How to ship to Australia with USPS as a reseller

A small package of goods to Australia, up to 4 lb and $400, goes by First-Class Package International Service: $23.62 for up to 8 oz with a label from a USPS-approved PC Postage provider, or $24.80 at the Post Office or through Click-N-Ship. From 33 oz, a Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope costs less if the item fits: $51.27 online, against $62.00 by First-Class Package International, though USPS offers no tracking on Flat Rate Envelopes. Heavier or pricier packages go by Priority Mail International, up to 44 lb, from $68.36 for 1 lb online, and every package of goods needs an electronic customs form with a 6-digit HS code for each item. The country's own rules to watch: replica guns, used bedding and fruit cartons banned.

Rules quoted from Australia's Individual Country Listing in USPS's International Mail Manual, read Oct 19, 2026. Prices from Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026; package prices are unchanged since the Jan 18, 2026 edition.

Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026

First-Class Package International, up to 8 oz, online: $23.62
Priority Mail International, 1 lb, online: $68.36
Heaviest package (Priority Mail International): 44 lb
Prepaid duties (USPS DDP): Not available

What you can and can't send to Australia

Goods on a country's prohibited list can't be mailed there, and a country can return or seize mail that breaks its rules even if USPS never published them (IMM 131.32-131.33). Here is what Australia's listing says about the goods resellers ship most, quoted from it, next to USPS's rule for every country where there is one. Other items on Australia's lists include spiked dog collars, prison-made goods, registered stamp items with fictitious addresses and gun silencers; fish, meat and dairy need permits, and raw beans, grains, nuts, rice and seeds are temporarily banned.

Books, magazines and other printed matter

“Seditious literature.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Also under duties and taxes.

Every country: USPS treats books as goods, not documents: they need a customs form with a value (IMM 123.623). There is no Media Mail abroad: USPS's five international mail categories don't include it (IMM 141.1), so books pay the same package prices as other goods. Airmail M-bags (sacks of printed matter) are not offered to Australia (IMM Exhibit 261.3).

CDs, DVDs, records and film

Nothing on Australia's lists.

Every country: CDs, DVDs and other recorded or blank media always need a customs form and a value; USPS never counts them as documents (IMM 123.622-123.623).

Clothing, shoes, leather and fur

“Fur, including raw, tanned, or processed furs or pelts, and goods that may contain such fur that are derived from domesticated cat and dog breeds.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Used and secondhand goods

“Used bedding.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Every country: Used, damaged or defective electronics with lithium batteries can't be mailed abroad; the manual exempts only devices new in their original packaging and manufacturer-certified new or refurbished ones (IMM 135.62).

Cosmetics, perfume and aerosols

Nothing on Australia's lists.

Every country: USPS lists aerosols, nail polish, perfumes containing alcohol and hemp-based (CBD) products among items that can't be sent to any country (USPS international restrictions). Dangerous goods, such as flammable materials and compressed gases, are banned in all international mail (IMM 136.1).

Electronics and batteries

“Laser pointers and similar handheld devices designed or adapted to emit a laser beam with an accessible emission level greater than 1 megawatt (MW).” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)
“Signal jammers capable of preventing or disrupting mobile telephone and satellite navigation services.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Every country: Only new lithium batteries installed in the device they run, at most four cells or two batteries per package and 100 Wh per lithium-ion battery; no spare batteries, and no used, damaged or defective devices with lithium batteries unless manufacturer-certified refurbished. The outside of the package must not carry lithium battery marks or labels (IMM 135.62-135.64).

Jewelry, watches, coins and precious metals

“Coins; bank notes; currency notes (paper money); securities of any kind payable to bearer; traveler’s checks; platinum, gold, and silver” are prohibited, along with precious stones, except gold, silver and stones in jewelry sent the way the restriction below allows. (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)
“Jewelry is permitted only when sent as an insured parcel using Priority Mail International service.” Jewelry made with ivory or from endangered species such as snake, elephant or crocodile also needs a CITES permit. (IMM Australia listing, Restrictions)

Every country: Valuables can't go by Priority Mail Express International; inexpensive costume jewelry with little precious metal ships like any other merchandise, and USPS says it “is accepted to countries that prohibit jewelry, but only at the sender’s risk” (IMM 134.2).

Toys, games and playing cards

Australia's rule for these is under knives, replica weapons and toy guns.

