Merchant Shipper / Relay Shipping advice needed (no merchant invoice)

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Hi everyone. I’ve recently come on board to review activewear gear and shoes for a US platform. I’m looking for a mail forwarder / merchant shipper that accepts the service without the need for an invoice for the purpose of declaring GST, where the items are supplied as samples at no cost. Any tips or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

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Welcome to the forum @blimzw

Presuming you are looking for a forwarder in the USA, all legitimate ones will require the sender to complete the requisite customs declaration that accompanies the parcel. Forwarding agents still need to sign a customs form and I would be surprised if any would risk their businesses on lodging a potentially false declaration by value or stating ‘not a gift’ is a gift.

Why doesn’t the supplier send their products to you direct, complete with a proper invoice and customs declaration?

The merchandise you receive should have an invoice from its point of origin stating they are samples at no cost. In addition to being documented as samples, the value can be entered as ‘NCV’ (no commercial value).

If you regularly receive such goods you could expect to be queried on your role and bona fides as a ‘writer’ vis a vis if and how you are paid, whether from customs or the ATO.

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This may only be the case if the samples are destroyed when the business has finished testing/investigating etc them (I know this was the case about 20 years ago with sample scientific equipment)… and not goods which are imported and then used for their intended purpose (e.g. activewear worn by the importer after its arrival). The later may possibly be classed as any other import and its value, duties/taxes would need also to be paid.

There are specialised legal firms which deal with the specifics of importing a range of goods, including commercial samples and other carnets. The Australian Border Force may also be able to provide some general advice on importing carnets/commercial samples. It is suggested that you obtain this specialised advice because if you get it wrong, it may result in an unwanted headache.

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