Send a parcel to Australia with ParcelBroker’s trusted courier comparison service.
ParcelBroker provides the cheapest rates on shipping costs. Your parcel could arrive as early as 3 business days when booking through us, including tracking and up to £1000 transit cover.
Businesses that are looking to trade with Australia will benefit from an appealing consumer base which has high personal wealth and good intellectual property (IP) protection. To help you determine the logistical steps of shipping to Australia, we’ve created this comprehensive guide with information on weight and size guides, shipping timeframes, address labelling, costs and cost reduction methods.
The cheapest way to send a parcel to Australia from the UK is through DPD via our DPD: Lite service. It could cost you as little as £16.06 for a 0.5kg package. Book today and enjoy £25 free extended liability cover from ParcelBroker.
Your package could arrive in Australia in as little as 3 business days. However, there are some specific factors to consider when shipping to Australia. The most important aspect of shipping variables is the weight and dimensions of your package. You can use our shipping calculator to get up-to-date costs of delivery.
Shipping rates will increase depending on the weight of your package. You can ship single items up to 50kg in weight through Parcelforce, DHL, FedEx, and UPS using ParcelBroker’s trusted service, and you can use our handy shipping calculator to get up-to-date prices for your delivery. Simply add the dimensions, weight, and quantity of packages to get an up-to-date quote instantly.
The dimensions of your package will also determine which courier service can handle your delivery. If you are sending multiple items to Australia, it may be cheaper to split your items into separate packages for cheaper rates, or you can combine multiple packages into a single pallet for easier delivery.
You can send a pallet to Australia via ParcelBroker’s PB: Express Pallet service, or through DHL: Express Pallet. Using our pallet delivery calculator, you can get an instant quote for your delivery to Australia.
A pallet delivery can be a cost-effective solution when you are sending large or heavy items, or multiple packages that are intended for the same destination. Simply order your pallet online or obtain one from your local supplier, then pack your items onto the pallet and secure them with pallet shrink wrapping. Your local pallet supplier should be able to provide you with the necessary materials to secure your package.
A surcharge will be applied to all non-stackable pallets. These are pallets that cannot be stacked with other freight, if necessary, due to restrictions such as the shape of the items on your pallet, or contents of a pallet which may be fragile and unsuitable for stacking.
We have included visual guidance below on how to properly arrange your pallet. Adhering to this guidance will reduce the chances of any additional handling charges or damages.
Don't overhang the pallet
Secure goods to the pallet base
Use internal protection
If non-stackable, use signage and cones
Ensure the top is level and flat if stackable
Make irregular shaped items stackable
Damaged boxes or fragile items will be non-stackable
Loose items should be crated for transport
If you're sending a parcel, most carriers can collect your shipment the same day if booked before noon, or accept packages at one of their local drop off points. Palletised freight usually needs to have a collection planned in advance to ensure the correct vehicle can be assigned and that space is pre-booked for your pallet/s. If you do need to drop off a pallet, this will have to be to a local depot rather than a drop off point due to space restrictions.
The time frame of your delivery will also affect the cost of shipping to Australia, so keep this in mind before you guarantee shipping costs and timeframes to the recipient. You can easily compare our live prices for express delivery options below:
UPS | FedEx | DHL | DSV | Parcelforce | TNT | DPD | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.5kg | £45.87 | £59.11 | £34.59 | £27.58 | £40.32 | £30.34 | £16.06 |
1kg | £50.60 | £61.26 | £39.54 | £30.51 | £44.00 | £33.64 | £23.86 |
5kg | £95.18 | £101.16 | £63.67 | £52.03 | £76.27 | £82.30 | £ |
10kg | £135.78 | £169.56 | £106.36 | £80.53 | £113.11 | £129.91 | £ |
15kg | £175.03 | £258.47 | £139.36 | £104.65 | £140.59 | £169.40 | £ |
20kg | £214.25 | £324.79 | £172.34 | £128.98 | £171.89 | £208.99 | £ |
25kg | £259.94 | £417.53 | £204.03 | £156.50 | £ | £248.66 | £ |
Prices as of October 29, 2024
Sending a parcel to Australia has never been easier or quicker, your package can arrive in as little as 3 business days with a reliable courier. You can also take your parcel to a number of local drop-off points, or arrange collection straight from your door which can impact delivery timeframes. Delays to quoted delivery times are usually caused during customs processing, so it's really important to provide them with full and accurate data.
