Should You Use Proxy Shopping or Parcel Forwarding to Australia?

If an overseas store won’t ship to you or accept your payment, proxy shopping or parcel forwarding to Australia can help. Australians spent A$82.6 billion online in 2025, according to Australia Post’s 2026 eCommerce Report. Parcel forwarding works when a retailer accepts your Australian payment but delivers only within its own country. Proxy shopping works well when a store won’t accept Australian payment or requires a local account. 

For repeat orders or multiple cartons, the guide explains which costs to compare before choosing international freight.

Book International Shipping with Couriers & Freight

Book international freight into Australia with Couriers & Freight.

Get a Quote Now

Proxy Shopping or Parcel Forwarding to Australia: What to Know Before You Order

Parcel forwarding gives you an overseas delivery address, while proxy shopping places the order on your behalf.

• Use parcel forwarding if a store won’t ship to your address. Use proxy shopping if it won’t take your payment or needs a local account.
• Check whether 10% GST applies to eligible low-value imported goods worth A$1,000 or less. The Australian Taxation Office’s rules explain when the seller, marketplace or another responsible party must collect it.
• Confirm the forwarder’s storage period and any conditions in its current terms before relying on consolidation savings.
• Get a freight quote for many-carton or repeat orders and check it against the same shipment’s total forwarding charges, including handling fees.

Book international shipping with Couriers & Freight.

Parcel Forwarding vs Proxy Shopping to Australia: How Each One Works

The choice between proxy shopping and parcel forwarding to Australia depends on what the overseas store won’t accept. Parcel forwarding addresses delivery restrictions. Proxy shopping addresses payment or local-account restrictions. Both methods still need international shipping, so the final cost is more than the item price and the service fee.

Compare published fee schedules before choosing a proxy service. Check how each provider calculates its fee and whether it applies a minimum charge. Confirm whether domestic delivery, handling and repacking are included. Add international shipping and any applicable taxes or duties to estimate the total cost.

For Australian buyers comparing proxy shopping and parcel forwarding, payment or delivery restrictions usually determine which method can complete the purchase. If both methods are available, compare the total cost rather than the headline service fee. Include domestic delivery, service fees, handling and repacking in that total.

Use Parcel Forwarding If the Store Won't Deliver to Australia

Choose parcel forwarding when the retailer accepts your Australian card or PayPal account but delivers only within its own market. Register for an overseas warehouse address, enter it at checkout, then instruct the warehouse when and how to send the parcel to Australia. 

US and UK retailers may offer this arrangement, while Canadian and European stores may apply country-specific delivery restrictions. 

MyUS is one forwarding service that ships to Australia. 

Before choosing a provider, compare its receiving, storage, consolidation and repacking fees, then check its shipping rates and parcel limits.

Use Proxy Shopping If the Store Blocks Australian Payment Methods

Choose proxy shopping when a retailer rejects your Australian billing address or card, or requires a local phone number or identity details. Send the product link or auction listing to the service, pay the required amount, and let the service buy and receive the item before arranging international shipment. 

Proxy shopping is most common in Japan and South Korea because many marketplace and auction sites there accept only domestic payment methods or require local identity details.

Buyee and Harumio are examples of proxy services that ship to Australia. 

Before paying, check whether the quoted fee covers domestic delivery, handling and repacking as well as the purchase.

What Parcel Forwarding to Australia Costs

The advertised service fee is only one part of the total cost, and hidden costs in international shipping add to it.

GST and the AU$1,000 Threshold on Parcels to Australia

As at October 2026, GST is 10%, and the low-value imported goods threshold is A$1,000.

For eligible goods at or below that value, a registered overseas seller, marketplace or other responsible party may collect GST at checkout under the ATO’s low-value imported goods rules.

For goods valued above A$1,000, an Import Declaration is generally required, and duty, GST and import-processing charges may be payable at the border. Check the rules for your particular shipment before calculating its final cost.

How Forwarders Charge Chargeable Weight on Consolidated Parcels

Air carriers may calculate charges using whichever is greater: actual weight or volumetric weight, which reflects the space a parcel occupies. 

Using a divisor of 5,000, a 60 × 40 × 40 cm carton has a volumetric weight of 19.2 kg. If its actual weight is 12 kg, the chargeable weight under that calculation is 19.2 kg. 

Confirm the carrier’s current divisor and charging rules before estimating shipping costs.

Items Parcel Forwarding Services Cannot Send to Australia

Some goods are prohibited, restricted or unsuitable for standard consumer forwarding. These can include weapons, controlled medicines, prohibited plant or animal products and dangerous goods.

Check the ABF's prohibited goods guidance and applicable air transport rules before ordering. Some goods require permits or special handling. Some freight carriers can transport declared dangerous goods when the shipment meets their acceptance, packaging, documentation and handling requirements.

Review Couriers & Freight’s dangerous goods air freight guidance before arranging transport.

The Third Option: International Freight for Business Orders to Australia

If you regularly reorder stock, receive multiple cartons or import goods for resale, compare international freight with consumer forwarding before placing your next order. Freight is a separate service from parcel forwarding and proxy shopping. 

A freight broker books air or sea transport with carriers, but it does not purchase goods on your behalf or provide an overseas shopping address.

Consumer forwarders may charge receiving, handling or consolidation fees on each parcel, so add those fees together across every parcel in the order.

Then, compare that total with a freight quote for the same consignment. The cheaper option depends on the route, shipment dimensions, chargeable weight and service fees, so no fixed weight makes freight cheaper for every order.

For example, a Brisbane homewares seller importing ceramic tableware from a Japanese supplier before Christmas. If the supplier sends four cartons, the seller should compare the total cost of forwarding all four separately with a freight quote for the same four-carton shipment. 

For a fair comparison, check that both quotes include the same origin, transport, surcharge and customs charges.

Couriers & Freight’s international shipping service provides international air freight and Less Than Container Load (LCL) sea freight into Australia. Businesses can compare rates before they book freight. 

Book international air freight or Less Than Container Load sea freight into Australia with Couriers & Freight.

Book International Shipping with Couriers & Freight

Book international freight into Australia with Couriers & Freight.

Get a Quote Now