Your container has landed, the paperwork is lodged, and the goods are ready to leave the wharf. Then the bill arrives: customs duty, plus GST on the full import value, payable before the Australian Border Force (ABF) will release a thing. You will probably claim that GST back on your next activity statement, but until […]
A 40ft container is twice as long as a 20ft. So it holds twice as much and costs twice as much to ship, right? Not quite, on any of the three counts. If you are weighing up 20ft vs 40ft container options for your next import, the decision usually comes down to three things the […]
Your supplier in Vietnam says the goods are “FTA eligible”, the invoice looks clean, and the container is already on the water. Then the import declaration goes in at the general duty rate, because nobody asked for the origin paperwork before the goods left the factory. So here is the question worth asking before your […]
Your supplier in Seoul has approved the final samples, the serum labels look beautiful, and the first carton run is ready to leave the factory. The freight part feels like the easy bit. So why do so many first shipments of skincare get held up at the border, or reach the warehouse only to be […]
Your supplier has quoted a great price on 500 lithium battery packs, the samples tested well, and the factory says shipping is “no problem”. Then the first forwarder you ask won’t take the booking, the second wants a dangerous goods declaration you have never heard of, and the third asks what state of charge the […]
You have found the right car, tractor or motorhome overseas, and the seller says the easiest way to get it home is to “just put it on a RoRo”. It sounds simple: drive it onto a ship in one country, drive it off in another. But what actually happens between those two moments, and why […]
We urge importers to be alert before and during the unpack of their shipping containers upon arrival at your premises. Of particular concern to look out for is evidence of container tampering, hitch hiking pests and damage to your cargo. Tampering Tampering may indicate theft, smuggling, contamination, or unauthorized access to the container. This severely […]
Your supplier has sent the sample, the speakers sound great, and the factory says the paperwork is “all done for Australia”. So why do so many first shipments of electronics end up stuck at the wharf, held at an airline counter, or pulled from sale a few months later? Because importing electronics to Australia is […]
Your parcel landed in Australia, the tracking said it was being cleared, and then a new line appeared: customs clearance withdrawn. No explanation, no next step, and often no reply from the carrier. Has customs rejected your goods? Is the parcel gone for good? Or is someone behind the scenes simply fixing the paperwork? “Customs […]
You have found the dining set, the price looks right, and the supplier in Foshan says they ship to Australia all the time. So why do so many first-time buyers end up with a held container, a surprise biosecurity bill, or a landed cost that looks nothing like the factory quote? The short answer is […]
