like Ireland, Singapore etc to avoid paying Australian tax. These companies have now been made to pay more only due to the Federal Government introducing new laws to clamp down on this.

But let's not let facts get in the way of a good story.

I should have been specific on gst paid. Always has to be one. lol. You may have another try now the goal posts are defined. BTW, he didn't pay that tax, the corporation did. Corporations are their own entity.

[DaptoDog]

I should have been specific on gst paid. Always has to be one. lol. You may have another try now the goal posts are defined. BTW, he didn't pay that tax, the corporation did. Corporations are their own entity.

It is an entity that he controls. In any case, if you have heard about dividend franking you will know income is not taxed twice. He is credited for the 30% tax that has been paid by the company already on his behalf and only pays further tax on that income if his marginal tax rate is above 30%. He most definitely has paid tax.

It's pretty obvious you did mean he doesn't pay income tax himself but regarding GST, Harvey Norman operates under a franchisee structure which means the revenue is not consolidated in its accounts. However for 2017, franchisees generated $5.6b of revenue which implies over $500m of GST collected on behalf of the government. Alternatively, if you believe Gerry, unlike every other Australian resident, does not pay any GST on his own personal consumption then I don't know what else to say.

[swoop]

Australia Tax Law Notice

You are receiving this message because you currently have items in your Pile of Loot. Due to upcoming changes in Australian Law, many retailers outside Australia will be required to collect GST (Good and Services Tax) on merchandise shipped to Australia. This new law will be effective on purchases starting July 1, 2018. We encourage you to sign into your BBTS account and release all of the items in your Pile of Loot before this new law takes effect. Shipping fees will be collected at the time your items are released to ship. We recommend releasing your items by June 29, 2018.

Please make sure your preferred payment method and shipping address are up to date within your account.

Thank you again for using the Pile of Loot and we do apologize for this inconvenience. If you have any further questions or concerns about your order and need assistance, please be sure to contact Customer Service.

Our Customer Service team is available to assist you via email or phone Monday through Friday 7:00AM to 3:30PM (CST).

Well BBTS is going to start collecting GST, which is fine I'm just annoyed that they will be collecting it on purchases made months ago that have been sitting in my pile of loot

[ZoonMaster5000]

Well BBTS is going to start collecting GST, which is fine I'm just annoyed that they will be collecting it on purchases made months ago that have been sitting in my pile of loot

I think they mean to avoid paying GST on your shipping cost you need to release your items before june 29th as from what I can gather GST will be applied to not only the item but to any service fees associated with the purchase i.e shipping.

[hYpNoS]

Well BBTS is going to start collecting GST, which is fine I'm just annoyed that they will be collecting it on purchases made months ago that have been sitting in my pile of loot

I still haven't gotten a reply from robot kingdom, anyone got through to them yet :S

[UltraMarginal]

Amazon Australia as an alternative is an offensive joke.

This I cannot agree with more.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Well all the next wave of POTP toys are up for preorder with BBTS but not due until July which means they will either be unavailable to us or available but extra expensive :(

[DELTAprime]

Can someone post the text of the email that BBTS is sending out regarding GST?

[swoop]

Can someone post the text of the email that BBTS is sending out regarding GST?

I posted the email on the previous page

[DELTAprime]

I posted the email on the previous page

TY.

As a note. I looked on Amazon's Australian site for the first time in forever. They seem to be using Amazon AU to allow you to order some items from Amazon US. Not a perfect solution, but at least I will still be able to order cheap hard drives from Amazon US.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I've just sent a few queries off to BBTS of my own. But people here might already know the answers:

*Will GST be charged on each individual item as we purchase them, or will it be charged on the overall cost of combined shipments (such as from HLJ and BBTS)?
*Will the GST be charged on shipping costs (if shipping cost $60 before will it now cost $66)?
*If you have your items shipped to a friend in the US, then they send it to you as a 'gift', can the government do anything about that?
*Is the GST going to cover the overall value of shipments, or is it going to be something like a $7 charge per package (no matter how many items are in the package)?

