If it is under something like 469 grams or some odd ball amount (500gms would be too easy) there is no charge.
I think you will find that the 469 grams is around 1 pound.
The yanks still work in pounds remember.
As far as I can tell it’s a US only charge and it’s charged on everything going into the States, not necessarily charged on what goes out of Australia.
9 bucks per parcel is pretty bloody steep considering they would have been scanning everything anyway for years. I find it hard to believe scanning parcels is any harder than it was 5 years ago.
Considering they have been trying to ban mini bikes and bring in some sort of accountability for imports (I guess mainly aimed at Chinese shit) for a while now, which may have turned out too difficult for them so this is an easier way to attack imports.
It’s easy to bag the local retailer but I think you will find that they are getting screwed themselves. I sell some accessories myself and I can tell you the margins aren’t that big and I see some of the same stuff on e-bay selling cheaper than I can pick up wholesale.
So it’s either the importer that’s screwing the retailer or it’s the US companies selling to US warehouses cheaper than they are selling to the Aussie importers.
