Aliexpress GST on checkout Workaround Still Working?

vawiyoci on 02/03/2022 - 13:44

Hi, Has anyone purchased an item lately using the workaround method described here to avoid the GST on checkout?

I tried it a few times on a couple of $100+ items a couple of years back and the sellers were happy to accommodate. Wanted to buy a phone this week and take advantage of the recent $25 coupon, but the couple of sellers I've messaged have flat out refused or said they can't change the country after checkout due to aliexpress's consolidated shipping system.

I thought it would be a simple case of them slapping on a new shipping label on the parcel with my real aus address after checkout, but does Aliexpress have a central warehouse now that handles shipping for all sellers these days?

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Comments

  • vt on 02/03/2022 - 14:04
    +3

    Possibly, as all my recent Aliexpress orders have come from "UCL Co. Ltd".

    • bdl on 02/03/2022 - 14:20
      +2

      That's just their shipping sub contractor, no?

  • dust on 02/03/2022 - 14:12
    +2

    Sounds illegal.

    • vawiyoci on 02/03/2022 - 14:22
      +1

      I would actually be surprised if sites like Aliexpress etc actually forwarded that GST onto the ATO at every EOFY since the change thanks to Gerry Harvey.

    • EightImmortals on 02/03/2022 - 18:15
      -1

      And?

  • life is suffering on 02/03/2022 - 14:15
    +2

    Oh well if GST is paid ., It will come back to ten folds via govt benefits. Don't worry just pay

    • vawiyoci on 02/03/2022 - 14:19

      Yep pretty much all the sellers I looked at uses the Aliexpress standard shipping. I guess aliexpress accidentally closed the loophole with their shipping system change haha. At least with the coupon even with GST it's still cheaper than Amazon or banggood.

  • Porker on 02/03/2022 - 14:20
    -1

    Banggood has a central warehouse. AliExpress, based on my recent purchases, still appears to be individual seller postings.

    • justdigi on 02/03/2022 - 14:32

      That’s not my experience. I ordered about four items during the increased cashback promo and they were all shipped consolidated as one parcel via Singapore Post.

      • Porker on 02/03/2022 - 17:56

        Were they four items from different sellers or the one seller? Not arguing, just genuinely curious.

        I too put a big order in for multiple items from different sellers, and all arrived individually. None were consolidated.

        My experience was back end of 2021 - I did have to open a dispute against some sellers as packages never arrived (75+ days MIA)

        • websterp on 02/03/2022 - 18:04

          Read my comment below. I've started to notice the consolidation happening in the last 6 months not before. I think it is a pretty smart move. Charge individual sellers standard shipping rates and keep a portion to yourself by consolidating multiple packages into one. The other thing I've noticed is that Aliexpress shipping times have significantly improved around the same time. There is still the occasional package that falls into a shipping blackhole before reappearing 6 weeks later but for example this morning I received a package I ordered on the 17th Feb.

          • cycleri3 on 03/03/2022 - 19:25

            @websterp: Interesting, Did the package you ordered on 17th come via SIngapore? Mine is stuck at "-Despatched to OverSeas Postal Admin (From SG/SIN to AU/MEL)" for over a week and I also ordered on 17th.

        • justdigi on 02/03/2022 - 18:08

          4 separate sellers. Each item was individually wrapped and labelled inside a poly bag which had a separate shipping label on the outside. That order seemed to be consolidated in Singapore, as it has Aliexpress Changi as the return address and was sent via Singapore Post, even though the 4 items inside came from China, with mainland return addresses. Another 2 item order was consolidated on the mainland and shipped via UCL Co Ltd. Both arrived delivered by Australia post.

  • websterp on 02/03/2022 - 14:27
    +1

    Packages ordered on dates closer to each other and shipped via Aliexpress std are now automatically consolidated at their CN warehouse. For example yesterday I received three packages ordered from three separate sellers in a single sachet.

  • Fergy1987 on 02/03/2022 - 15:48

    also seems like a giant risk of being missed and it going to some rando address

    • vawiyoci on 02/03/2022 - 16:04

      Nah I did it with a couple of bigger $100+ orders back in 2019 and they all arrived fine, just had to message the sellers first before checkout. Couldn't be bothered going through the whole rigmarole with smaller priced orders since then until now.

    • websterp on 02/03/2022 - 16:25

      One thing I've learnt by dealing with Chinese sellers for many years on AliExpress and other ecommerce platforms is never to complicate things for the seller pre and post sale. Chances are you'd either get something completely different to what you ordered or in this case most likely end up being shipped somewhere else

      • furyou on 13/03/2022 - 23:07

        yeah, enough crap goes wrong as it is. just to cheat the gov 10% gst.

        • vawiyoci on 14/03/2022 - 09:58

          Errrr you do realise that this specific tax on under $1k imports wasn't always a thing until only a couple of years ago when gerry harvey and cronies finally convinced the gov to add it? 1, 2.

          cheat the gov 10% gst.

          And like I said further above I would be very very surprised if the ilks of Aliexpress are actually forwarding on the entirety of the extra 10% they've been getting onto the ATO at the EOFY so far. Or you think the ATO has enough resources to go chase up every foreign online seller for the GST on their aus sales. This isn't like the local customs border holding your package up until you pay them.

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