Antiques, art, stamps and collectibles

“Antiquities, art fossils, historical documents, numismatic material, specimens of flora and fauna, and similar cultural heritage objects that are significant to a nation’s identity.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Knives, replica weapons and toy guns

“Replica firearms, including any article that has the appearance of a firearm that could reasonably be mistaken as a firearm.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)
“Airsoft (BB) guns that do not have the appearance of fully automatic firearms require prior approval granted by relevant police representatives. The addressee must submit an application to import the item via the police certification test.” (IMM Australia listing, Restrictions)
“Knives (such as daggers and throwing knives), throwing blades, or throwing axes require written Police Certification (B709B form or B709X form) from the Australian Police Firearms Registry.” (IMM Australia listing, Restrictions)

Every country: USPS says some knives and sharp instruments may be mailed to certain countries, under the conditions in each country's listing (IMM 137). Inert or replica grenades and military ordnance are banned to every country (IMM 136.2).

Brand-name, copyrighted and origin-marked goods

“Goods bearing the name ‘Anzac.’” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Every country: Counterfeit or pirated goods are prohibited to every country (IMM 136.3).

Food, supplements, medicines and health items

“Most food, plant, and animal products, including the use of products such as straw and other plant material as packing materials.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)
“Drugs, medicines, and therapeutic substances such as antibiotics, growth hormones, kava, psychoactive substances, and steroids require an import permit from the Australian Department of Health, Office of Drug Control.” (IMM Australia listing, Restrictions)

Tobacco, vapes and lighters

“Tobacco products, including cigarettes and loose-leaf tobacco. Exception: Cigars.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Every country: Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes can't be mailed abroad at all, whatever a listing says (IMM 136.4).

Packing materials and boxes

“Fruit cartons (used or new).” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)
“Untreated wood.” (IMM Australia listing, Prohibitions)

Also under food, supplements, medicines and health items.

USPS says the burden is on the mailer to follow every country's rules, whatever a USPS employee says (IMM 131.4). The full lists: Australia in the IMM.

USPS services to Australia and their limits

From Australia's IMM listing (weight, size, insurance, M-bags, DDP) and Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026 (price groups). Global Express Guaranteed has been suspended since Sep 29, 2024.
Service	Price group	Weight limit	Size limit	Good to know
First-Class Package International Service	12	4 lb	24 in. long; length + height + thickness 36 in.	Value up to $400. Free electronic delivery confirmation to this country (IMM 252.22). No insurance. Customs form: PS Form 2976.
Priority Mail International	12	44 lb (listing: 66 lb); Flat Rate Envelope and Small Box 4 lb, Medium and Large Box 20 lb	42 in. long; length + girth 97 in.	6-10 business days to many major markets (USPS). Tracking included, except on Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Boxes (USPS). Insurance: $200 included for merchandise; more can be bought up to $3,644. Customs form: PS Form 2976-A.
Priority Mail Express International	12	44 lb (listing: 66 lb)	36 in. long; length + girth 97 in.	Serves all of Australia except Lord Howe Island and the Australian Antarctic territories. Date-certain money-back guarantee offered (IMM listing). No coins, jewelry, watches or other valuables. Customs form: PS Form 2976-B.
First-Class Mail International	3	3.5 oz letters; 15.994 oz large envelopes	Letter and flat sizes	Documents and correspondence only: no merchandise of any kind (IMM 242.2).
Airmail M-bag	n/a	Not available	-	Not offered to Australia (IMM Exhibit 261.3).

Weight limit: USPS's two documents disagree. Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026 lists 44 lb for Priority Mail International to Australia (the Jul 12, 2026 edition said 66 lb), while the IMM listing still says 66 lb, and so does the IMM's own price group table. Notice 123 is the newer document; keep packages at 44 lb or less until they agree, and check the limit your label software shows.
Online prices need PC Postage. Commercial Base prices are for labels from a USPS-approved PC Postage product, “with the exception of Click-N-Ship service”, so Click-N-Ship labels pay the retail price for Priority Mail International and First-Class Package International alike (IMM 233.231, 252.25, 253.231).
Valuables: coins, precious metals, jewelry and watches can't go by Priority Mail Express International, and Registered Mail isn't offered for First-Class Package International Service or Priority Mail International (IMM 134, 332). Australia's own rule is under jewelry above.
Service alerts: USPS's international service alerts (updated Oct 2, 2026, checked Oct 19, 2026) don't list Australia among the 13 destinations where mail acceptance is suspended. Check it before a big shipment.

