Customs clearance ?

[GrahamL]

Anyone know how long it takes an item to get through I know theres some import duties to be paid, was sent usps priority which did get to sydney reasonably quick .

graham

[LewisM]

ow long is a piece of string, sorry to say.

I import LOTS of firearms, and the restrictions on those are MUCH harsher (including doing safety testing etc) than astronomy items :lol:. I have had some clear in a week, yet some may take a month or more (Sydney Customs is MUCH more "effective" than others, yet Brisbane is quite painless).

So, as the old saying goes, Hurry Up (do your paperwork etc) and wait.

[GrahamL]

Thanks Lewis

[Wilso]

Hi Graham,

I ended up using a customs broker when I imported my dm6, hadn't imported over $1000 before so wasn't too sure.
Cleared customs fast in less than 2 days from memory.
I had to check it was e customs broker

Good luck!

[GrahamL]

Thanks Darren , yes i also have never imported above $1000 before
I understand its in sydney for about 10 days now but dont know what I have to do in regard,its a dm 4 with a few accessories so not to big of a package , havn't heard from customs yet i will try and call them tommorow.

[Wilso]

Customs will send you a letter saying it has arrived etc with a declaration form.
I think ecustomsbroker.com.au only charge $30-40 so it's not expensive.
Get Tom to email you with the purchase receipt and details with your name on it.
Email e customs brokers letting them know about your import etc and you've received the letter, they will tell you what they need. You authorise them basically to import it for you.
They will tell you the charges and you pay them and they electronically lodge it so it's fast.
(I took a photo of the declaration form with my signature on it and emailed to them with the purchase order)

Made it simple and fast!

[GrahamL]

I actually ended up using them before I read your post , $77 plus import stuff , I'm sure many do it themselves which you surely can but the hoops and timeframe I could see lining up quickly past the $77:)

Sent info last night released to aus post by 11,00 am today still havn't heard from customs by mail, i rang aus post with tracking no who put me through to get a customs referance no as thats all you need.

[bigjoe]

More expensive ..but UPS Express WILL clear customs for you , and you can pay over the. Phone the day before delivery as they will ring you..then from customs straight to your door ..NO fuss small fee...but obviously slower is cheaper.
bigjoe.

[GrahamL]

For referance quote for UPS($1000AU ) all duties/costs paid to my door

USPS priority which I used was (AU $575 ) all duties/costs paid to my door

I now Know had I contacted Aus post when tracking had shown consignment had of arrived and was held by customs I could of got a customs referance number, passed the snail mail option and simply handed on to this broker a week ago , DHL and UPS both probably use something similar ?, aus post and customs were easily contactable and very helpfull in regard.

[dolsonlelan]

The shipment has five days to clear through customs. After 5 days, the goods are placed in to a public storage warehouse to be held as unclaimed. I suggest you contact ACC customs clearance (https://aucustomsclearance.com.au/customs-broker-brisbane) in Brisbane to help you. I also suggest to check it your own since it depends on whether they want to inspect it, the packaging itself, how big it is, to know when exactly it will be cleared.

[The_bluester]

Yes, it all still works, just you can expect shipping times to rival the speed of continental drift, depending on which service you use and where it is coming from.

It just took a sniff under three months for a small adapter to arrive from the US via USPS for me, but other companies and other points of origin differ wildly, you still see stuff arriving from China in around a week etc..

[GrahamL]

Customs did send a letter but it took a couple of weeks or more to show up I already had the package when it did , not sure but they could of easily sent the item back to the US had I just waited,, Iwould use a broker again... back then this whole process maybe took 3/4 weeks today who knows .

[astroron]

I just got word my parcel is clearing customs in Chicago IL
After a 2.5 months wait.
Now comes the worrying part,clearing customs here in Australia
Are you guys saying you have to pay customs charges as well as the
duty on the product:question:
Cheers:thumbsup:

[GrahamL]

Hi Ron my $575 mentioned above was mostly post and insurance from the US and incoming GST.



Once it arrives ring with your tracking no to get a customs referance no and give that no to a broker theres lots of them online i used ebroker .
It was was released to AUS post in a couple of hours .

[astroron]

Thanks Graham,how is the GST paid?
Cheers:thumbsup:

[GrahamL]

From your bank account unfortunately.


I think the broker sent through an amount inclusive of all import fees and charges ($340 au) or so I cried a little and paid it,once the broker had the referance no this process moved very quickly you can wait out the contact from customs and do it yourself if you like ($77 dollar saving ) to me the paperwork looked a little confusing and was past two weeks before i even recieved it let alone dealt with it and sent it back ...TNT dropped off the boxes a day later .

[astroron]

:thanx::thumbsup:

[astroron]

This may sound a daft question,but how do you know it has arrived in the country and where it is. :)
Who sends that information?
Australia Post or Customs?:question:
Until Hardly Normal an his grasping buddies got their noses further into the trough, I had no trouble just customs sending you a bill for what you owed and you sent off a check.:mad2:

[GrahamL]

USPS tracking no should tell you where its at.
Aus post using that tracking no were able to chase up the customs referance no which is what the broker needs .


I think thats how it went .




All carriers would likely do something similar without you having to do anything ,,they just charge you more .

[appiice]

Hello All

I'll jump in a little late but here is my 2 cents worth.
AU and the US now have a free trade agreement, if the goods are manufactured in the States there is no duty, only GST ( thank you gerry harvey for that 8-( ) - used to have a AU$1000 that GST wasn't charged now it all is.
I have bought goods in from the States and have used freight companies and private on-shippers, the private guys are the cheapest as they usually use the US postal service, the USPS have standard international boxes that you pay a flat fee for the box, so long as the weight is below a limit the cost is the same. See here
https://www.usps.com/business/prices.htm

One example of a commercail service is
https://www.myus.com/welcome/australia/?aid=1000721&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Australia_Non-Brand_ENG_*AU&utm_content=Shipping_Shipping%20to% 20Country_General

Anyway, like I said, my 2 cents worth
Ed

[The_bluester]

A word of warning to go with that though, from another thread. Don't go near USPS at the moment as the delivery times by USPS at least are beyond absurd. Three months for a small parcel is standard at the moment.

[astroron]

Mine is getting close to the three months now. :sadeyes:
Cheers:thumbsup:
PS and that is "Priority Paid"