Amazon US site open again to Australian shoppers
Amazon has reversed a decision from earlier in the year when it barred Australian shoppers from purchasing goods on the U.S. site after opening Amazon Australia store.
Don’t Miss
- Do you need a business bank account for your online business? Have a look at our review of the five best bank accounts for sellers, some of which are free with no minimum balance or deposits.
- AI can change your entire social media game today. Learn how you can save time writing engaging content faster. [sponsored]
- How to lower your taxable income and pay less in taxes. [sponsored]
- ‘My Community Made’ is a new marketplace to compete with Etsy and Amazon Handmade.
- EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Chris Prill, VP eBay Motors, discussing the new Guaranteed Fit program.
READ MORE: Amazon to Block Australians from U.S. and UK Marketplaces
The decision coincided with a change in tax policy by the Australian government that required out-of-country marketplaces to collect GST on smaller orders.
Amazon justified the ban claiming difficulty to comply with the policy. Instead, it offered a much smaller selection of products from its “Global Store” in exchange.
Contrary to Amazon, eBay accommodated the new tax policy with little problems. The marketplace added the required GST to all purchase prices from its marketplaces located outside of Australia.
READ MORE: eBay to Collect GST Tax on Australian Shipments
However, now in a statement to Reuters, an Amazon spokesman said after listening to customer feedback, the retailer had built the “complex infrastructure needed to enable exports of low-value goods to Australia and remain compliant with (Australian) laws.”
Boost Australia Marketplace?
But many shoppers in Australia felt the Amazon ban was mostly an attempt to boost the newly launched Amazon Australia site.
Also, within a month of announcing the ban to purchase goods from the U.S. site, Amazon Australia launched its Prime membership service.
This added to the suspicion the ban was more about promoting Amazon Australia then complying with Australia tax law.
READ MORE: Amazon Prime Launches In Australia – Ready For Prime Day?
Whatever the real motivation, Australians can again purchase from Amazon.com. This may provide a small benefit to U.S. marketplace sellers that used to receive a fair amount of orders from Australia.
What About Other Amazon Marketplaces?
While the announcement by Amazon was not specific to other marketplaces, the removal of the ban may apply to the UK marketplace as well.
On the Amazon UK website, there are no restrictions listed for Australia and instead shows Amazon will collect appropriate taxes.
If you are in the U.S. or UK, have you noticed orders within the last couple days from Australia? Please use the comments section below or head over to our Facebook Group for Small Business Sellers and interact with other small business owners.
And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay up to date with important news and business insights for your online retail business.
Connect with us: Head over to our Facebook Group for Small Business Sellers and interact with other small business owners.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to stay up to date with relevant news and business insights for your online business.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Business Insights for Your Online Business Presented with a Dash of Humor
We do not share your information and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.