Examples of an 'international trader' would be a Hong Kong business selling watches on eBay, or Amazon selling books or DVDs where the business is located in another country. If you bought your item from a private individual seller, view information on buying from a private seller. When buying from an international seller, there are some things you should know.
Australian businesses and companies which trade online can include:
A gift card is loaded with a preset value to pay for goods and services. They can be a physical or electronic and may be a card, voucher or code.
The full value of the card can be used over multiple transactions. This means you can use them more than once until you have used up the total value of the card.
Gift cards can’t usually be exchanged for cash. The business may give change in cash if the left-over amount on the card can’t be easily used e.g. 5 cents.
A warranty is a promise made by a business to a consumer when they buy a product or service. It becomes a legal right when the consumer makes the purchase. A warranty is a bonus to the consumer guarantees.
A warranty outlines what the business will do to fix any problems with a product or service. A warranty usually will include conditions or limitations.
A warranty can’t replace, change, or remove any of the consumer guarantees.
Consumers have the right to expect the products they buy will meet the following consumer guarantees.
On this page:
You have accepted the conditions of entry into a store if a notice asking you to display the contents of your shopping bag is:
If you say ‘no’ to a bag search, the store manager may:
If you break an item while shopping, a store may ask you to pay for it.
The store is effectively making a claim for damages against you because they have lost the opportunity to sell the item at the retail price.
This type of situation is not covered by the Australian Consumer Law.
If the store has items badly stacked on shelves or insufficient distance between shelving for a shopper to pass, you may be able to dispute the store’s claim and so you should seek independent legal advice before making any payment.
On this page:
A business may have to close down if it isn't earning enough money to stay open and can’t pay its bills on time. This means the business is 'insolvent'.
Sometimes, an insolvent business can keep running if it has an administrator helping it.
Products ordered online from an Australian seller must:
Sellers must not accept payment if they:
Generally, a store does not have to give a refund or replacement if a customer simply changes their mind about a product.
Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), the customer is only entitled to choose a refund or replacement for a major problem with a product covered by consumer guarantees.
