GST on an imported second-hand camera? Say what!

Forums › Off topic › GST on an imported second-hand camera? Say what!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Technofreak

6657 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3477

Trusted

#1684279 7-Dec-2016 20:52

Rikkitic:

Speaking of Customs (or is it NZ Post?), I sometimes buy small electronics devices from Aliexpress, like HDMI splitters, switches and audio extractors. I have a converter on the way at the moment. Customs must be used to seeing these items by the thousands and they must be able to tell at a glance that no GST is owing on them and they are too small to contain any drugs. Yet it amuses me when I check the trace that the item usually makes it from China to NZ in less than a week, then takes multiple weeks to reach my home. One wonders what they are doing with it. Sure, Customs has to take a perfunctory peek at it if they bother at all but weeks?

Perhaps you live at a dodgy address.

I cannot recall multiple weeks or even days of delay once an item arrived in New Zealand

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

rayonline

1736 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 51

#1687268 13-Dec-2016 19:00

I got a second hand film camera - Hasselblad. Yup I got charged GST.

rayonline

1736 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 51

#1687271 13-Dec-2016 19:05

wsnz:

andrewNZ: Had a workmate get pinged for GST and duty on his own tools. He put them in a container with a machine going to Aus, then flew over to install and commission the containers contents. He then sent them home by courier to avoid excess baggage charges. They got held at the border, and as he had no documentation to prove they had been exported, he had to pay about $400.

He could have tried to argue it, but needed the tools so he could work.

We had a similar situation with a laptop that was left at our Brisbane office. Because no one was coming back anytime soon and the device was required urgently, it was sent via courier. We didn't have a receipt for the device (3 years old) and Customs would not budge so we had to pay GST on the estimated valuation.

In these cases. Before you go overseas or send it away you can go to the Customs office and get a Certificate of Export, they will note the item and model # and serial # and custom date stamp certify it. Tell the party to send it back with this in the box and you won't get taxed or keep in person with you. Keep a copy for yourself just in case at home.

sdav

846 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 193

#1703269 14-Jan-2017 19:26

Sorry to bump an old thread but does anyone who as imported multiple items ever consider they are more than likely winning?

To keep things simple, I'll use cameras as there is no duty, just GST.

The de minimus kicks in at $400 and you will be charged $60 plus the combined Customs and MPI fee of $49.24. Total fee $109.24.

If you paid $50 for camera equipment and Customs didn't have a de minimus, GST would be $7.50 plus the combined Customs and MPI fee of $49.24 (in a world with no de minimus this would likely be lower but that is moot as I'm not going to guess what that would be). Total fee $56.74.

You literally only need to buy two items valued at $50 and you're up. I'm sure most of us have imported more than $100 worth of items in our times.

For personal importers, I think it is super fair, especially given the logistics involved in getting the amount of items to us as fast as they do.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6