Australia Post incorrectly charged tariffs on items ordered online being returned to the US | Australia Post
Australia Post has admitted it collected incorrect tariffs from customers sending items to the US following the resumption of retail parcel services to the country last week.
Australia Post said it had identified an error at a third-party provider where “a number of customers” were mistakenly charged a tariff for postal returns of US-made products that should not have been subject to import duties.
“The error was quickly fixed and we are reaching out to affected customers,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Parcel services were stopped in August when the United States suspended the “de minimis” exemption that allowed packages worth less than $800 to enter the country duty-free. Commercial services resumed on 22 September, followed by retail sales on 7 October.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has told Australia Post that Donald Trump’s new tariff regime also applies to online returns to the US, with the tariff calculated based on the goods’ country of origin.
This means that a mail-in return of an item originally ordered from the United States but manufactured in China may be subject to customs duties imposed on Chinese goods if declared correctly. CBP was not immediately available for comment.
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Guardian Australia shared images of a post office terminal with Australia Post showing that a product originating in the United States was subject to an import duty of $57.17 for an item valued at $357.30; this rate is approximately 16%.
This was in addition to postage and a small handling fee, which was split between Australia Post and a third party who paid the tariff to US customs.
It appears Australia Post was unaware of the error until then.
Under Donald Trump’s so-called “emancipation day” tariffs that came into effect in April, Australian goods imported into the US must be subject to a base 10% duty. Tariffs do not apply to gifts valued under $100 or approximately $150.
Trump in July signed administrative order The “de minimis” exemption will end on 29 August. Australia Post, like other international carriers, has suspended most postal services to the US and Puerto Rico.
Annika Wells, the federal communications minister who oversaw the postal service at the time, distanced the government from what she called the “operational decision.” Calling on Australia Post to find a workaround.
A spokesman for Australia Post said they were “working quickly” to find a solution that complies with the new rules.
On the same day it suspended postage, the mail carrier notified its business customers that it had partnered with the American company Zonos; this company was one of two approved at the time to facilitate payment of tariffs, but more have since been approved.
Guardian Australia understands that the recent error for retail customers was caused by incorrectly implemented code by another third-party company based overseas.
Wells has been contacted for comment.
