When shipping parcels from China to Australia, nothing causes more headaches than customs quarantine inspection (AQIS). A poorly worded item description can get your parcel held for weeks, rack up hundreds of dollars in clearance fees, or even see it destroyed. This guide covers the AQIS high-risk item names you’re most likely to run into, how the actual clearance process works, and how declaring correctly reduces your chances of being inspected.
What Is AQIS? Why Is Australian Customs So Strict
AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) is the quarantine arm of Australia’s agriculture department (now the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry), responsible for keeping foreign pests, diseases and invasive species out of the country. Because Australia is an island ecosystem, its biosecurity standards are extremely strict — anything that could carry soil, seeds, animal or plant material, or untreated natural materials can trigger an AQIS check.
Once a parcel arrives in Australia, customs first runs a document review and X-ray scan. If the declared item name is vague, contains a sensitive keyword (such as “wood”, “herbal”, or “food”), or customs suspects the declared value doesn’t match the actual contents, the parcel is routed into formal customs entry — AQIS staff will open and inspect it, or send it to a lab for testing.
Five Clearance Scenarios When Your Parcel Arrives in Australia
Based on real operating experience, parcels entering Australia typically run into one of the following scenarios:
- Cleared without issue: customs finds nothing unusual, and the parcel goes straight from the bonded warehouse to our transit warehouse or third-party courier for delivery. This is the best-case outcome.
- Additional documentation requested: customs does a random spot-check and asks the sender to supply more product information on the waybill (material, purpose, brand). Once supplied, the parcel is usually released with no extra fee.
- AQIS quarantine inspection: customs believes the contents may pose a biosecurity risk, and the parcel is converted to formal customs entry with a physical inspection or lab test. This scenario incurs the following costs (for reference only — the actual amount follows the clearance agent’s invoice):
- Customs broker handling fee: AU$110 + GST
- AQIS Assessment Fee: AU$99 (GST included)
- AQIS inspection warehouse fee: from AU$180 + GST (depending on inspection complexity)
- Suspected under-declaration (EMPP): customs believes the declared value is clearly below market value and requests a re-assessment or additional duty payment. This incurs a broker handling fee, an AQIS Assessment Fee, and possibly duty and GST.
- Destruction or return: if the parcel is found to contain prohibited items, or the recipient chooses not to proceed with clearance, customs will require destruction or return. Destruction adds a further fee for the customs-designated disposal service plus documentation, and cannot be cancelled once started.
Freight itself varies a fair amount by weight and route. Before you ship, use the Ebaoguo freight calculator to enter your origin, destination and weight for an instant quote across all routes, so you can budget ahead of time.
High-Risk AQIS Declaration Names & How to Declare Them Correctly
Based on past clearance experience, the item names below are the ones most likely to trigger an AQIS check. Adding material, specific use, or a more precise description to your declaration reduces the chance of being inspected.
| Common Chinese Declaration | Common English Declaration | Suggested Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 置物架 | Shelf / Shelves | Add the material, e.g. “Stainless steel shelf” |
| 裝飾品 | Ornaments / Decorations | Be specific, e.g. “Ceramic ornament”, “Metal pendant” |
| 支架 | Support / Bracket | Add material and purpose, e.g. “Aluminum phone stand” |
| 墊子 | Mat / Pad | Specify material, e.g. “Cotton floor mat”, “Silicone heat pad” |
| 湯鍋 | Soup pot | Drop the food association, use “Stainless steel pot” |
| 調料瓶 | Seasoning bottle | Use “Glass bottle” or “Plastic container” |
| 折疊籃子 | Folding basket | Add material, e.g. “Plastic folding storage basket” |
| 櫃子 | Cabinet | Specify material, e.g. “Metal storage cabinet” |
| 相框 | Photo frame | Give a full description, e.g. “Aluminum photo frame” |
| 油畫棒 / 繪畫板 | Oil painting stick / Drawing board | Use “Art supplies” or “Plastic drawing board” |
| 盒子 / 包 | Box / Bag / Package | Be specific, e.g. “Paper storage box”, “Fabric tote bag” |
| 茶几 | Tea table | Drop the food word, use “Metal side table” |
| 金屬凳腿 | Metal stool leg | Avoid body-part words, use “Metal table leg” or “Iron support part” |
| 積木 | Building blocks | Use “Plastic assembly toy” |
| 小米盒子 | Millet case | Avoid the brand name, use “Electronic device case” |
| 餐椅 | Dining chair | Drop the food association, use “Metal chair” or “Plastic chair” |
| 玩具 | Toy | Add material and type, e.g. “Plastic doll”, “Fabric toy” |
Note that the following items fall under categories Australian customs explicitly prohibits or heavily restricts, and we don’t recommend mailing them:
- Anything containing seeds, soil, or untreated plant or animal products
- Fresh, frozen or dried meat, seafood, eggs, or dairy products
- Traditional Chinese medicine or herbal remedies (even dried)
- Wood products (unless heat-treated with proof of treatment)
- Items containing animal hair, feathers, or bone
For the full list of prohibited and restricted items, see the Australian Department of Agriculture’s official site: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/travelling/bringing-mailing-goods
How to Ship to Australia with Ebaoguo
Shipping through Ebaoguo lets you consolidate multiple parcels, pick the shipping line that suits you best, and get professional packing and declaration support. Here’s how it works:
- Register an account at dashboard.ebaoguo.com to get your dedicated warehouse address and support ID
- When shopping on any site, use the warehouse address Ebaoguo assigns you as the delivery address
- Once the seller ships, log the tracking number in your parcel list on the Ebaoguo dashboard
- When your parcel reaches our warehouse, it’s automatically logged into your parcel list with photos on file
- Once all your parcels have arrived, submit a shipment request, enter the recipient’s address, and choose your shipping line and any extra services (reinforced packing, waterproofing, insurance)
- Once the warehouse finishes packing to your specification, you’ll get a payment notification
- After payment, your parcel ships immediately and you can track it from your dashboard
FAQ
If my parcel is selected for AQIS inspection, can I cancel it or have it returned instead?
Once customs has requested an inspection, it can’t simply be cancelled. If you insist on destruction, that generates a new customs documentation fee and a disposal fee from the designated department, and you’ll only be billed the actual amount once customs has completed the disposal. We recommend double-checking whether an item is suitable to mail before you send it.
What value should I declare? Can I under-declare?
We recommend declaring the true purchase amount. Under-declaring can trigger an EMPP (suspected under-declaration) review from customs, which not only means paying the duty you tried to avoid but also a broker handling fee and documentation fee on top — the total cost often ends up higher than if you’d declared correctly in the first place. Ebaoguo cannot fill in or suggest a declared value on your behalf; please declare based on your actual circumstances.
If my parcel is confiscated or destroyed by customs, will Ebaoguo compensate me?
Ebaoguo is a freight service only and is not responsible for customs’ inspection, seizure, or confiscation decisions. We recommend reading Australia’s list of prohibited and restricted items carefully before you ship, and declaring correctly to reduce your risk.
Which items are most likely to trigger an AQIS inspection?
Items containing natural materials (wood, bamboo, straw, leather), food-associated words (tea, soup, seasoning), or vague item names (ornaments, box, bracket) are the most likely to be flagged for inspection. When declaring, add the specific material and purpose — e.g. “stainless steel shelf” instead of “shelf”, or “plastic storage box” instead of “box”.
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Updated 2026-07 · Source: Ebaoguo Operations