I've checked the ATO site and taken soundings online and can't find a clear answer anywhere :rolleyes:

[BigTransformerTrev]

From BBTS:

I’ve hit up BBTS for more info about their practices regarding the GST and got the following response:



Hello Trevor,
Thank you for the follow up and I will be happy to explain. We will continue to ship to Australia, but these new tax laws will be in place on that date. We should be sending out a more formal, mass notice about this change in the coming days but from what I understand the GST will be collected on our end and then provided to your government inevitably. If you would prefer to alleviate this tax burden on any items that are currently in your Pile of Loot already or any orders you place prior to July 1st, we do suggest shipping them any time before that deadline, otherwise that merchandise will be taxed upon shipping it.

I have summed up responses for you as well below:
*Will future purchases have GST charged on each individual item as they drop into my POL?
Any items purchased on July 1st and beyond will be subject to GST tax. Please note we do not collect applicable tax and shipping until you release your Pile of Loot items, so you would be taxed at that time.

*If not, will GST be charged on the overall cost of my POL when shipped? Or is there a standard fee for every package, no matter its cost?
From what we understand any products with a value of less than $1,000 will be subject to GST. This means that you could ship various items valuing $2,000 in merchandise but all of it would be taxed. It is my understanding that a single item that costs more than that, will NOT be subject to GST.

*Will GST be charged also on the cost of shipping itself?
Yes, just like the merchandise, your government will be assessing GST on shipping expense as well.

This unfortunate law will definitely be an inconvenience for our customers in Australia, however, the good news is that we will continue doing our best to provide you with collectibles going forward. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance in the meantime and have a great day!

Now obviously the bloke doesn’t quite understand the new laws, since of course we WOULD get charged GST on an individual $2000 item, but since I don’t know the ins and outs of the US tax system I don’t expect them to understand ours. I’ll be hitting them up again about whether we would get still get charged GST if we have an Aussie billing address but an American postal address, as perhaps for us with US friends that would post stuff on, it may be a way around these bastard new laws.

[griffin]

Amazon rarely does pre-orders, but they've just listed Predaking for pre-order (http://a.co/4tUwrpG), for August 1st... now, if they charge the entire amount of the toy and postage right now, they *should* still be able to ship it in August, because they are only stopping their orders from July 1st, not shipments (because the GST only applies on money changing hands after June 30th).
Unfortunately, the price is about AU$280 shipped, so the risk is if it is released here, and it's price here.... but if it doesn't get released here, and is more than $300, the Amazon option may be worth it.

[Jazzman]

I don't know if this has already been mentioned, but I was curious what the situation with forwarding items from Amazon via Shopmate was and I contacted AusPost. They gave me the following answer:
"GST will be payable on:
- The value of the item(s) you are shipping into Australia via ShopMate including any shipping fees or local taxes paid to the USA retailer (i.e how much you paid to purchase and ship the item)
-The value of the ShopMate shipping and service fee (including Extra Cover if applicable)

In basic terms, if the item is being delivered from outside Australia, anything you pay to purchase and ship the package will attract GST, as per the legislation."

What I don't get is why would we pay GST on the American domestic shipping to the Shopmate warehouse? An even more bitter pill to take is paying GST on second hand items! :mad:

[DarkHyren]

Well shopmate are auspost and auspost are paid by the au government, so it's all part of the same scam.
As such they treat all items that come into your US mailing address as a "new item being imported to avoid paying for it at aussie retail prices", even when it's something second hand.
That, and shopmates already high prices, are good enough reasons to avoid the service in my opinion.

Here's some more info for everyone.
As my accountant explained it to me, anything purchased through a digital platform such as amazon or ebay has to have all tax included in the final price you pay if shipped directly to australia.
So anything that an ebay seller sends to you can not be taxed on this end because the platform (ebay) is supposed to pay the australian government the taxes on that item due to collecting it from you in the final cost.
Expect to see a section labelled "taxes" during final checkout when purchasing on ebay after june 30th.

Now if the items are sent to a location in america/japan/etc (such as a friends place or other shipping forwarder) then forwarded to you as merchandise you will pay tax at the post office when it arrives here.
The exception to this is if the shipper has collected tax on the australian governments behalf, I know tenso (a japanese shipping forwarder) has stated that they are collecting the taxes, so you'd be paying those when you pay tenso their fees.

