Top FAQ

Individual package cannot exceed the following limits:

weight: 22 kg
length: 1.05 m
dimension: 0.25 cubic metres
maximum girth of 200cm

The formula for working out the girth of your overseas parcel is:
Width + height x 2 = girth

For example: 30cm + 20cm = 50cm x 2 = 100cm girth

If a package exceeds our weight or dimension & girth restrictions, we will notify you and give you the option to either return the item(s) to the overseas merchants at your cost.

An additional administrative and processing charge of AUD 55.00 will be imposed if your merchant’s invoice isn’t submitted within 48 hours of providing payment.

In order to comply with Australian Tax Office requirements, vPost AU will need to ensure that the declared value provided by vPost AU customers is accurate as per the merchant’s invoice.

If you cannot see your parcel, please click ‘Locate My Package’.

Enter the merchant tracking number that was issued to you by the overseas merchant during checkout.

If you do not have a merchant tracking number, please contact the overseas merchant for further assistance.

Transactions between you and the overseas merchant will be conducted in their preferred currency.

vPost’s shipping charges are shown in Australian dollars.

You should contact your bank or credit card provider to see if they can add your vPost address as a secondary billing address on your account.

Alternatively, you may wish to consider using an international travel card. These foreign currency cards give you all the convenience of shopping in another currency with greater security.

Some merchants may not accept overseas credit cards as a method of payment.

Additionally, there are other possible reasons why your credit card might have been declined.

We recommend contacting your credit card provider for further information.

Cover for loss or damage is not automatically provided for items sent via vPost.

You can buy vCare for items valued up to AUD10,000.00*. It costs 2% of the Declared Value plus Shipping Fee. Items are covered for loss or damage once vCare is fully paid.

Click here for vCare Terms and Conditions.

Please note that vCare does not cover loss or damage:

vCare exclusions

On all general merchandise but excluding items listed under lists A, B and C:-

List A – List of negotiable documents:

• Stamps
• Money
• Precious stones or gems
• All food stuff
• Antiques
• Works of art
• Fragile items

List B – Export restrictions/prohibitions

• Dangerous goods
• Explosives
• Flammable gas – ignites when leaking, aerosols, etc
• Flammable liquid – low flash-point, emitting flammable vapour
• Flammable solids
• Oxidising substances – e.g. organic peroxides
• Toxic substances – to contact & consumption
• Radio actives
• Corrosives
• Magnetized materials – affecting navigation
• Living plants & animals
• Perishables
• Narcotics & psychotropic substances
• Endangered species of wildlife & their by-products
• Obscene or immoral articles, publications, video tapes/discs & software
• Seditious & treasonable materials

List C – Other excluded items

• Banker’s drafts, bank notes
• Bearer bonds
• Bills of exchange
• Cheques
• Debentures
• Dividend warranties
• Promissory notes
• Share certificates
• Share warrants
• Travellers cheques
• Treasury bills

Key exclusions

You are advised to read the full text of the above exclusions. In addition, please note that SingPost shall not, in the provision of vCare, be liable for the following:

1. Loss damage or expense attributable to your willful misconduct;
2. Ordinary leakage, ordinary loss in weight or volume, or ordinary wear and tear of the vCare Article;
3. Loss damage or expense caused by inherent vice or nature of the vCare Article;
4. Loss damage or expense proximately caused by delay, outside SingPost’s reasonable control;
5. Loss damage or expense arising from any hostile use of any weapon employing atomic or nuclear fission and/or fusion or other like reaction or radioactive force or matter;
6. Loss damage or expense caused by insufficiency or unsuitability of packing or preparation of the vCare Article (packing shall be deemed to include stowage in a container or lift van but only when such stowage is carried out prior to vCare becoming applicable;
7. Rust, oxidation and discolouration; or
8. Bending, denting, scratching and twisting of the vCare Article.

vCare also does not cover loss damage or expense caused by:-

You are advised to read the full text of the above exclusions. In addition, please note that SingPost shall not, in the provision of vCare, be liable for the following:

1. Confiscation or detention of the vCare Article by custom house or other officials or authorities;
2. Mechanical and electrical derangement unless accompanied by visible external damage; or
3. Any consequential or indirect losses.

