Tax & Duties
Many countries and various jurisdictions around the world will apply some form of additional tax or duties on general consumer purchases, including items purchased through the GTI Marketplace.
It is a complex matter, whether the tax is included in the listing price, added to your order total or charged at the border of entry depends on the order price, the item's purchase location and your delivery address.
As such you need to fully investigate these costs prior to committing to your sale or purchase.
If additional tax is applicable on your GTI purchase, you'll usually see this indicated on the listing page. The confirmed tax amount (if any) will be shown on the checkout page, before you pay.
Are you a seller looking for information about tax on your GTI sales?
Please read our general article on taxes and import charges for sellers.
Please note this information is strictly for general advice only and all buyers and sellers should seek their own legal or accounting advice prior to committing to any purchases. GTI takes no responsibility for any advices provided and shall not be held liable for any losses, penalties, taxes or duties you may be charged by various authorised agencies.
Items delivered to Australia – Goods and Services Tax (GST)
The Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) generally applies to purchases delivered to Australian buyers.
Please visit the Australian Taxation Office website for a list of GST Exemptions.
Again please note this is for general advice only and all buyers and sellers should seek their own legal or accounting advice prior to committing to any purchases.
Items sold from Australia
If the item's located in Australia, the listing price is GST-inclusive, where applicable. Sellers may not add GST to the final sale price after an item has sold.
If you need a Tax Invoice showing the GST component for an item you bought, please contact the seller directly and arrange the appropriate Tax Invoice.
Items imported into Australia
GTI is required to collect GST on orders up to AU $1,000 imported into Australia. If you're buying an item located outside Australia and you select an Australian delivery address, GTI will add GST to the total at checkout. The seller receives payment for the order (item price + postage costs), and GTI then remits the GST to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
If GST was collected, you can view and download a tax invoice from the Order details page in your Purchase History.
For orders valued at over AU $1,000, the GST is generally collected at the Australian border.
You may well need to pay it as part of clearing your parcel through customs.
For more information about buying from overseas sellers, see our article about international purchases and postage.
Australia Import Overview
This overview is provided is a brief only and the enclosed information is strictly for general advice only and all buyers and sellers should seek their own legal or accounting advice prior to committing to any purchases. GTI takes no responsibility for any advices provided and shall not be held liable for any losses, penalties, taxes or duties you may be charged by various authorised agencies in their country of origin or shipping address.
Importers who wish to clear goods imported by sea, air or international mail (post) from Customs and Border Protection by submitting an import declaration by document. Goods with a value above A$1000.
All goods imported into Australia by sea, air or post with a value that exceeds the import entry threshold of A$1000 must be cleared by submitting a completed import declaration form (B650) and paying duty, goods and services tax (GST) and other taxes and charges that apply.
Information regarding importations by international mail (post) is available from the Australian Border Force Website or Download the following guide for general guidelines for importers at Import Declaration Guide
You can only use the Import Declaration – Post (N10) form for goods imported by post.
GST Deferral and Australian - Business Number (ABN)
If you or your organisation is registered for GST deferral you must lodge import declarations electronically.
Client Registration
You must register as a client in Customs and Border Protection’s Integrated Cargo System (ICS) to lodge import declarations by document. In most cases you will need to register your supplier as well using the same form. There are different requirements that apply when making an Import Declaration – Post (N10). The client registration form is available at Cargo Support Customs Australia.
Assessed Clearance (SAC) declarations for low value goods
Goods with a value under the low value goods threshold of A$1000 (except goods that arrive by post) are cleared from Customs and Border Protection by submitting a SAC declaration. In most cases your Freight Forwarder or express courier will make a SAC declaration on your behalf. In some cases you may need to engage a SAC declaration service provider or a Customs broker to make a SAC declaration on your behalf on a fee for service basis. For further information see the fact sheet, Self-assessed Clearance (SAC) Declarations, available at Customs Australia.
Communicating electronically with Customs and Border Protection
For further information about communicating electronically with Customs and Border Protection and purchasing a digital certificate, email cargosupport@customs.gov.au or phone Customs Information and Support Centre on 1300 363 263.