If however the items are sent to you as gift (either from a friend or from a shipping forwarder that isnt collecting taxes) you should not pay any taxes.
Also when sending as a gift it can help to have, for example, "used toys" in the description to further show that this is not an item that can be bought in australian retail outlets (the thing that this tax is supposedly in place to combat).
If the forwarder/retailer has charged you taxes in the final price then it doesnt matter if the customs form says merchandise or gift.

Apologies for the wall of text but hopefully this information is useful and accurate (which I assume it is coming from an accountant).

[Jazzman]

Apologies for the wall of text but hopefully this information is useful and accurate (which I assume it is coming from an accountant).

All accurate, but Shopmate isn't Auspost - It's Singapore Post, contracted by Auspost... Figures :rolleyes:

[reillyd]

I would advise using a reshipper that allows you to fill in your own customs declaration. Mine has an extra service to remove all price tags, sale invoices, and other sales information. but then you're not covered with insurance, so it's a risk

[griffin]

I don't know if this has already been mentioned, but I was curious what the situation with forwarding items from Amazon via Shopmate was and I contacted AusPost. They gave me the following answer:
"GST will be payable on:
- The value of the item(s) you are shipping into Australia via ShopMate including any shipping fees or local taxes paid to the USA retailer (i.e how much you paid to purchase and ship the item)
-The value of the ShopMate shipping and service fee (including Extra Cover if applicable)

In basic terms, if the item is being delivered from outside Australia, anything you pay to purchase and ship the package will attract GST, as per the legislation."

What I don't get is why would we pay GST on the American domestic shipping to the Shopmate warehouse? An even more bitter pill to take is paying GST on second hand items! :mad:


Even if you have an item posted through five different countries before it gets here, all costs involved in getting that item purchased and sent to Australia, will have GST apply.
Remember, the S in GST stands for "Services", and all services that you require and pay for to acquire an item, is GST taxable. So the more you spend on getting something here (like a shipping forwarder, or protective bubblewrap or even gift-wrapping), the more tax will be paid on the total (declared) cost of you obtaining that item.

[Jazzman]

I would advise using a reshipper that allows you to fill in your own customs declaration. Mine has an extra service to remove all price tags, sale invoices, and other sales information. but then you're not covered with insurance, so it's a risk

You'll end up needing to provide proof of the original invoice if questioned.

[Jazzman]

Even if you have an item posted through five different countries before it gets here, all costs involved in getting that item purchased and sent to Australia, will have GST apply.
Remember, the S in GST stands for "Services", and all services that you require and pay for to acquire an item, is GST taxable. So the more you spend on getting something here (like a shipping forwarder, or protective bubblewrap or even gift-wrapping), the more tax will be paid on the total (declared) cost of you obtaining that item.

Yes, it's ridiculous. Why does Australia have a right to charge for services provided overseas... crazy... :confused:

[DELTAprime]

Anyone gotten any information out of other TF retailers as to if they will collect GST, cut us off or ignore the law?

[reillyd]

You'll end up needing to provide proof of the original invoice if questioned.

In five years it's never been a problem. Particularly with high priced misb G1 (>1000) items that look a little banged up. They've been opened and inspected before... but it is still risky if your item were to go astray, because you can't claim insurance. So I always courier with tracking (and courier items seem to be inspected more often by customs)

[hYpNoS]

Amiami sent me an email


Dear Customer,

Thank you for shopping at our store.

This is a notification email for our Australian customers regarding the changes to the import procedures for Australia, starting on July 1st 2018.

According to the recent changes to the import procedures for your country, for any orders from our store that is invoiced after July 1st, you will be required to pay an additional GST tax of 10% of the total purchased value.

- Affected orders
This applies for all orders with a total merchandise value below 1000 AUD.

*Any currency calculations related to the GST tax, will be calculated based on the current exchange rate according to the link below when the order is invoice.
https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/frequency/exchange-rates.html

- GST tax calculation
GST tax = 10% of (total merchandise price + shipping cost)

*The GST tax will be written in your invoices starting from July 1st.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
AmiAmi

I managed to get most of what I want out of them anyway, now I need to hear from mandarake, anyone asked?

