Thanks Brett - don't forget to add 10% tax when importing the body and lens too, of course 😉
Is there a particular 1960s Canon worth looking into?
Well—if you import an item by post with a customs value (120% of [purchase price + duty + postage] from memory) of over AUD $1000.00 then, you may indeed be charged GST on local entry into Australia. On the other hand, if you buy from overseas via eBay, for instance—they certainly will charge the Low Value GST introduced a few years ago after relentless lobbying by Gerry Effing Harvey. So one might be forgiven for believing there's no way around paying GST any more, as you get caught coming or going.
But actually...there still can be. If you have a camera posted to you from overseas, on arrival in Australia it will still be exempt from GST (and customs duty, if applicable, depending on the type goods involved) providing the customs value is under $1000.00. So...the trick to avoiding GST altogether, is to
not purchase via one of the selling platforms such as eBay or Amazon to name two, but rather, to purchase directly from an overseas seller who is not legally obliged to charge the low value GST.
As there is an annual sales threshold of Australian sales for OS sellers that applies before the low value GST kicks in—most small to medium size overseas camera specialists will not exceed this—and, hence, will not have to be registered under the scheme and not have to charge you tax. The beauty of this is that the under $1000.000 exemption for postal importations will still apply to your item when it arrives in Australia, meaning GST will—entirely legally—not be payable either at time of purchase, or time of importation.
It is for this reason that, whenever possible, I will endeavour to either purchase equipment privately from Australian sellers who do not have to charge GST—or alternatively, buy directly from a trusted overseas seller who doesn't meet the threshold for low value GST registration.
I used to purchase 100 foot rolls of film at very good prices from B & H in New York for some years. I no longer do so, because they will now charge GST on sales to Australia. They have a huge annual turnover. Clearly, their Australian sales exceed the registration threshold. (If needed, I now use Freestyle, who don't). If you bought equipment from KEH, for instance, I expect you'd probably be charged GST because they're such a large volume seller to many countries including Australia. But there are some excellent, smaller, firms one can transact with who are not obligated to add GST to your invoice.
I love rangefinders and have certainly handled a few Canons, but have never used one—I mostly use a screw mount Leica or Contax, or one of the miscellaneous other makes I have. The Canons are well loved by various members so I would expect some helpful input to follow. In the meantime, you'll find some useful information within this list of camera types about which the owner of this site, Stephen, has written. There are several links to pages discussing various Canon rangefinders to help get you started.
🙂
https://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm
Cheers,
Brett
