I say this because I imported a piece of audio equipment that was way over $1k and it didnt get hit.
I do get hit off ebay etc. obviously but for every order that is the least bit obscure it seems to pass. They should be hitting me because the invoice price is right there but its not like as if its an Nikon D1000 (for example) where they can google the local price.
I would have expected everything over $1k to get stung, in fact i budget for it.
It my be because you have ordered more than $1000 and you are expected to pay GST, duty and admin fee on entry. But if the shipment is declared lower then you don't get charge anything
I just received a watch valued at around AUD$800, delivered by FedEx Economy from the US. I was expecting to get stung, especially when it was delayed at the sorting facility, but I managed to get it through with no GST or import duty.
I’m an infrequent buyer of stuff from overseas, so I’ve never been hit with duty or GST, but my mate who buys stuff every week or two cops the fees often.
It would be interesting to know if the significant transit delays caused by the pandemic have resulted in a decrease, increase or no change in collection rates…
I haven't imported anything for a while, which is a big change for me, but back when I was, it was under 10% of items shipped via post that would get GST applied. If shipped via courier it would be above 90%. It's been that way for many many years.
EDIT: I'll clarify I'm only referring to those orders over $1k that should've attracted GST