Buying from international sellers on ebay just got more expensive.

John

Latest from ebay …

Starting 1 July 2018, we will be collecting Goods and Services Tax (GST) from buyers on all imports with an order value less than 1,000 AUD. Sellers don't need to do anything.
If you have products located outside Australia, your prices may appear 10% higher to buyers than before if their ship-to location delivery address is in Australia.

David

Whilst it is not good for collectors (and similar) overall it is a good thing for local businesses who struggle against the volume of imports entering the country. The easiest way to make a level playing field is to apply it to all. 

John

David said:

Whilst it is not good for collectors (and similar) overall it is a good thing for local businesses who struggle against the volume of imports entering the country. The easiest way to make a level playing field is to apply it to all. 

I agree. It seems to be only applying to ebay at the moment. I wonder if they will extend it to other international sellers.

David

John said:

David said:

Whilst it is not good for collectors (and similar) overall it is a good thing for local businesses who struggle against the volume of imports entering the country. The easiest way to make a level playing field is to apply it to all. 

I agree. It seems to be only applying to ebay at the moment. I wonder if they will extend it to other international sellers.

It will, it is called the Netflix tax, basically if you are based overseas as a business but provide services to Australia residents you will have to charge GST

But wait there's more...not sure where they are with the Customs parcel tax to come (for want of a better word), that is, a flat value for all parcels under $1,000. 

Given the rest of the world has extremely low import values before local duties need to be paid I don't think $5 on (say) an $800 order is much to worry most.

Charlie

So if I charge 5% and ship it as a gift, you guys can save 5%...  

John

Amazon to block its US website for Aussie shoppers over new GST rules