Guides · Selling into Australia
Do I need to register for anything in Australia?
The first question every overseas seller asks, and the one the marketplaces answer worst. Whether Australia expects an ABN, a GST registration or an income tax return from you depends on three things: what you sell, where the stock sits when it sells, and how much of it Australians buy.
The short version
- GST registration may be required once your Australian-connected turnover reaches A$75,000 a year. Sales from stock already in Australia always count; low-value goods shipped from overseas count for you unless a marketplace is treated as the seller.
- For goods of A$1,000 or less shipped from overseas through Amazon, eBay, Etsy or Temu, the marketplace is generally treated as the supplier for GST. Sell the same goods from your own Shopify site and the obligation is yours.
- An ABN is not compulsory to sell, but you will usually want one: standard GST registration, import GST credits and most business banking depend on it.
- Income tax is a separate question from GST. A treaty country company is usually taxed in Australia only through a permanent establishment; whether a fulfilment warehouse creates one is its own article.
Three questions decide it
First, what are you selling — physical goods, digital products or services — because each has its own connection rule. Second, where are the goods when the sale happens: on a shelf in Guangzhou, in an Amazon fulfilment centre in Sydney, or at a 3PL in Melbourne. Third, how much do Australian customers buy from you across every channel in a rolling twelve months. Get those three answers straight and the registration picture follows.
The two systems people mix up
GST is a consumption tax on supplies connected with Australia; registration is about turnover and where goods are. Income tax is a tax on profit; for a company in a treaty country it turns on whether you have a permanent establishment here. It is common, and correct, to be registered for GST while lodging no Australian income tax return at all. It is also common to owe neither and still need an ABN for practical reasons.
Where the marketplaces stop helping
Amazon, eBay and the other platforms collect GST on one specific slice: goods worth A$1,000 or less shipped from overseas to Australian consumers. That is real, and it is where the "the platform handles it" belief comes from. The moment your stock is inside Australia, every sale from it is your own supply. The platform does not collect on it, does not report it, and cannot see whether you are over the threshold.
Common questions
- Do I need an ABN to sell to Australia from overseas?
- Not to make a sale. You need one to register for standard GST, to claim import GST credits, and in practice for most Australian business banking and marketplace verification. Most overseas sellers who hold stock in Australia end up needing one.
- When may I have to register for GST?
- When your GST turnover from supplies connected with Australia reaches or is expected to reach A$75,000 in a twelve-month period. Sales from Australian stock always count. Low-value goods you ship from overseas count unless a marketplace is treated as the supplier for them.
- Do I owe Australian income tax just because I sell to Australians?
- Usually not, if your company is resident in a country with a tax treaty with Australia and you have no permanent establishment here. Whether Amazon FBA stock creates one is a separate question with its own guide.
The articles under this question
4 articles, newest first. Each answers one question.
Do I need an ABN to sell on Amazon Australia? (2026)
28 August 2026
Not to list — but for the standard FBA pattern, yes. The deciding fact is where your stock sits when it sells, and the reason is G…
Read →Does Amazon FBA stock create a permanent establishment in Australia?
24 August 2026
Generally no — but the strongest reason is not the storage exemption everyone quotes. It is that an Amazon fulfilment centre was n…
Read →Does Amazon collect GST for me on Australian sales?
20 August 2026
Only on low value goods shipped from overseas. Sales from stock in an Australian fulfilment centre are your own — self-assessed an…
Read →GST for Non-Resident Amazon Australia Sellers: The Complete Guide (2026)
14 July 2026
Non-resident sellers with stock in an Australian fulfilment centre are often both overpaying and worrying about the wrong risks. T…
Read →Try it on your numbers: GST registration check · Non-resident seller checker
Want it done right the first time?
The free path is all above. A registered tax agent does it in days, not months, and without the rejection letters. Fixed fee before we start.