Buy direct
Some US stores ship to Australia. Set your country to Australia on the store's website, or check its international shipping page. Some overseas stores collect GST at checkout on goods worth A$1,000 or less.
Guide
To shop US stores from Australia, buy direct if the store ships to Australia; if it doesn't, use a package forwarder or a personal shopper that buys and ships the item for you. For goods worth A$1,000 or less, the Australian Border Force says there are generally no duties at the border, and GST may be charged by the seller at the point of sale instead; over A$1,000, duty and taxes are paid at the border.
Below: the three routes, how GST and duty work for US purchases, the costs to plan for, and what to check before you buy.
Three routes
Some US stores ship to Australia. Set your country to Australia on the store's website, or check its international shipping page. Some overseas stores collect GST at checkout on goods worth A$1,000 or less.
A forwarder gives you a US address. You buy from the store yourself, it ships to the forwarder's warehouse, and the forwarder sends it on to Australia. It usually costs less, if the store accepts your card and ships to forwarding addresses. Some stores don't: they cancel orders sent to known forwarder warehouses. (Forwarder vs personal shopper)
A personal shopper is like a friend in the US who buys the item for you, receives it, checks it, and ships it to your door. No US address, US card, or store account needed. It costs more than a forwarder, because the service does the work.
If the store ships to forwarders and you are happy to manage it yourself, a forwarder will usually cost less. Read on for the costs, or see our general guide on how to buy from US stores that don't ship to your country.
The rules
The Australian Border Force explains the rules for things you buy online from overseas. In short:
For goods valued at A$1,000 or less, "there are generally no duties, taxes or charges to pay at the border." Since 1 July 2018, GST may be collected by overseas sellers instead: "GST will be charged at the point of sale and not at the border." Australian GST is 10%.
For goods valued over A$1,000, an Import Declaration is needed, and you pay duties, taxes and charges at the border. There is a processing charge for the declaration.
Tobacco and alcohol are taxed regardless of value, and some goods are not allowed into Australia or need a permit.
Source: Australian Border Force, "Buying online" (page last updated 22 September 2024, checked 2026-10-06).
Costs
Add up these parts to compare routes. Prices on US stores, and on our site, are in US dollars.
| Cost | Buy direct | Package forwarder | Personal shopper (Big Apple Buddy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item price | Store price | Store price | Store price |
| US sales tax | Varies by store | Some forwarders advertise none | May apply (some stores charge New York sales tax); we try to buy from stores that don't |
| Service or handling fees | None | Forwarder's fees (receiving, consolidation, storage; varies) | Service fee (separate from item price, shipping and taxes): $30 for the first item if the order's product total is under $200, $50 at $200 or more, plus $15 per additional item. See /pricing/. |
| Shipping to Australia | Store's rate | Carrier rate by weight and size | FedEx or UPS rate by weight and size, for your address |
| GST on goods of A$1,000 or less | Collected by the store at checkout, if it is registered to collect it | Varies: some forwarders collect it before the parcel ships | Collected by us at checkout where required (10%); other import charges may still apply |
| Duty and GST on goods over A$1,000 | At the border | At the border | At the border, collected by the carrier |
International carriers charge by the space a box takes up as well as its weight. A light but bulky item (shoes in their box, a pillow, a large toy) can cost much more to ship to Australia than its weight suggests. Forwarders that combine parcels can help, but the bulk stays. This applies to every route, including ours: our shipping is priced on the weight and dimensions of your items.
Your bank may add a foreign transaction fee on US dollar purchases. Check your card's terms.
We charge a service fee for handling everything for you. Our service fee, separate from the item price, shipping and any taxes, is $30 for the first item when the order's total product cost is under $200, or $50 at $200 or more, plus $15 for each additional item. The item price, shipping, our fee and, where required, GST are shown before you pay. See our pricing page for the full schedule.
Forwarding limits
Forwarding works well when the store cooperates. It fails in two common ways:
Some stores recognize the warehouse addresses forwarders use and cancel those orders, sometimes after you have paid. Some say it plainly in their policies.
"We do not ship to freight forwarders."
A US address doesn't help if the store won't accept an Australian card. See what to do when a US store declines your international card.
If either happens, look for another store that ships to you or to your forwarder, or use a personal shopper. Each store decides whether to accept an order. More on cancelled orders: what to do when a store won't ship to a forwarder.
Before you buy
US products are made for US plugs and voltage. The Australian Border Force warns that gas and electrical goods sold online from overseas may not meet Australia's standards, and some can't be modified to meet them.
Many are restricted for air shipping. With Big Apple Buddy, some products, including certain batteries and aerosols, are restricted or cannot be exported, and we check this before you order.
The Australian Border Force notes that the Department of Agriculture may need to clear and inspect goods before they are delivered to you.
With us
Big Apple Buddy is a personal shopping service based in New York. We buy from US stores for you, check the item, pack it, and ship it to your door in over 75 countries.
Browse products from popular US stores in our catalog, with no VPN, and check out straight away. For eligible items not in our catalog, send us a link for a quote.
At checkout you see the item price, international shipping to your Australian address, our service fee, and GST where required.
We place the order with the US store ourselves, receive it in New York, and do a careful visual check. If something looks wrong, we send you photos and wait for your decision.
Items from different US stores travel together in one shipment, with tracking, by FedEx or UPS.
Use a package forwarder, which gives you a US address and sends your parcels to Australia, or a personal shopper such as Big Apple Buddy, which buys the item for you and ships it to your door. A forwarder usually costs less if the store accepts your card and forwarding addresses; a personal shopper handles the whole job for a service fee.
Usually, yes. According to the Australian Border Force, for goods valued at A$1,000 or less, GST may be collected by the overseas seller at the point of sale, not at the border. For goods over A$1,000, duty, taxes and charges are paid at the border after an import declaration.
Generally no. The Australian Border Force says that for goods valued at A$1,000 or less there are generally no duties, taxes or charges to pay at the border, although GST may be charged at the point of sale. Tobacco and alcohol are taxed whatever their value.
Where required, Big Apple Buddy collects GST at checkout, so you see it before you pay. Otherwise, duty, GST and other charges may be assessed at the Australian border, depending on the order, and Big Apple Buddy warns you about this in red at checkout.
International carriers charge for the space a box takes up as well as its weight, which is called dimensional weight. A light but bulky item can cost much more to ship than its weight suggests. This applies with any service, including forwarders and personal shoppers.
Check first. US products are made for US plugs and voltage, and the Australian Border Force warns that gas and electrical goods sold online from overseas may not meet Australia's standards. Some can't be modified to meet them.
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