Just announced, a 15% off Pentax and Ricoh sale at Home | Ricoh Imaging Australia.

Offer valid 5 April until 14 April 2022.
No coupon codes required. Discounts already applied.
*Excludes Ricoh GRIII X Limited, Pentax K3 Mark III, Pentax K1 Mark II J-Limited.

The website also seems to have been given a makeover.

[RobA_Oz]

On a related issue, what's the deal with importing a second hand lens into Australia? What taxes/duties are payable?

Isn’t it just the GST at 10%? I’ve never had to pay any duty on bringing a lens into Australia, even in the 1980s.

[GeeEmm]

On a related issue, what's the deal with importing a second hand lens into Australia? What taxes/duties are payable?

Not sure about second hand, but yes nominally 10% GST, there may also be a handling charge. Used to be a floor ($1k AUD), and note that value for duty (GST) includes freight. Floor has now gone (thanks Gerry Harvey).

However enforcement seems random, especially on smaller/less valuable packages. I know a lot of people in the car mods game who have imported new goods with no GST, but a few have had to pay up.

Roll that dice Paul ...

I have looked at buying used lenses several times, but with freight and exchange rate the price in AUD has always been disconcertingly high. Add in the risk of getting a lemon, and I have almost always passed on them. I did buy a Tokina 28-70 from O/S, but the price was right, and I was very happy with the lens as it turned out. Maybe I am too risk-averse?

[cmohr]

On a related issue, what's the deal with importing a second hand lens into Australia? What taxes/duties are payable?

Isn’t it just the GST at 10%? I’ve never had to pay any duty on bringing a lens into Australia, even in the 1980s.

Yep..... 10% gst even on second hand goods. As well as Import brokerage fees to get an item cleared by customs.

I had a lens years ago grabbed by Customs, I was issued with a 10% gst, and the only way to get it thru customs and pay the 10%gst was to engage an Import Broker, and pay them a fee to do it..................

Last bigger item I bought from Japan, from ebay, I paid the listed price on the bay, then, after I paid, I was contacted by the courier service, they noted that the item would have gst upon import into australia, and I had to pay the 10%gst to them, also an Import brokerage fee, before they would even pick-up the item to deliver to me.

cmohr

[Mike L]

On a related issue, what's the deal with importing a second hand lens into Australia? What taxes/duties are payable?

Depends where you buy it from and which carrier is used.

Buying from a private seller that sends the item via post is your best chance of avoiding any GST.

If you buy from eBay or a seller that does a lot of business in Australia you will have to pay 10% GST on the total price (value of item + shipping costs) and depending on the carrier, a customs brokerage fee (DHL's fee is AUD 110).

Some places like B & H Photo allow you to pay all charges in a single transaction, others you have to sort out the GST and import fees with the carrier before they deliver.

[Paul the Sunman]

Yep..... 10% gst even on second hand goods. As well as Import brokerage fees to get an item cleared by customs.

I had a lens years ago grabbed by Customs, I was issued with a 10% gst, and the only way to get it thru customs and pay the 10%gst was to engage an Import Broker, and pay them a fee to do it..................

Last bigger item I bought from Japan, from ebay, I paid the listed price on the bay, then, after I paid, I was contacted by the courier service, they noted that the item would have gst upon import into australia, and I had to pay the 10%gst to them, also an Import brokerage fee, before they would even pick-up the item to deliver to me.

cmohr

Sounds awful. Think I'll steer clear.

[cmohr]

Yeah, It was unpleasant, I was actually amazed that they could charge GST on a secondhand item, bought in a private sale from an individual, not a store. The seller was selling for less than they purchased the Lens, some 20years before, and had paid the taxes on the new item when they purchased it, used it for 20 years, then sold it, privately. I remember the gst was just under $900.00aud, but the broker fees were a real surprise, I think it was $380.00 aud on top of the gst for the broker. All they did was take the gst , pass it on, and tell customs it was paid. I couldn't understand how it could not simply have been a notice when I arrived at the post office to collect it that there was gst due, and when I paid it, I could take the lens with me. And, I didn't have very long to organize the whole thing, I was trying to see if what was happenning was right, trying to see what I had to do, then find an import broker ect ect, the original notice I recieved about having to pay gst ect ect, took 4 days to get to me from the date of issue of the notice, and it stated that after 7 days I would incur demurrage fee, that is they charge you daily, to hold your parcel, till you pay.

Not pleasant at all.


cmohr

[GeeEmm]

Yeah, It was unpleasant, I was actually amazed that they could charge GST on a secondhand item, bought in a private sale from an individual, not a store. The seller was selling for less than they purchased the Lens, some 20years before, and had paid the taxes on the new item when they purchased it, used it for 20 years, then sold it, privately. I remember the gst was just under $900.00aud, but the broker fees were a real surprise, I think it was $380.00 aud on top of the gst for the broker. All they did was take the gst , pass it on, and tell customs it was paid. I couldn't understand how it could not simply have been a notice when I arrived at the post office to collect it that there was gst due, and when I paid it, I could take the lens with me. And, I didn't have very long to organize the whole thing, I was trying to see if what was happenning was right, trying to see what I had to do, then find an import broker ect ect, the original notice I recieved about having to pay gst ect ect, took 4 days to get to me from the date of issue of the notice, and it stated that after 7 days I would incur demurrage fee, that is they charge you daily, to hold your parcel, till you pay.

Not pleasant at all.

cmohr

Ouch!!

Your experience gels with what I have heard about getting caught at the border. You also confirm the 'GST on secondhand' question, thanks (even though that is not what I wanted to hear )..

Mentally I have always added 10% to the asking price plus some more for the freight component, plus $250-300 for the fee, as a worst case scenario in assessing whether to commit to the transaction. Never had a problem, but all my purchases have been >$2k, and probably only one or two <$1k. At ~$9k I am not too surprised that your package got caught in the net.