If your shipment arrives visibly damaged, please make a note on the receipt that the delivery driver asks you to sign. Then open the package and carefully check your goods for signs of damage.

If the goods themselves are damaged, please email to our vPost Australia customer contact for  instructions of how to submit a claim.

Within 48 hours of successfully providing payment, for each vPost transaction you’ll need to email vPost a copy of the retailer invoice.

The invoice which you send to us must include details of the price of all of the goods which you are sending to Australia via vPost and the shipping fees of these products from the merchant’s invoice to the vPost overseas warehouse.

How to email us your invoice:

1. Email a copy of the merchant invoice (strictly in PDF format – screen shot not acceptable) to: vpauspt@singpost.com
2. Include your first and last name and vPost ID in the email subject line.
   • Your VP ID is the second address line of your vPost overseas address, this can be found in the “My Addresses” tab once you log in to your account.
   • For example: John Smith,VP ID AU-XXX-XXX

Each time you check out a vPost Australia parcel and declare the value of the goods, you will be asked to provide payment for your vPost Australia shipping and the applicable GST all in the same transaction. The rate of GST is 10%.

vPost Australia is required to collect GST from vPost Australia customers and pay that GST to the Australian Tax Office, on items valued at $1,000 AUD or less, that you ship into Australia using vPost Australia.

If your parcel is over $1000 AUD, it may be deemed as High Value Parcel by Australian Customs. We will advise you of this via your vPost Australia account and additional duties and taxes may be levied and payable once your parcel is received by Customs in Australia. Australian Customs will require additional documentation including a Shipper’s Export Declaration form.

Upon receipt of such notification, you have the option to either:

1. Use our nominated customs broker to handle customs clearance. You will have to pay the customs broker directly all brokers fees and all taxes, duties, levies or charges assessed.
   
2. If you wish to proceed, please fill in the customs tax form and submit together with the retailer’s invoice (in PDF format) to our mail box vpauspt@singpost.com 
   Please INDICATE: HVI (High value item/ Your name/vPOST AU Account and BOX NO on subject header for us to submit to the customs broker for review).
   As a general guide, Customs broker may charge up to AUD$999 for Customs clearance and carrier security fee on top of the Customs duty and GST.
   
3. If you do not wish to proceed, you may organize the return of your parcel to the retailer
   More information can be found on the below link
   https://vpost.com/au/how-vpost-works/return-package/
   https://vpost.com/au/how-vpost-works/redirect-package/
   Please note that a shipper Export Declaration form is also require for package value exceed USD$2500.
   

Once your vPost parcel status shows ‘Ready to Ship’, you’ll be able to pay the shipping charges by following the steps below:

1. Log in to your vPost account and navigate to “vPost member’s portal site”
2. Select the parcel you would like to pay for
3. Verify your delivery details
4. Enter a voucher code if applicable
5. Proceed to checkout and pay with Visa or MasterCard
6. Email to vPost Australia a copy of your overseas retailer invoice to: vpauspt@singpost.com

You have 30 days to pay shipping costs. Storage fees may apply if payment is not made within this time.

vPost does not  offer parcel consolidation service, nor can we repack or combine multiple items into one box and ship all your items together.

vPost only offers aggregate service, allowing customers to enjoy Bundling Discount ranging from 3-5%. To utilize this feature, withhold payment till all the parcels (within the same overseas country) you want to pay for together are available to check out (i.e. one invoice).

Please note that a holding fee will be applicable for packages that are held for more than 30 days.

Unfortunately, we are unable to split items in a package.

Delivery to the vPost warehouse

Please refer to the overseas merchant’s website for details about their delivery times within the source country.

Please note that it will take *2 – 5 working days for us to process your parcel after it arrives at our source country warehouse before showing up against your vPost account.

