Smoking can lead to an early death. For help quitting • call Quitline 13 7848 • talk to your doctor or pharmacist • visit quit.org.au It is illegal to sell tobacco products to a person under 18. It is illegal to purchase a tobacco product for use by a person under 18.
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How to compare tobacco stores online: five points that matter

By Smoke Mart Australia on

Smoke Mart Australia graphic: Comparing tobacco stores

Most Australian tobacco sellers look similar at a glance — same brands, similar prices, plain pack photos. The differences that matter appear in five places, and all five are checkable before you spend anything.

Check What to expect
Point What to compare
State coverage Do they state the SA restriction honestly?
Delivery Named carrier, realistic windows, adult-signature handover
Paperwork GST invoice with an ABN after purchase
Age verification A real check, not a tick box
Support Answers about the licence owner and stock origin

Run the same three questions past every seller

Ask who operates the store, how age is verified, and whether they invoice. The seller who answers all three clearly is worth a small test order; the one who answers two is worth avoiding.

Price is the weakest comparison point

Because excise dominates, honest sellers cluster within a few dollars of each other. The outlier at half price is not the best deal on the list — it is the one that failed the compliance exam.

Before you order — four checks that never change

  1. Price against the excise floor. Duty is $1.55274 a stick from 1 September 2026 — about $31 in a 20-pack and $310 in a carton. Compare stores on paperwork and answers, not on the headline price.
  2. The pack in the photo. Legal Australian stock is drab brown (Pantone 448C) with graphic warnings covering at least 75% of the front and 90% of the back — no logos, no brand artwork.
  3. Age and delivery. Distance sellers must verify you are 18 or over, and somebody who can sign and show ID has to be at the address. Lockers and unstaffed addresses can be refused.
  4. State rules. South Australia prohibits mail and online tobacco orders outright; everywhere else requires an age-verification system.

Related reading

This article is general information, not medical or legal advice. All tobacco products are harmful and state rules change — check your state or territory regulator before ordering. For help quitting call Quitline on 13 7848.