[Autocon]

So if someone sends you something like a gift through the post will you have to pay gst?

[Shirokaze]

Amiami sent me an email
I managed to get most of what I want out of them anyway, now I need to hear from mandarake, anyone asked?

I'm pretty upset about Amiami, I spend thousands there a year and have about 6 months of outstanding pre-orders. Going to have to find a store that's not buying into our government's crap sending more than $75,000 worth of goods to Australia every year.
Honestly I'm surprised that so many stores have decided to abide. I mean, shipping in plain packaging without an invoice attached would have been far easier than sorting out their systems and filling an Australian tax return.

[Bato]

While the current system is crap, you can't blame retailers for abiding to current import laws. Keep in mind than most other countries already impose duty fees on top of GST/VAT, so not only you pay more, but your package is also delayed while customs deal with it.

As far as I'm concerned, even with the extra 10% tacked on, most of the prices are still way more competitive than the Australian equivalent. If you can't absorb a 10% difference between the preorder and the final invoice, buying in a foreign currency is probably not a good idea either...

[ampoldj]

I got the email from HLJ, still waiting for Amiami, Nippon Yasan and anime export.
My last imported TF from them was sunstreaker and it looks like with increased price for MPs plus this, i should just quit already :(

[hYpNoS]

I got the email from HLJ, still waiting for Amiami, Nippon Yasan and anime export.
My last imported TF from them was sunstreaker and it looks like with increased price for MPs plus this, i should just quit already :(

I already got mine from amiami, the hlj one was interesting though



This is an important message from HobbyLink Japan to our customers in Australia.

In order to comply with new legislation by the Australian government, HobbyLink Japan will begin collecting Goods and Services Tax of 10% on the cost of items being shipped to Australia beginning Sunday, July 1st 2018 AEST.

If you are shipping to an Australian address, you’ll now see an “Estimated tax to be collected” amount when checking out, as in the screenshot below.



GST will only be charged to you when your ordered items become available and enter payment processing. At that time, the GST amount for the items in your order will be calculated and charged to you in the same transaction.

GST will only be calculated on merchandise, and not shipping costs. It will also appear listed on your invoice.

So shipping is normal but items not, thats not so bad, but mandarake is what i need to hear the most

[BigTransformerTrev]

Here is the latest info from BBTS, regarding if you A: Have your items sent to a mail-forwarding company and B: Have your items sent to a friend in the US:



Regarding Mail-Forwarding:
I apologize to report that any time you will be receiving items from outside Australia, you will want to expect to pay the GST in some shape or form. While I am able to say that you will not be assessed the GST unless selecting a shipping address within Australia with us, I anticipate that the GST would then be collected from any freight-forwarding company you would work with to receive the goods.



Regarding to a US friend:
I do not believe that you will be assessed any GST in those instances, since the items will not be imported and/or leave the USA. The GST is only assessed, by my understanding, on the items that will ship into Australia by means of importation.

So by the sounds of it, if you have a friend in the US, you could have your stuff sent to them, then they could send it to you as a ‘gift’ with no GST added.

Just in case though, I’ve just had all my outstanding items shipped today.

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

Here's the link to the online version of the HLJ email:

https://mailchi.mp/c10a492cd179/important-information-from-hlj-regarding-gst

[doublespy]

I'm pretty upset about Amiami, I spend thousands there a year and have about 6 months of outstanding pre-orders. Going to have to find a store that's not buying into our government's crap sending more than $75,000 worth of goods to Australia every year.
Honestly I'm surprised that so many stores have decided to abide. I mean, shipping in plain packaging without an invoice attached would have been far easier than sorting out their systems and filling an Australian tax return.

I hear ya, although I don't spend as much as I used to with amiami anymore as the JoJo SAS figure series I collect has slowed down considerably. With the gst and them charging gst on shipping as well it just offsets amiami's great pre-order prices.

[SMHFConvoy]

I guess at this point it's vote for any party that doesn't support this policy and won't preference the coalition govt at the next election and maybe it'll be rolled back?