Who must make an import declaration?
The owner of imported goods is required to make an import declaration. According to Customs law, an owner of imported goods may be the importer, someone who holds themselves out to be the owner, someone who has a beneficial interest in the goods or someone who has control of the goods.
GTI cannot be held responsible for any information provided on this site. The following information is provided as a guide only and does not constitute any legal or accounting advice, it is here by way of background information only. GTI takes no responsibility for any advices provided and shall not be held liable for any losses, penalties, taxes or duties you may be charged by various authorised agencies in their country of origin or shipping address.
The following information is provided as a guide only and does not constitute any legal or accounting advice. GTI cannot be held responsible for any information provided on this site. We strongly recommend you seek your own legal and/or accounting advice in relation to your individual circumstances
Items delivered overseas
If you're having an order delivered to an address outside Australia, local consumer tax and/or customs duty may apply. Online marketplaces such as GTI may be responsible for collecting the tax, or the parcel's recipient may need to pay these as part of clearing the parcel through customs.
While we've included basic information for some countries here, it is only intended as a guide and is by no means exhaustive. For more information, please check the local tax and customs regulations, applicable to your place of residency or nominated delivery address.
Items delivered to New Zealand – Goods and Services Tax (GST)
If GST was collected, you can view and download a tax invoice from the Order details page in your Purchase history.
GTI is required to collect GST on orders up to NZ $1,000. You'll see the GST included in your order total at checkout.
For orders valued at over NZ $1,000, the GST is generally collected at the NZ border.
The recipient may well need to pay it as part of clearing the parcel through customs.
Items delivered to the US – Sales Tax
Tax laws vary between states, and sales tax may be required to be collected by the seller, collected by GTI, or paid directly by the buyer.
If your delivery address is in one of the US states where either the seller or GTI is required to charge sales tax, the tax will be included in the order total at checkout.
If the item's being sent from outside the US, the recipient may have to pay duty and customs processing fees. However, items under $100 which are a gift will generally be cleared without any additional charges.
USA Guidelines
While we've included basic information for the USA here, it is only intended as a guide and is by no means exhaustive. For more information, please check the local tax and customs regulations, applicable to your place of residency or nominated delivery address.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info
https://www.trade.gov/import-tariffs-fees-overview-and-resources
UK Guidelines
While we've included basic information for the UK here, it is only intended as a guide and is by no means exhaustive. For more information, please check the local tax and customs regulations, applicable to your place of residency or nominated delivery address.
https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
Items Delivered to the UK – Value Added Tax (VAT)
Starting 1 January 2021, GTI is required to collect VAT on certain orders placed on GTI sites and delivered to UK addresses:
- Orders up to £135 sent from outside the UK
- Orders where the item is located in the UK, but the seller is not based in the UK
You'll see the VAT included in your order total at checkout, and you can view and download a tax invoice from the Order details page in your Purchase history.
On orders over £135 imported to the UK, GTI will not collect VAT but the recipient may need to pay VAT as part of clearing the parcel through customs.
Items delivered to EU countries – Value Added Tax (VAT)
If the item's being sent from outside the EU, the recipient may need to pay VAT and customs duty. These may not apply if the order's under a certain value, but the threshold varies between countries.
Starting 1 July 2021, GTI will be required to collect VAT on certain orders placed on GTI sites and delivered to EU addresses.
EU Guidelines
While we've included basic information for the EU here, it is only intended as a guide and is by no means exhaustive. For more information, please check the local tax and customs regulations, applicable to your place of residency or nominated delivery address.
https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/calculation-customs-duties_en
Refunded Purchases
If you paid sales tax on your purchase through GTI and you get a refund for your order, you'll also get a refund for the proportionate amount of tax. For example, if you receive a 100% refund, you'll get the entire tax back. If you receive say a 40% partial refund, you'll get 40% of the tax back.
Please note that any refunds processed outside GTI's financial systems are not eligible for a tax refund.
If you paid import taxes or duty as part of directly clearing your parcel through customs but you then returned the item, please contact the relevant customs authority regarding a refund of the previous duty or tax charges.