Shipping to Australia: Quarantine Rules Nobody Mentions Until It Is Held
Australia does not just tax parcels, it inspects them — and biosecurity is stricter than customs.
Updated 2026-10-30
Biosecurity is the real gate
Anything that looks like food, plant material, wood, seeds or animal product gets inspected or destroyed. Rattan, dried flowers and wooden handles all qualify.
Declare honestly on the form. A declared item may pass; an undeclared one gets the whole parcel flagged.
Tax treatment
Goods under the low-value threshold usually enter without duty, but the threshold applies per consignment, not per item.
Splitting one big order into two parcels to stay under the threshold is legal only if they are genuinely separate consignments. Same-day splits look like what they are.
Line choice and transit
Australia is far from every warehouse, so transit is longer than to Europe at the same weight. Budget extra days and do not plan around a deadline.
Prefer lines that explicitly handle Australian biosecurity paperwork. A cheap line that dumps the problem on you costs more in the end.
What to avoid entirely
Food, cosmetics with plant extracts, leather goods without paperwork, and anything that could carry soil. These are the parcels that never arrive.
Shoes are fine if the soles are clean. A dirty outsole is enough to trigger a biosecurity hold.
FAQ
Is GST charged on parcels?
Low-value consignments are usually collected by the seller or platform; higher-value ones are assessed at the border.
Can I ship supplements?
Risky. Many are treated as therapeutic goods and refused without permits. Ask before buying.
Why is my parcel in inspection for two weeks?
Biosecurity queues are long and seasonal. Two weeks is within normal range for a flagged parcel.