USPS prices to Australia

"Online" is USPS's Commercial Base price, for labels from a USPS-approved PC Postage provider. "Post Office" is the retail price, which Click-N-Ship also charges: USPS lists retail Flat Rate prices “at Post Office & Online” (USPS, IMM 233.231). Commercial Plus prices are the same as Commercial Base in this edition. First-Class Package International weights round up to the next ounce (IMM 253.12), so an 8.2 oz package pays the 9-16 oz price.

First-Class Package International Service, price group 12. Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026. Online saves $1.18 to $13.35.
Weight	Post Office	Online
1-8 oz	$24.80	$23.62
9-16 oz	$41.25	$39.16
17-32 oz (up to 2 lb)	$46.05	$43.86
33-48 oz (up to 3 lb)	$65.25	$62.00
49-64 oz (up to 4 lb)	$79.10	$65.75

Priority Mail International by weight, price group 12, weight not over. Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026.
Weight	Post Office	Online
1 lb	$70.65	$68.36
2 lb	$77.95	$75.41
3 lb	$86.80	$83.98
4 lb	$96.80	$93.65
5 lb	$106.65	$103.17
10 lb	$166.15	$160.75
20 lb	$258.80	$250.39
30 lb	$360.55	$348.85
44 lb	$473.85	$458.50

Priority Mail International Flat Rate, Flat Rate price group 6. USPS's own Flat Rate packaging only; every envelope or box named in a row costs the same, and USPS suggests the padded envelope for clothing, books and boxed jewelry (USPS). Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026.
Packaging	Up to	Post Office	Online
Flat Rate Envelope: regular, padded, legal, window or small	4 lb	$53.00	$51.27
Small Flat Rate Box (also the DVD and Large Video boxes)	4 lb	$54.75	$52.98
Medium Flat Rate Box (top- or side-loading)	20 lb	$112.70	$109.03
Large Flat Rate Box (also the Board Game box)	20 lb	$139.55	$135.05

Three packages, priced

A paperback in a padded mailer, 14 oz: First-Class Package International Service $39.16; Priority Mail International by weight (1 lb) $68.36; Priority Mail International Padded Flat Rate Envelope $51.27. Cheapest: First-Class Package International Service, $39.16 online.
Jeans and a sweater, 2 lb 8 oz: First-Class Package International Service $62.00; Priority Mail International by weight (3 lb) $83.98; Priority Mail International Medium Flat Rate Box $109.03. Cheapest: First-Class Package International Service, $62.00, as long as the value is $400 or less.
Six hardcovers, 9 lb: too heavy for First-Class Package International. Priority Mail International by weight (9 lb) $152.20; Priority Mail International Medium Flat Rate Box (if they fit) $109.03. Cheapest: Priority Mail International Medium Flat Rate Box, $109.03.

Online prices, except the M-bag. Selling platforms and label services can charge their own rates. Domestic rates: postage calculator.

Customs form, HS codes and value

Which form: PS Form 2976 for First-Class Package International Service (up to $400), PS Form 2976-A in a 2976-E envelope for Priority Mail International, PS Form 2976-B for Priority Mail Express International. All must be printed electronically, by your label software, Click-N-Ship, Customs Form Online or the Post Office counter; hand-filled forms with a barcode are obsolete (IMM 123.11, 123.61).
What goes on it: full names and addresses, the category (gift, merchandise and so on), a detailed description with quantity, net weight and value for each item, and “the 6-digit WCO HS code for each item in the package unless otherwise specified in the individual country listing” (IMM 123.711). USPS's example: “Men's cotton shirts”, not “Clothes” (USPS).
Books and media count as goods: books, periodicals, CDs and DVDs need a form and a value even though they're printed or recorded (IMM 123.623).
Export filing: enter “NOEEI 30.37(a)” when each class of goods is worth $2,500 or less (IMM 526.2).

Duties, taxes and fees: who pays

Normally the buyer, on delivery. USPS Delivered Duty Paid isn't available to Australia, according to its listing, so you can't prepay through USPS; if the charges go unpaid, USPS can bill you (see below).

USPS's manual says: “The duties, taxes, import fees, and other charges, if applicable, are not included in the postage paid by the mailer,” and most countries charge the recipient a customs clearance and delivery fee on top (IMM 131.34, as revised Oct 19, 2026). USPS's Delivered Duty Paid page puts it plainly: if you don't prepay, “the recipient will have to pay the required amounts before they can get their package” (USPS). Apart from Delivered Duty Paid and the invoices below, USPS doesn't give out information on what other countries charge (IMM 131.34).

