Import Restrictions

[Import Australia]

Another import tip:

When considering the import of goods into Australia, it's important to remember that ALL countries have specific laws with regards to what can actually be imported and the terms that surround those imports. Chemicals, weapons (even if they are only for collectible purposes) and live animals are frequent exceptions in most countries throughout the world so always do your homework and check for prohibitions and illegalities with the relevant authorities before entering into any import venture

The Australians Customs Website will provide further information.

[Jake The Ripper]

so best to buy illegal stuff in australia not import it huh!

[HannahD]

It's also worth remembering that not all customs authorities will work as smoothly as they do in Australia. If you are importing goods then it is a good idea to make sure that you have a decent buffer in your timetable to allow for unforeseen delays.

[Import Australia]

Hi Hannah,

Glad you've mentioned that (and don't worry! We've covered that in the first edition!). I was chatting to a guy in England yesterday on Skype who works in the shipping department of a company that makes forklift trucks. They have new clients in Jersey (think Tasmania if you want an idea of the link between the UK and Jersey).

They sent out a forklift truck to Jersey to a company that had requested a one-week trial with a view to buying a fleet of them for their warehouses. The company loved the truck, placed an order and then tried to send back the forklift truck they'd been trying out. The Truck arrives back to the UK mainland and because an invoice wasn't attached when the truck was shipped out, UK customs refused to let it back into the country. The company my friend works for has been working to reclaim their property and it's taken weeks. The costs are mounting and although the end is in sight, it's probably cost $4,000 in man hours and administration to get it back.

All the company would have needed to have done is put an invoice (with a $0.00 charge) on the front of the packaging with a copy inside for the company to put on the return box and all of this hassle and expense could have been avoided. Had somebody made a phone call and simply asked the question, all of this stress could have been avoided.

Note that I managed to shift a copy of Importing Australia to him during the call even though he's in England! He probably just felt sorry for me after the show our cricketers put in yesterday.

[The King Game]

Yes. An abysmal performance from the Australian Team. Not even sure you could call them a team. I winced, grimaced and began drinking heavily.

I think building in buffer zones is really important even for goods being shifted domestically. In fact, that's often one of the best points of buying offshore. Faster delivery!

[Dunworking]

I winced, grimaced and began drinking heavily.

When you reach my age, you'll have to do that just to get out of bed in the mornings!

Glad to have found this thread. The book sounds an excellent idea and might be worth a look for an old codger like me who has way too much time on his hands. It might be cheaper for me to import an overseas mistress who can tend me in my old age than it is to sustain the spending habits of the current (and admittedly wonderful) incumbent.