[1AZRAEL1]

So HLJ are doing the right thing and not charging GST on shipping costs, unlike the rest of them. Buying online, I'd choose HLJ at this point for that fact.

[Trent]

I guess at this point it's vote for any party that doesn't support this policy and won't preference the coalition govt at the next election and maybe it'll be rolled back?

You're a funny guy. :p

[Galvatran]

Ah crap, looks like I'll be buying from local online stores from now on such as PC.

... or perhaps not.

[hYpNoS]

Well, since mandarake hasn't said anything I JUST made an order for an mp skywarp since hasbro clearly ain't going to be completing the trio any time soon for 10kyen

Even if they charged that's a steal, but lets see what happens, didn't bother telling them to mark it as a gift just to see what happens

[DarkHyren]

Just received this email from shipping forwarder Shipito
Beginning July 1, 2018, Shipito is required by the Australian government to collect a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on all “low value goods” imported into Australia, with a value of 1,000 AUD or less. GST is calculated based on the value of any items you ship, plus our service charges. As a result, you will now see a charge for GST at mailout.I'm guessing it will take a few days yet for all the overseas companies to tell us how we're being screwed over.
So yeah, more and more looks like we are being shut off from the rest of the world with all content hidden behind a paywall.
Thanks Gerry /s

[hYpNoS]

Maybe its because I sent the order just after midnight but mandarake sent me an invoice for the mp11skywarp just this afternoon (or timewise, yesterday), no gst added.

Either mandarake hasn't been told/isn't abiding or the fact their goods are second hand skirts around it, but their ordering set up is pretty old so I wonder how that'd work trying to implement something else on top, hell maybe they're expecting the australian government to do the tax collecting since they mention about not falsifying item cost just to dodge tax.

(I coulda kept my mouth shut but I got everything I ever need off those guys, lets hope it stays that way)

[BigTransformerTrev]

Maybe its because I sent the order just after midnight but mandarake sent me an invoice for the mp11skywarp just this afternoon (or timewise, yesterday), no gst added.


I put my shipping request in with BBTS on June 29th in order to avoid GST on my POL. However they haven’t shipped it yet. I’ll be really annoyed if I cop GST because BBTS couldn’t get 3 items together and stick them n the mail within a quick timeframe. :rolleyes:

Say what you like about HLJ, no matter how many items you have in your Private Warehouse they usually get your package off within an hour or two of your shipping request.


You're a funny guy. :p

Yeah, no way is any party going to repeal a cash cow like this.

[reillyd]

Faaaark. My reshipper (shipito) is now collecting gst not only on the custom declaration price but also the farming shipping cost too. DarkHyren beat me to it to complain, but faaaaark

I need a new reshipper now because it's gonna kill me the extra cost. Anyone know of a reliable US based one?

[dirge]

To be fair to the reshippers, the government are mandating the GST includes the shipping cost as well 🙄

[DarkHyren]

I need a new reshipper now because it's gonna kill me the extra costI'm not 100% sure but I think most if not all of them will be adding the tax.
Even if they dont ship enough to meet the AU$75k threshold that allows them to avoid paying the tax themselves it's easier to just add it and assume that they will ship that much.

As far as I can tell shipito will at least base the gst charged on item value from what you put on the customs form, which means you can lower how much tax you're paying by reducing your items value by say 20%, but if there happens to be an invoice slip inside the box you could get in trouble when it comes through AU customs.
A way around that could be using the service shipito have to remove invoices and labels from packaging, but then again that could prompt them to use that as the product price for gst which puts you back to square one.

[hYpNoS]

To be fair to the reshippers, the government are mandating the GST includes the shipping cost as well 🙄
HLJ and amiami said they aren't applying that to shipping though, why reshippers.

...and really why should we pay shipping, we're already paying conversion rates AND gst, have we taxed our own shipping cost already, I can't be that in the dark can I :confused::confused::confused:

Is it just a money grab:confused::confused::confused:

[Trent]

HLJ and amiami said they aren't applying that to shipping though, why reshippers.

