Importing furniture into Australia: the basics

When you buy direct from a factory, you (or your business) are the importer. That means it's up to you to declare the goods to the Australian Border Force, pay any customs duty and GST, and meet the biosecurity and product-safety rules.

We help you find verified factories, hold your goods money in escrow through a licensed payments partner, and connect you with vetted forwarders. We don't import the goods on your behalf, though.

Any shipment worth more than A$1,000 needs a formal import declaration. Most people get a licensed customs broker to lodge it for them. The broker works out the right tariff classification and duty rate, claims any free-trade preference you're entitled to, and sorts out biosecurity clearance.

Most freight forwarders either have licensed brokers on staff or work closely with one. It's a good idea to ask your forwarder who'll lodge your declaration and what they charge.

"Landed cost" simply means everything it costs to get the goods to your door. For furniture from Guangdong, it usually includes:

• The goods. This is the factory price, usually quoted FOB (free on board), which means delivered to the export port and loaded.
• Origin charges, which cover trucking to the port, export customs and terminal handling in China.
• Ocean freight, charged per cubic metre for a shared container (LCL) or per container (20 ft or 40 ft high cube).
• Marine insurance, which is usually a small percentage of the goods plus freight.
• Destination charges, like terminal handling, the delivery order and similar port fees in Australia.
• Customs brokerage, which is the broker's fee plus the government's import processing charge.
• Customs duty. It's often 0% with a valid ChAFTA certificate of origin, and otherwise usually 5% for most furniture.
• GST, which is 10% of the value of the taxable importation (the customs value plus duty, plus international freight and insurance).
• Biosecurity, meaning any inspection or treatment fees. These mostly apply to timber, rattan, bamboo and wooden packaging.
• Delivery from the port or depot to your address.

Your FactoryProof project shows each of these lines as an estimate before you commit. Freight rates and exchange rates both move around, and the final duty and GST are only set once your broker lodges the declaration. So it's wise to build in a buffer and confirm the numbers with your broker.

Some furniture is covered by mandatory Australian safety standards, such as bunk beds and household cots. If you're importing anything for children, or anything for resale, have a look at Product Safety Australia before you order. Let us know too, so we can ask the factory the right questions.