*Please take note that delivery might be delayed due to unpredictable weather conditions (snowy weather, serve winter storms, holiday period and unexpected circumstance)

Delivery to my Australian address

After your vPost shipping costs have been paid and any other necessary documentation is complete, it should be delivered within the estimated business days stated from each respective source country*

*Business day estimated delivery time between metro areas of major cities. Excludes any time in customs and delays due to reasons outside of Australia Post’s control. Specific delivery times will be available online at vpost.com/au

Yes, you will be able to track your vPost items from receipt at our overseas warehouse right up to delivery at your nominated Australian address.

Simply log in to your vPost account and navigate to ‘My Tracking’ to view the status of your packages.

If the status of your parcel is “Shipped out” you may also track your package status at the Australia Post tracking site.

To return items delivered via vPost, you will need to contact the overseas merchant directly, arrange your own postage and pay any associated freight costs.

Unfortunately, returns cannot be managed via vPost, nor can vPost assist you with this process.

No US Customs declaration is required for orders below USD2,500.00.

For orders equaling or exceeding USD2,500.00, a Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) form is needed to clear the parcel through US Customs.

You will be notified when you have an item that exceeds USD2,500.00 and will need to follow the steps below to submit your SED:

1. Log in to vPost, click on ‘Action Required’ and view the status of your parcel
2. If the status is ‘Wait for form’, click on the link ‘Download SED form’
3. Print out the SED form and complete all the required details
4. Sign the form
5. Return the form to our Customer Contact Centre

We’ll forward the SED form on your behalf to US Customs, so you do not need to contact them directly. Our Customer Contact Centre will notify you if any further details are required to clear your parcel.

The Australian Government has passed laws which extend the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to low value imports of physical goods. vPost will be required to collect GST from customers and pay that GST to the Australian Tax Office, on items valued at $1,000 AUD or less, that you ship into Australia using vPost.

Each time you check out a vPost parcel and declare the value of the goods, you will be asked to provide payment for your vPost shipping and the applicable GST all in the same transaction.

The rate of GST is 10%.

GST will be payable on:

• The value of the item(s) you are shipping into Australia via vPost including any shipping fees or local taxes paid to the merchant based on the selected vPost warehouse address,, and
• The value of the vPost shipping and service fee (including vCare if applicable)

If you have lost your vPost tracking number, log in to your vPost account and click on the ‘My packages”  tab to see if your consignment details are listed.

Please ensure that you quote your vPost Customer Number and VP ID. If your question hasn’t been answered, contact us for assistance.

You will receive a notification via email and sms when your parcel arrives at the vPost overseas warehouse.

You’ll also be able to view all of your received parcels by logging in to your vPost account and clicking ‘Action required’.

Refer to the full guide here.

Please ensure that you have updated your email address and your mobile on your vPost profile and that your mailbox is not full.

If you do not wish to proceed with having an item shipped via vPost Australia, you can choose to:

• return your parcel to the overseas merchant you purchased from
• have your parcel forwarded to an alternative address
• ask vPost to securely dispose of your item

If you choose to return your parcel to the overseas merchant or forward it to another address, you will be asked to supply the address and a contact phone number for that address and pay for the associated delivery costs.

You may use our self help entry for return and redirect of your parcel. Fees will apply when you checkout. 

Please note that parcels at our vPost overseas warehouse can only be returned to domestically within the source country address.

Goods that cannot be sent via vPost Australia include:

• food or perishable goods
• items requiring cold storage shipping
• dangerous or prohibited items as determined by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. These commonly include perfume, items containing lithium-ion batteries, ink cartridges and aerosols.

More information on dangerous and prohibited items is available on the Australia Post website.

If your item cannot be delivered for any of the above reasons, you will be notified that you have an ’Erroneous Package’ and provided with alternative delivery options.

You may refer to the full list here

If you receive an incorrect item or quantity of goods delivered through vPost, you should liaise directly with the overseas Merchant for any refund, return, exchange or money-back guarantee claim.

You should enter vPost Overseas address, as found in ‘My Addresses’ in your vPost AU account.

Your vPost address comprises your name, a suite number and a street address. You must include your vPost suite number in the shipping address, as this is how vPost identifies that the parcel belongs to you.

