Returns Policy
Part of Cross-border returns
Explaining international return routes before purchase
Tell buyers where an international return may go, who arranges transport and how product problems are handled before they order.
Before checkout, trace the return from your Australian address to the destination named in the retailer’s terms. It may go to a local receiving point or an overseas address; the terms should say who arranges and pays transport, and whether you must contact the retailer before posting.
Check that the change-of-mind offer covers your country and product, and note its return period and available outcome. A product problem follows a separate process, so do not assume a change-of-mind offer applies.
Put material route terms near the purchase decision
Check whether the offer covers your country and item, then find the return period, available outcome and destination. If the destination varies by country or product, confirm which address applies to your order before buying.
Find out whether you or the retailer arranges transport, who pays, and whether a transport charge is stated. If the terms leave out the destination, arranger, payer or charge, ask the retailer to confirm before you buy.
If the retailer reviews a request before giving you the return address, contact it first and wait for the address and reference before posting.
Keep the retailer’s product-problem reporting process available even after the voluntary change-of-mind period ends.
Key facts about international returns in Australia
- ACCC Consumer Guarantees
- Mandatory under Australian Consumer Law
- Product Problem Process
- Separate from change-of-mind returns
- International Customs Form
- Can be completed online via AusPost
- GST & Import Charges
- May apply depending on destination and value
Answer four practical questions
- Where do I start?Give a contact method or request entry point and say which purchase details help locate the order.
- Where might the item go?Name the applicable local or overseas route, or explain when the address will be confirmed.
- Who arranges and pays for transport?State the actual change-of-mind term. Explain that transport for a reported product problem is considered separately.
- What happens after handover?Explain how the parcel will be identified and what event the next update will cover. Posting a parcel does not itself approve a refund.
If you are an Australian consumer reporting a product problem, use the retailer’s stated reporting process and ask what to do before posting. The business may assess the reported problem before deciding the remedy.
The ACCC’s consumer-guarantee guidance covers repair, replacement, refund and cancellation. The ACCC can investigate if a business misleads consumers about consumer-guarantee rights, but it does not give legal advice or resolve individual disputes.
Give usable instructions after the route is confirmed
Before buying, check whether you must contact the retailer first or can post directly. Ask who will provide the return address, reference, label and any customs declaration details.
If the retailer supplies the address only after reviewing a request, make that request and wait for the address and reference before posting. If you must arrange transport, check any stated charge and keep the lodgement and tracking records.
For an international parcel lodged with Australia Post, customers can complete its customs form online for all available services and show the confirmation QR code at a Post Office. Other carriers and destinations may have different requirements, so check the retailer’s instructions before lodging the return.
