GST Impost

[Moondog55]

Sure I can too but they no longer ship direct
Here is a copy of the email I received

Thank you for being a valued customer of the REI Co-op. Unfortunately, as of July 23 we will no longer be able to ship customer purchases to Australian addresses. This is a result of the recent change in Australian tax law and means that when you shop at REI.com, you will no longer be able to select Australia as a shipping destination.
Our existing systems and licenses for tax collection and payment are not set up to handle the expanded GST requirements. We will continue to evaluate the new tax laws and how we do business in Australia.
If you have further questions about this change, please contact 1-253-891-2500. We know this is an inconvenience, and we're sorry. We value your support and hope to be able to resume shipping to Australian addresses in the future.
Sincerely,
REI

[bigwallclimber]

Good Morning Everyone,

As was previously discussed the Amazon site is meant to redirect you to the Australian site, it just so happens that I have been able to purchase from Amazon.com and have it shipped to my auspost shopmate US address. Now don't get me wrong I am not happy having to pay $53 and GST for shipping an item that weighs 200g but it does prove you can still purchase off the US Amazon site and ship to Aus.

I had to purchase an item that is only available in the US and no other people than 4 shops worldwide sell this item so I had to do it this way.

have a try yourself.

[bigwallclimber]

Hey All,

I have easily shipped direct to Australia as recent as last Friday Vargo titanium cookware to my home address, I have had zero issues and paid zero GST it is still possible dont shop at the big ones go for the manufacturer themselves.

Dave

[johnw]

I am not happy having to pay $53 and GST for shipping an item that weighs 200g but it does prove you can still purchase off the US Amazon site and ship to Aus.

I recently had a small item shipped directly to Australia by US amazon.com. Yes I had to pay GST but it was still much cheaper than buying locally. But it's extremely variable as to whether they will ship any particular item to Australia. You need to structure searches on their site so that it only returns eligible items. At this stage I'm avoiding amazon.com.au like the plague. Their prices are preposterous on just about everything I've researched. They must think people are stupid. Always pays to shop around for the best deal on anything.

[Gadgetgeek]

Until Aussie stores start trying to compete with each other (having stock on hand, usable websites, realistic shipping options) And I mean in all categories, books and games are incredibly frustrating. And as long as import restrictions are based on wishes and dreams instead of reality, its going to be tough to get what we want at fair prices. The aussie dollar is too volatile against the US for retailers to predict profit margins, small retailers have to follow rules that big importers can bypass without worry. Single source imports restrict any sort of pricing competition. Its frustrating that certain product categories would have a 100%+ markup, but as long as companies are having to rely on single unit air-freight to get a product to my door from the US rather than a more efficient method, then there is also that factor to keep in mind. Is it worth burning jet fuel to get the thing I want?

I don't think the consumer ever really knows how all the import and export restrictions from each country effect them, and I don't think the policy makers who enact those restrictions ever know what the true effects are. Add to that the added complexity of a company like Amazon who's third party sellers use algorithmic pricing, and who themselves cannot fully compete in certain market categories, it gets murky faster and faster.

Shopmate and other services feed off this consumer need in a way that then doesn't really help the situation overall. But what's there to be done? I certainly don't have a solution.

[bobcrusader]

I bought a Tarptent a couple of weeks ago. No GST was charged. Seems like it was all words - its still not worth the trouble to recover $60, and there is no mechanism for me to volunteer it.

[Warin]

No GST was charged. Seems like it was all words - its still not worth the trouble to recover

Think they are being selective.
They probably don't have the staff to go after everything. Particularly the small guys as they can claim that they are under the total import limit .. ?$36,000 pa? They may just be in a data gathering mode for the future having got the big money.

[Gadgetgeek]

Canada does the same thing, though its a voluntary payment, and there is a way to do it. Not sure its enforced outside of big ticket items, since importing a car from the US to Canada is as cheap as a bus ticket and gas home. Import restrictions between the US and Canada are on the other side of arcane though, just because there is so much trade, and so many rules that conflict or overlap.

[bigwallclimber]

I am not happy having to pay $53 and GST for shipping an item that weighs 200g but it does prove you can still purchase off the US Amazon site and ship to Aus.

I recently had a small item shipped directly to Australia by US amazon.com. Yes I had to pay GST but it was still much cheaper than buying locally. But it's extremely variable as to whether they will ship any particular item to Australia. You need to structure searches on their site so that it only returns eligible items. At this stage I'm avoiding amazon.com.au like the plague. Their prices are preposterous on just about everything I've researched. They must think people are stupid. Always pays to shop around for the best deal on anything.

Johnw, I agree with your comments, I was looking for some particular titanium cookware that was not available in Australia. I looked at similar products that are sold here (Backpacking Light Melbourne) but they did not have what I wanted in stock and had no plans to bring it in. So it left me with a need to buy overseas.

Do not get me wrong I like buying in Australia, I like supporting local but when you cannot get what you want it can be frustrating. I have found that there are two particular brands of freeze dried food that I prefer and can live off but that is only available overseas (US). The company does not ship to Australia for the reason of GST so I may have to use Shopmate again to get that shipped here.

I like you are avoiding Amazon.com.au like the plague as it is just so damn expensive.