If the charges go unpaid: since Oct 19, 2026, when duties, taxes or import fees on your package haven't been paid in full and the customs authority, postal operator or broker in Australia seeks them from you or USPS, “the Postal Service (or its representative) will send an invoice to the mailer for such amounts” (IMM 424.1). You have to pay the whole invoice by its due date “even if the mailer disputes the assessment,” whether the package was delivered, lost, damaged or returned, and anything not paid by the invoice's due date draws interest at 6% a year (IMM 424.2, 424.4). A challenge to the amount goes to the party that set it, not to USPS (IMM 424.5). USPS made these changes in an interim final rule effective Oct 19, 2026 (Federal Register, 91 FR 66000); its online manual, dated Sep 7, 2026, didn't show them yet when we checked on Oct 19, 2026. More: when USPS bills the sender for unpaid duties.

Australia's listing: “Duty may be levied on catalogs, price lists, circulars, and all advertising introduced into Australia through the mail, regardless of the class of mail used.”

General information from USPS's manual, not tax or customs advice.

Questions

What's the cheapest way to ship a package to Australia with USPS?

For a light package, First-Class Package International Service (up to 4 lb and $400 in value): $23.62 for up to 8 oz with a label from a USPS-approved PC Postage provider, or $24.80 at the Post Office or through Click-N-Ship, which charges the retail price (IMM 252.25). From 33 oz, a Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope costs less if the item fits: $51.27 online, against $62.00 by First-Class Package International, though USPS offers no tracking on Flat Rate Envelopes. Heavier or more valuable packages go by Priority Mail International, from $68.36 for 1 lb online (Notice 123).

Can I ship books to Australia?

Yes, but check these entries in Australia's listing. Prohibited: “Seditious literature.” Observation: “Duty may be levied on catalogs, price lists, circulars, and all advertising introduced into Australia through the mail, regardless of the class of mail used.” Books need a customs form with a value (IMM 123.623). Airmail M-bags aren't available to Australia (IMM Exhibit 261.3).

Can I ship used clothing to Australia?

Yes, but check these entries in Australia's listing first. Prohibited: “Fur, including raw, tanned, or processed furs or pelts, and goods that may contain such fur that are derived from domesticated cat and dog breeds.” Prohibited: “Used bedding.” Describe each piece on the customs form (USPS's example: “Men's cotton shirts”, not “Clothes”) (USPS customs forms).

Can I ship electronics with lithium batteries to Australia?

Only within USPS's limits: new batteries installed in the device, at most four cells or two batteries per package, 100 Wh per battery for lithium-ion, and no used, damaged or defective devices with lithium batteries unless manufacturer-certified refurbished (IMM 135.62-135.64). Australia's listing adds: Prohibited: “Laser pointers and similar handheld devices designed or adapted to emit a laser beam with an accessible emission level greater than 1 megawatt (MW).” Prohibited: “Signal jammers capable of preventing or disrupting mobile telephone and satellite navigation services.”

Who pays duties and taxes on a package to Australia?

Normally the buyer. USPS can't prepay duties to Australia: its listing says Delivered Duty Paid is not available. Duties, taxes and any clearance fee aren't included in postage, and most countries collect them from the recipient (IMM 131.34). USPS's own summary: “the recipient will have to pay the required amounts before they can get their package” (USPS). If the charges go unpaid and the destination seeks them from you or USPS, USPS will invoice you, and you have to pay it by its due date even if you dispute the amount (IMM 424, effective Oct 19, 2026).

Do I need an HS code to ship to Australia?

Yes. Every customs form needs at least the 6-digit HS code for each item unless the country listing says otherwise (IMM 123.711). With USPS's own tools (Click-N-Ship, Customs Forms Online or Global Shipping Software) you can skip the lookup: give a specific description, such as “Men's cotton shirts” instead of “Clothes”, and USPS assigns the code (USPS customs forms). Whatever tool picks the code, “the mailer remains solely responsible” for it being right (IMM 537.4).

Can I mail a trading card or other small item I sold to Australia in a letter?

No. First-Class Mail International takes only correspondence and documents: “No merchandise, whether dutiable or nondutiable, may be mailed using First-Class Mail International service” (IMM 242.2). The lowest-priced USPS service for goods is First-Class Package International Service, $23.62 online for up to 8 oz, with a customs form; the package has to be at least 6 inches long and 4 inches high (IMM 251.22).

Sources

Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 from each official page below.

Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices

What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.