How AuCigars orders are sent
AuCigars dispatches orders from Hong Kong within 2 working days of payment. Parcels travel with Hongkong Post and are delivered by Australia Post or NZ Post. Every parcel is tracked, and your tracking number is emailed to you and shown in your account.
Delivery times to Australia and New Zealand
Most AuCigars orders arrive within 10 to 15 business days. Customs clearance is part of that time, so paying your customs charges quickly keeps delivery on schedule.
Shipping costs to Australia and New Zealand
AuCigars offers one shipping option: standard tracked delivery. Express shipping isn't available.
| Country | Free shipping on orders of | Orders below that |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | A$150 or more | A$24.95 flat rate |
| New Zealand | NZ$150 or more | NZ$29.95 flat rate |
The free shipping threshold is based on your order subtotal before any discount, promo code or reward credit. Your cart shows how much more you need to add to qualify.
Customs duty and GST on cigars
AuCigars prices don't include import duty or GST. You pay these to customs when your parcel arrives, not to AuCigars. Duty applies to every cigar order, whatever its value.
| Charge | Australia | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Collected by | Australian Border Force (ABF) | New Zealand Customs |
| Duty | A$2,587.90 per kg of tobacco, from 1 September 2026 | NZ$1,637.09 per kg of tobacco, from 1 January 2026 |
| GST | 10% of the cigar price, plus shipping and insurance, plus the duty | 15% of the cigar price, plus shipping, plus the duty |
| Other charges | A surcharge if you pay ABF by card | A levy of about NZ$59.58 on orders over NZ$1,000 |
| Rates change | Every March and September | Every 1 January |
Checkout shows an estimate of the duty and GST on your order. The estimate uses a formula for each cigar's tobacco weight. Customs assesses the weight itself, so the final amount can be higher or lower than our estimate.
How to pay customs charges in Australia
The Australian Border Force holds your parcel and posts you a Notice of Assessment showing the duty and GST due.
- Pay online through the ABF website by Visa or Mastercard (a card surcharge applies), or by BPAY from your bank.
- Pay before 11:45pm AEST and your parcel is released to Australia Post the next business day.
- Australia Post then delivers it, usually within about 7 working days.
Here's a real Notice of Assessment for an AuCigars order of 25 Arturo Fuente cigars, with the customer's details removed. ABF charged A$696.15 in duty and A$111.17 in GST, A$807.32 in total. See the full breakdown in our FAQs.
Download the PDF (600 KB).
If the charges aren't paid within 30 days of the notice, ABF may return the parcel to us.
How to pay customs charges in New Zealand
NZ Post sends you a letter showing the duty and GST due on your parcel. Once you pay New Zealand Customs, your parcel is released for delivery. Parcels that aren't paid for may be returned to us.
Order weight limit for Australia
Australian orders must be 1.5 kg of cigars or less, the limit ABF allows for cigars sent by international mail. Please keep each Australian order to 1.5 kg or less. New Zealand Customs does not set a weight limit for cigars sent by mail.
Parcels returned by customs
If customs returns your parcel to us, we'll give you the choice once it arrives back: a full refund including shipping, or a reship. A reshipped parcel goes through customs again, so new duty and GST may be charged. See our Refund Policy.
Damaged or missing parcels
If your cigars arrive damaged, email photos to support@aucigars.com within 7 days of delivery. We'll refund or reship, and you don't need to send anything back. If your tracking stops and your parcel doesn't arrive, contact us and we'll trace it with Hongkong Post and Australia Post or NZ Post. If it can't be found, we'll refund or reship.
Contact AuCigars about shipping
Email support@aucigars.com with your order number.