It is important that you correctly address your package before collection or drop-off at your local postal depot, ensuring that your label is free of spelling errors and correctly formatted.
Below we have included some tips on correct formatting for address labels to Australia:
In this example, the addressee lives in apartment 4, on the 4th floor, at 8 Kane Street - Queensland:
Addressee Name
Apartment 4
Floor 4, 8 Kane Street
SOUTHPORT QLD 4354
AUSTRALIA
|
| ||
---|---|---|---|
| QLD | ||
| NSW | ||
Australian Capital Territory | ACT | ||
Victoria | VIC | ||
Tasmania | TAS | ||
Northern Territory | NT | ||
South Australia | SA | ||
Western Australia | WA |
You will be required to include a customs declaration form when exporting goods, including gifts, into Australia. This is official documentation that provides details of the item you are exporting, which can include ingredients, the weight of the item, declaration of materials used, and expiry dates. ParcelBroker creates your customs documentation during the booking process and will provide a copy of the customs declaration to the courier on completion of your order, but it is up to you to fill out these forms correctly.
If you're sending by postal service, you will need to fill out one of 2 forms for exports to Australia, these are as follows:
A package will usually take around 24 hours to clear customs, provided there are no holds currently in place by the Australian Border Force.
1. Unpaid Duty Payments on Your Item(s)
Duty tax will be payable on almost all items sent to Australia, and this amount is generally based on the commercial value of the item(s) that you are sending.
The recipient can usually expect to pay around 5% of an item’s value for customs duty, and a rate of around 10% for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Duties and tax are expected to be paid upon collection from the recipient, and they are given up to 30 days in which to pay this fee. Failure to do so will likely result in the package's destruction, abandonment, or return-to-sender for an additional charge.
2. Missing or Incorrect Documentation
Documentation will be required for the shipment of goods, or any restricted items that are included in your package. If you are a supplier sending commercial goods to Australia, then you will require the following:
3. Missing Import Permits
The Australian government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, places restrictions on particular items that are imported into the country. You will require an import permit if one or all of your items fall into the conditions as stated by the Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) database.
It is important that you check your goods on this website before sending, particularly if you are a supplier of agricultural goods, as failure to produce import permits could also result in the package's destruction, abandonment, or return-to-sender for an additional charge.
4. Biosecurity Inspections
Australia’s border forces have measures in place aimed at reducing the introduction of pests, parasites, or diseases into the country. For this reason, your items may be pulled for inspection at any point before release from customs.
If your item is suspected to contain materials that could cause harm to the local ecosystem, then the item may be inspected, and a charge incurred. Specific guidance for this can be found here.
There are a number of items that are either prohibited or restricted from being sent to Australia, and it is vital that, as the sender, you ensure any items sent are not included in the prohibited list.
Specific guidance on items considered prohibited can be found on the Australian Government website. It is important you consult this first before sending any items you are unsure of.
Australia has a relatively isolated, unique ecosystem, so threats to this often include items such as plants, food, and chemicals such as pesticides. These are all items you’d not be able to ship to Australia, but you may not have considered the following restricted items:
According to the OEC, in 2020, Australia was the biggest importer of Sodium or Potassium Peroxides and Horsehair Fabric. The top in industries they import for include:
As an economy, Australian trade has been growing over the past few years and the fastest growing import market in 2019-2020 was China at $4.16B. It’s a considerably strong economy in terms of growth and relies heavily on import and exports to continue this.
Find out more about shipping to Australia below!
For more help with your shipping needs, browse our frequently asked questions (FAQs) and helpful shipping guides here.