Hi,


I have just bought a computer from china & was wondering about import taxes in Australia. Does anyone know, or have experience in paying import tax?

say for example, i bought $10,000AUD worth of computers from china & imported them into Australia, how much import tax would i need to pay?

Replying To  [michaelcj0]:

Call Customs Department in your nearest capital city and they will tell you.

I am not sure, but I think computer hardware has no import duty, but it has 10% GST. Get yourself a Customs Clearance Agent, who will handle all import matters for you.

Good Luck.

Friend, sorry to bear bad news but importing any sort of computers from China is a nightmare that you will wish you never touched. 

None are C-Tick certified for legal re-sale in Australia. Or, if you are buying brand name stuff, you are being scammed.

Proceed at your own peril.

Hi Michael

One thing you need to always check, if you intend to re-sell anything in Australia, first if there are any regulations that prohibit the product from being imported (legal/embargo/...etc) and second, what is required to CLEAR the goods, third, does the product as it is imported comply with Australian specs, if you are going to re-sell it, this also include other factors such as product features, safety, ...etc. You may want to start asking Austrade, ATO and other government department for advice. Also ask you bank in regard to transactions, ...etc

Hope that helps.

Quoting from [michaelcj0]:

Hi,


I have just bought a computer from china & was wondering about import taxes in Australia. Does anyone know, or have experience in paying import tax?

say for example, i bought $10,000AUD worth of computers from china & imported them into Australia, how much import tax would i need to pay?

Hey guys, thanks for all the help. I rang up customs & I only have to pay 10% on computers. Cheers.

Quoting from [michaelcj0]:


Hey guys, thanks for all the help. I rang up customs & I only have to pay 10% on computers. Cheers.

good luck to you my man, there do have some China brand not bad.

Elecpack, sure China has many of its own computer brands not known in the West.

But can you show me one ... just one ... Chinese brand computer which has Australian C-Tick certification for electrical safety  or A-tick if it transmits radio signals - which is essential under Australian law for legal resale in Australia?

Same applies to near any sort of other electrical product made by the tens of thousands of electrical product factories in China.

It never ceases to amaze me that the vast majority of Chinese exporters on Alibaba don't take the time to study Western laws about product certification, and then spend the money to get their products certified.

Without proper certification, their products have no commercial value at all in the West. 

Elecpack, please remember the magic words C-Tick and A-Tick when you talk in this Australian forum.

C-Tick is essential for any item which plugs into mains power (including each of the cables, adaptors and plugs). These certificates are issued by our State Governments and the certificate number must be on the label affixed to the product.

A-Tick is essential for any item which transmits radio signals (such as all mobile phones and Bluetooth type devices and also computers which have inbuilt transmission capacity). This is issued by our Federal Government and the certificate number must also be on the product.

Please also remember that thousands of other sorts of non-electrical and non-electronic products must also be certified to comply with Australian Standards before they can be legally sold in Australia. 

Failure to get their products certified for legal sale in developed countries is the main reason that most Chinese Alibaba sellers get few serious sales. For USA you need UL or FCC or other certifications. For EU, it's of course CE.

You will do the world a favour, if you try to teach the above to your good Chinese comrades. 

 MichaelcjO

Australian Customs won't check for C-Tick and A-Tick certification of your computers when you import. It's not their job. You run into strife later with other Government departments, when you try to resell stuff which does not have the proper Australian certification labels.

Look at the labels on computers and associated electrical accessories and power packs in any Harvey Norman shop and you'll see what I mean. 

Quoting from [michaelcj0]:


Hi,



I have just bought a computer from china & was wondering about import taxes in Australia. Does anyone know, or have experience in paying import tax?


say for example, i bought $10,000AUD worth of computers from china & imported them into Australia, how much import tax would i need to pay?

My friend this is stuff that you need to check before not after you buy.

Hi Aussie,

What I said that some Chinese brand not bad is mean for China use, but I don't think they can be exported, as most of the Chinese electronic goods really difficult to meet the standard certificate.

I bought a China brand which is "XINLAN", I used for 3 years, and never broken, even their website is in Chinese, and they do not do export business.

I am also not agree with people to import these items from China, as there is still another problem, that is warranty, Besides A-Tick and C-Tick, once the computer broken, that would need the suitable components to fit it.