Purchasing >$400 when GST already included

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mdf

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#245355 30-Jan-2019 19:43

I'm looking at a notebook computer on Kogan and DSE (same model and price on both; no surprises there). It's advertised respectively as a Kogan Hong Kong and DSE product and there's a reasonably prominent statement that the Hong Kong Terms apply. This includes (from the Kogan version):

 respect of any Order, certain taxes may be levied by the destination country to which your Kogan HK Products will be delivered. You will be the importer of record for the purpose of customs and border processing. As the importer of the Kogan HK Products, you agree that you are liable to pay such taxes with respect to the Kogan HK Products to the relevant authority in addition to your payment to us under the General Terms and Conditions above. It is your responsibility to determine whether any such taxes apply in your destination country for delivery or the country from which the Kogan HK Products are shipped...

The notebook is approx $1500, so well over the c $400 de facto threshold. Straightforward enough so far and I was trying to work out what the landed price is. But then when you actually add the item and go to check out, the invoice specifies that GST is already included in the advertised $1500.

I'm trying to work out what, if any, NZ fees/taxes would be payable in this case. Is the customs duty still required if GST has already been paid? I've sent an email to DSE querying this but haven't heard anything back and needless to say, now that I've found a product I want, I'm impatient to buy.

Has anyone else bought anything over the threshold either from DSE/Kogan or from another retailer with GST already included?

Behodar

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#2170402 30-Jan-2019 20:14

If they do the documentation correctly then you won't be pinged by Customs. If they don't, on the other hand...

freitasm

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#2170407 30-Jan-2019 20:31

mdf:

I've sent an email to DSE querying this but haven't heard anything back and needless to say, now that I've found a product I want, I'm impatient to buy.

This right here would stop me buying from them. What if you actually have a problem and need their help later?

Please keep us posted if they ever reply.

quickymart

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#2170457 30-Jan-2019 20:52

Agreed, I was stung when I imported a cellphone from the UK in 2002. It developed a fault and I would have been stung by Customs twice - sending it there for repair and getting it sent back. I stuck with NZ retailers from then on.

stinger

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#2170478 30-Jan-2019 22:00

Out of interest, what does the laptop cost when purchased in New Zealand? For me, having the peace of mind of a local retailer in the case of any issues outweighs any discount I'd get from an overseas site. $1500 is not a small amount of money.

andrewNZ

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#2170516 31-Jan-2019 06:38

quickymart:
Agreed, I was stung when I imported a cellphone from the UK in 2002. It developed a fault and I would have been stung by Customs twice - sending it there for repair and getting it sent back. I stuck with NZ retailers from then on.

There is no way you should be pinged for taxes on a repair return, you just have to do the correct paperwork.
Assuming that you fill in the appropriate paperwork, you have evidence that you sent it away, and your receipt proves you have already paid the tax, therefore no tax is due.
The only case I know of anyone paying taxes on an import they exported prior, was because there was no record of it leaving the country, and no time to prove prior ownership.

All that said. It would have to be a very good deal for me to throw away CGA rights and (apparant) ease of return on a high value item.

timmmay

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#2170523 31-Jan-2019 07:11

Some businesses suck at email. Try calling them.

richms

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#2170568 31-Jan-2019 09:28

timmmay:

Some businesses suck at email. Try calling them.

I shop online so I can avoid doing that. If they're not going to answer email they are worse than useless and should just give up.

Richard rich.ms

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mdf

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#2183988 19-Feb-2019 21:33

Bit the bullet and just ordered without having the issue fully clarified. Sole provider I could find that would actually ship what I wanted to NZ. Came home this evening to (eventually) find that the courier hidden hid this beauty at my back door:

No issues at all with Customs and well over the $400 threshold. It might well be that I got lucky, but it seems that paying GST to the retailer is sufficient.

quickymart

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#2184006 19-Feb-2019 22:31

Great, but I'd wait and see first. My cellphone (see above) had the GST invoice turn up a week or two later.

richms

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#2184007 19-Feb-2019 22:32

Depends on the carrier if they do that. So many refusals from domestic addresses mean that they wont deliver first without cleared payment (at least for DHL) - came to work first fine, but to home its always a call first to try to arrange payment.

Richard rich.ms

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#2184030 19-Feb-2019 23:38

andrewNZ:

...

There is no way you should be pinged for taxes on a repair return, you just have to do the correct paperwork.

...

You can be hit for the value of the repair even if you are not paying anything for it.

A few years back my work laptop was sent to corporate IT support in OZ for some software support that could not be done remotely.

No money was moved from our department to the support dept but NZ customs decided on a notional value and levied tax.