Quote Originally Posted by Mully View Post
There is currently no provision (and none on the horizon) for travellers to claim GST back upon leaving the country. My understanding is that there is that provision in AU.
There is some provision in Australia for private GST refunds on export. They call it the Tourist Refund Scheme. However there some major limitations:

1. The goods have to be taken out of Australia within 30 days of purchase. I've been caught by this - they go by the date on the invoice/receipt and won't refund if the purchase is over 30 days old.

2. The goods have to be presented to TRS staff for inspection at the airport. This effectively limits the scheme to hand-luggage and clothing. So you can't get a refund for anything heavy or anything which is banned from airline carry-on luggage.

3. There has to be a minimum of $300 on each of your invoices. You can't combine invoices to go over the $300 threshold.

If you are going to move a bike (or anything expensive) back and forward, do it on a Carnet.
That's that's definitely the way to go if you're going to return your bike to NZ.

Do you pay $1.50 per KG for hazardous cargo? Cos the airline will spank you on a bike for DG surcharges.
That is true. The airlines will also require the fuel tank to be fully drained and the batteries disconnected. You're also supposed to drain the engine oil (but I suspect you could get away without doing this).

I guess the lesson for those kiddies playing at home is:

Get a formal written quote. Or several from different forwarders.
Prepay as much as you can in NZ.
Only pay AQIS and GST in AU.
Ensure they are aware that you want a Door to Door price, excluding AQIS and GST from the NZ guys, and that they are aware that you will not be paying any charges for which you have not been quoted.
That's excellent advice. Don't rely on trust or you'll end up in a similar situation to me!