...and really why should we pay shipping, we're already paying conversion rates AND gst, have we taxed our own shipping cost already, I can't be that in the dark can I :confused::confused::confused:

Is it just a money grab:confused::confused::confused:

Yes. It's a Goods and Services tax. Shipping is a service

[dirge]

HLJ and amiami said they aren't applying that to shipping though, why reshippers.


They're meant to, if they interpret the law correctly.


...and really why should we pay shipping, we're already paying conversion rates AND gst, have we taxed our own shipping cost already, I can't be that in the dark can I :confused::confused::confused:


Because the parliament has deemed it so. Tax on the shipping service. I'm not saying I agree, but that's why.

[reillyd]

But the retailer is the one meant to impose and withhold gst, not a shipping service. I'd (grudgingly) pay gst on the shipping service, but seems unfair for the shipper to collect gst on the item contents.

[Other]

If reshippers weren't required to collect GST on the items they purchase for you then every e-tailer with a brain would just open up front end sites for you to order from so you could order from them indirectly and they wouldn't have to collect any GST beyond what they'd need from the shipping and handling fees

[hYpNoS]

well, darn, looks like my japanese imports may have to hit the curb for a bit until a close friend flies over there

sorry aus gov, you can have my hlj pre-orders but not my japanese nick nacks, already paying out the nose from forwarding services as it is now im gonna have to run rings around them too :p

[reillyd]

If reshippers weren't required to collect GST on the items they purchase for you then every e-tailer with a brain would just open up front end sites for you to order from so you could order from them indirectly and they wouldn't have to collect any GST beyond what they'd need from the shipping and handling fees

Yes that's the general idea. Sounds good to me

[Bato]

Randomly ordered something from Mandarake (non-transformer FWIW), and they just marked the package as a gift.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I just got charged 60c GST on a $6 purchase on eBay (non TF) so goes to show its started :rolleyes:

[hYpNoS]

Randomly ordered something from Mandarake (non-transformer FWIW), and they just marked the package as a gift.

And my cheap mp11sw came in no hassles, maybe we should keep this on the down low :)

[Bato]

Had another order from Amiami. Looks like they switched to only charging GST to the items itself, not postage.

[Jazzman]

So guys can I get a list of the US reshippers that you've used. I won't be using Shopmate again...

[Galvatran]

So guys can I get a list of the US reshippers that you've used. I won't be using Shopmate again...
I can' help you there as I don't have/use a US reshipper.

Heard ordinary reviews for Shopmate. Member Sinnertwin was our giunea pig when Shopmate hit the scene. Whatever happened to that guy?...

[DarkHyren]

So guys can I get a list of the US reshippers that you've used. I won't be using Shopmate again...I've only used Shipito (https://www.shipito.com/) for US forwarding and Tenso (https://www.tenso.com/en) for Japan forwarding.
They both do what I need them to which is forward parcels, allow me to fill out the customs declaration, consolidate, add/remove packing/items, and give me multiple options for mail out.
I've seen people say myMallBox (https://www.mymallbox.com/) is also good, but I have no experience with them and while their free consolidation is appealing their shipping calculator seems to indicate that you'd pay more for shipping with less carrier options then Shipito, so I'm unsure if that "free" consolidation is really worthwhile.

[SMHFConvoy]

You're a funny guy. :p

This doesn't bother me, largely because I don't buy from overseas anymore, haven't since 2007. This does affect you guys though, because you pour so much more money into it.

Now that's funny ;)

[DELTAprime]

HLJ just sent me an email saying that they are now collecting GST on shipping also. They were required to do so under Australian law but were not until this point. I don't think they are the only place that hasn't been collecting GST on shipping.


Hello,

As you are no doubt aware, beginning in July a new policy from the Australian Government requires that merchants like ourselves outside of Australia must collect a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the purchases made by customers in Australia and then submit these collected funds to Canberra every quarter. We have been collecting GST on the merchandise portion of customer invoices up until now.

However, while preparing our first quarterly payment, we became aware that we were required to collect the tax on the shipping portion of customer invoices in addition to the actual merchandise portion. As such, beginning immediately, our GST collection procedure has been updated to base the calculation on the total invoice including the shipping fees. In the case of Private Warehouse orders and shipments, GST will be collected on the cost of the item when we receive your payment for its merchandise cost, and then on only the shipping fee when you create a shipment of items.