Some merchants will allow you to enter your name and suite number in the name field, while others may not accept numbers in that field. If this happens, simply enter your suite number in the 2nd or 3rd address line instead.

If a phone number is required, enter your own number.

For all lanes *7-13 working days from the date of payment.

Working days do not include Saturday, Sunday, both in Australia or product source country’s (Click here for various countries you can ship from, via vPost) and public holidays.

*Subject to clearance from local customs and not limited to unforeseen weather conditions and circumstances.

• Public holidays
  Please be aware that public holidays, both in Australia or product source country’s (Click here for various countries you can ship from, via vPost), affects delivery dates.
• Working Days
  Working days do not include Saturday, Sunday, both in Australia or product source country’s (Click here for various countries you can ship from, via vPost) and public holidays.
  Gentle reminder that the product source country’s warehouses are in a different time zone to you.

Click here for more detailed information, with regards to how long your package will take to arrive.

As per freight industry practice, the chargeable weight of a package is calculated based on Volumetric or Actual weight, whichever is higher.

Volumetric weight of a package is a calculation that reveals the density of a package and we use the below formula to derive the volumetric weight of a package

Volumetric weight = [ length(cm) x breadth(cm) x height(cm) ] / 5,000cm You can advise your merchant to ensure proper packaging or pack your purchase into a smallest possible box.

In addition, you can aggregate your shipping charges by paying multiple packages together. As such, you can enjoy a bundling discount ranging from 3-5%. Find out more about shipment aggregation.

No. We do not combine multiple packages as it may potentially hinder the claims process in the event your package is lost or damaged during transit.

vPost will repack your package by minimising the height of the package, thus reducing the volumetric weight. The process of repacking will be placing the smaller package into one single box.

Example: Height of package being cut down

Please note that we are not able to remove or modify any part/content from its retail packaging when we repack.

Example:

– Removal of batteries from the retail packaging.

– Installation of batteries from the retail packaging.

This is to ensure not to have your original package contents being compromised

Here are some scenarios in which we will not repack

• Where the difference between the actual weight and volumetric weight is under 2kg
• Containing leather products
• Containing products with flammable or alcoholic contents
• Marked ‘fragile’
• Clearly a gift
• Packed within a satchel or plastic packaging bag
• Oversized (exceed the maximum length of 105cm and weight of 22 kg)
• Cushion with special packaging (in manufacturer’s packaging e.g. Styrofoam)
• They are in manufacturer’s branded packaging e.g. shoe boxes
• Unusual shape items

If your Fragile packages require special or extraordinary packaging, there will be an additional charge. You will be advised of these costs and asked for permission prior to repacking.

You agree that any such repacking of your packages may mean the return, refund or exchange policy of the Merchant for the Parcels becomes invalid, void or cancelled. vPOST shall not be liable to you for any loss, damage or liability which may be suffered or incurred by you as a result of repacking a package.

When your package arrived in Australia, it will be reflected as “Arrived in Australia” in your vPost account, under “Tracking” tab. You may also track your package status at this link here.

Your tracking number can be easily located beside your Package ID under “Tracking” tab.

Each time you send a new parcel through vPost you can either:

• add a new address, or
• select your preferred address from your address book

You can add as many delivery addresses as you like, just be sure to select the correct delivery address each time you check out.

For step by step guide, please refer to the details here.

There is no maximum value limit imposed by vPost.

However, items valued over AUD 1,000.00 may be subject to additional taxes and duties in Australia, while items valued over USD 2,500.00 will be subject to an additional customs clearance procedure in the US. You will be notified in this instance and provided with a Shippers Export Declaration form to complete.

Do also note that should you require additional coverage for any of your packages, The coverage for vCare will have a max claimable limit at AUD 10,000 for all items shipped pursuant to a single consignment note.

Your source country address is only meant to be your shipping address, not your billing address, or an address for you to manage mail.

We will discard the letter immediately should we investigate that your packages fall under credit card application or any monetary activities using our source country warehouse (Click here for various countries you can ship from, via vPost).

When packages are delivered to our overseas vPost warehouse, they are often received in bulk.
This is the common practice for most of the big local couriers that are delivering to our warehouse.