New laws regarding the Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) are going into effect in Australia. Australian GST is a tax of 10% on most goods and services sold or consumed in Australia, and today, it already applies to high-value goods costing greater than AU $1,000.
Under the new laws, eBay is responsible for collecting GST on low-value imports and paying it to the Australian Government. In order to comply with these obligations, as of July 1st, 2018, eBay will begin collecting GST from Australian buyers for items purchased from outside of Australia with a value of less than AU $1,000 on behalf of the Australian Tax Office.
If an item being sold is located outside of Australia, after July 1st, the item’s price may appear 10% higher to prospective buyers located in Australia as a result of the tax being applied. The GST will be added to the buyer’s order at checkout.
Sellers who sell to Australian buyers will continue to receive the full payment for their orders (item price + shipping and/or handling costs). They don’t need to register with any Australian tax authorities, or take any action at all.
We encourage sellers to seek outside counsel should they have questions about their tax collecting and reporting obligations.
For more information, read Australia’s 2018 Winter Seller Update, or visit the Australian Taxation Office website.
Have questions? Ask our community.