While "more taxes" is a phrase that nobody likes to hear, and we wish we didn't have to implement this policy at all, I'm afraid that we have no choice but to comply properly if we're to continue serving our loyal customers in Australia.

Thanks for your understanding, and most importantly, for your loyal support of HLJ!

[Krayt]

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/amazon-international-to-resume-shipping-to-australia-after-controversial-online-gst-ban/news-story/6df54143018fd8cfd0e8d8f3bea71c97

Looks like Amazon is going back to normal...

[KELPIE]

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/amazon-international-to-resume-shipping-to-australia-after-controversial-online-gst-ban/news-story/6df54143018fd8cfd0e8d8f3bea71c97

Looks like Amazon is going back to normal...

That is fantastic news!

[hYpNoS]

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/amazon-international-to-resume-shipping-to-australia-after-controversial-online-gst-ban/news-story/6df54143018fd8cfd0e8d8f3bea71c97

Looks like Amazon is going back to normal...

I find it a shame since they COULD have set a precedent, what if all international business skipped australia, government might backflip over their ruling if enough of them pull up business, clearly that isn't happening but as a stupid consumer I'm happy to send more money overseas rather than back here with little to no range and excessive (but sometimes necessary) markups.

[Megabattimus]

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/amazon-international-to-resume-shipping-to-australia-after-controversial-online-gst-ban/news-story/6df54143018fd8cfd0e8d8f3bea71c97

Looks like Amazon is going back to normal...

Fingers crossed this also includes Amazon UK.

[UltraMarginal]

I wonder if they've decided that the AU store isn't quite working and that it's easier to just go back to the way it was with the AU store not being worth visiting. I'm pretty sure the minimum wages they have to pay Australians in the local warehouses are a lot higher than the minimum wages they pay Americans in the states who are driven like slaves.

[The Ghost]

I have a theory that they've been trying to make Amazon US stuff available through the AU site, people are getting free shipping and they're losing money as a result, because if we buy through the US site, we have to pay shipping.

[griffin]

I have a theory that they've been trying to make Amazon US stuff available through the AU site, people are getting free shipping and they're losing money as a result, because if we buy through the US site, we have to pay shipping.


A retailer magazine has noted that Amazon Australia was one of the fastest growing retailers in the last few months... thanks to the GST embargo by Amazon America forcing Australians to shop at the Australian site (before July, Amazon Australia was struggling, because the range was crap, and we would just buy the cheaper items from Amazon America).

With the reversal of that decision starting in a couple of hours, it will severely impact on the sales of Australian items on Amazon Australia, because people with Prime membership will still buy the cheaper American items (free shipping), and people without Prime membership will just shop at the Amazon America site (as many items available to non-Americans were not listed on Amazon Australia).
Amazon Australia will still be making a lot of money from the Prime memberships... but people like me will probably terminate the subscription if we aren't buying as much through Amazon Australia to make back as much "free shipping". (I subscribed because I expected to be buying enough American items to add up to a fair bit of free shipping that was more than the cost of my Prime membership... but now it probably won't be the case.)


By the way... also in that retailer magazine, it was noted that following the success of forcing the government into collecting the GST on imports under $1000, the retailer organisations are now focussing on getting import duties collected on imports under $1000 too.... which I think is 5% for toys at the moment.

[griffin]

Something I noticed tonight while browsing Amazon America - while I am logged in with an Australian address, if I am looking at something that is available to Australia, it has on right side (under the "add to cart" tab), a link to it's equivalent Australian web address, saving me shipping if I am a Prime member (over $49). The converted amount in AU$ is about 10% off from the actual rate (obviously to cover shipping), but the "free" shipping would still end up saving me about 20% on some of the items I was looking at.

[philby]

Pricks!
Just after I went through the auspost shopmate schemozzle getting an order here :rolleyes::mad:

[The Ghost]

By the way... also in that retailer magazine, it was noted that following the success of forcing the government into collecting the GST on imports under $1000, the retailer organisations are now focussing on getting import duties collected on imports under $1000 too.... which I think is 5% for toys at the moment.

FFS :mad: