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CAN I SEND CHOCOLATE OVERSEAS? FOR EXAMPLE TO THE UK, USA, CANADA OR ELSEWHERE?
Can I send Chocolate overseas? Yes!
Do you ever just want to send some Australian chocolate overseas to friends, family or loved ones in the UK, USA, Canada or elsewhere in the world?
Generally Australian Chocolate tastes different to the chocolate made overseas. Often the overseas chocolate is sweeter - and certainly the Tim Tams that are made in the USA are made to a different recipe so they really don't taste quite the same.
Because we specialise in sending Australian made gifts overseas, we've pulled together some useful information for sending chocolate overseas (or you can send through us).
In this blog we look at how to send chocolate overseas and any information you need to know about getting it to its destination in tact.
WHAT CHOCOLATE CAN I SEND OVERSEAS AND WHAT DO I NEED TO BE AWARE OF?
You can pretty much send any Aussie Chocolate overseas – whether it be Tim Tams, Wagon Wheels, Chocolate from the supermarket, or any other chocolate like this cute Chocolate koala gift tin.
The only chocolate we don’t recommend you send is hand-made chocolate or chocolate that has no air-tight packaging; no clear expiry date (allow 6 months); and no label on the chocolate stating what ingredients are in it.(this is because of customs regulations!).
HOW DO I BEST SEND CHOCOLATE OVERSEAS?
Like any parcel or gift you are sending overseas from Australia, you need to make sure the gift is packaged properly, and you fill out the customs paperwork as required. Remember packages going overseas get handled a LOT so we recommend some bubble wrap and a secure box or very thick paper in the outer packaging.
Some countries, like the UK, tax sweet products that are sent in. For example if it is a gift of chocolate valued at over GBP36, it will get taxed in the UK based on the perceived % of sugar in the product.
It can get complicated pretty quickly, as each country has different thresholds, rules and limits. See here for how to send an Australian gift to UK to avoid Taxes and Duties; 4 Biggest mistakes Aussies make sending a gift to the UK, or more specific info from the UK government on UK Taxes and Duties.
We recommend you state the value, and clearly mark ‘Gift’ on the product you send. While this is no guarantee it will be free of taxes and duties, it is a good start.
WHY WOULD I GET CHARGED TAXES AND DUTIES ON A CHOCOLATE GIFT?
Good question!
SENDING CHOCOLATE WITH AUSTRALIA POST
SENDING CHOCOLATE WITH AUSTRALIA POST
If you’ve sent gifts overseas before with Australia Post, you may have had no issues at all with paying taxes on the gift. In most countries, only about 2-8% of parcels are physically checked by customs, and this small percentage then get charged the right amount of taxes and duties that should, technically, be charged on all parcels. If this happens, the person receiving the gift will have to pay those taxes and duties in order to receive it. You may have been lucky in the past and been the 92% – 98% of parcels that went straight through.
SENDING CHOCOLATE OVERSEAS WITH A COURIER LIKE DHL EXPRESS OR FEDEX
SENDING CHOCOLATE OVERSEAS WITH A COURIER LIKE DHL EXPRESS OR FEDEX
If you send a gift with a courier, they act on behalf of customs and 100% of the time will charge the relevant taxes and duties on that item. That’s the down-side of using a courier. The upside is it will get there much more quickly, and the actual customs process will be a lot smoother than with Australia Post, as the courier usually helps you get the gift through customs.
Here at I Still Call Australia Home, we send chocolate and other Australian made gifts with DHL Express, who we have negotiated rates with (so it’s cheaper than doing it yourself). We also cover any taxes or duties due the other end, so the person you’re sending the thoughtful gift to never has to worry about this cost.
Chocolate in Australia is designed to stand the heat better than other chocolates around the world, so the hottest it’s probably going to get is right here in Australia. We’ve sent 100s of packets of Tim Tams, chocolate koala gift tins, Wagon Wheels, and other Australian chocolates overseas and never had a problem.
The precautions we take are:
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When we receive our stock, we store our chocolate in our air-conditioned warehouse in Burleigh Heads, Australia
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We use DHL Express as a courier who comes and collect the gifts directly from our warehouse
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We are usually sending to cold climates overseas and the courier takes the gift door-to-door to be signed for, so there’s not much chance of it staying out in a hot place to melt.
LINKS TO OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
Other useful information:
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How to avoid mistakes made when sending Australian gifts overseas
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Detail on what you can send to each country is given here by Australia Post
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Our Australian gift hampers we send to the UK , USA, and Canada and our International Delivery Policy
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Detail on what you can send to each country is given here by Australia Post
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Detail on rules on what wine can be sent from Australia to each country is here
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How to avoid mistakes made when sending Australian gifts overseas
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4 Biggest Mistakes Australians make when sending a gift to USA and how to avoid them
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UK Taxes and duties on gifts and the 4 Most Common Mistakes Aussies make when sending presents to England
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Details on sending an Aussie gift to France