Is It Legal to Sell Used Panties in Australia?
The short answer, the actual rules, and what they mean for you as a seller.
The short answer: yes, it is legal
Selling your own worn underwear to another consenting adult is legal in Australia. What the law cares about is not the garment - it is that everyone involved is an adult, that income is handled honestly, and that anything you post is declared truthfully. This guide covers each of those, plus the practical rules that keep you safe while you sell.
What the law actually says
Selling your own worn underwear to another consenting adult is legal in Australia. No federal or state law prohibits the sale itself - a worn garment is second-hand clothing, not restricted adult material.
Australia introduced age-assurance requirements for adult online services from 2026, and like the UK rules they apply to platforms, not to individual sellers. The practical effect for you is that legitimate marketplaces verify everyone is over 18 before anything is bought or sold - which is exactly the environment you want to be selling in.
Panty Post is operated by an Australian-registered business, which matters here: the platform is built around Australian compliance requirements rather than treating them as an afterthought.
The one hard rule: everyone must be 18+
This is the non-negotiable. Both sellers and buyers must be adults, and any marketplace worth using verifies that with a real identity check rather than a checkbox. On Panty Post, every seller completes identity and age verification before a single listing goes live, and every listing is reviewed by a human moderator before publication. That is not bureaucracy - it is the thing that makes the whole category legal to operate in, and it protects you as much as anyone.
Taxes: treat it like the income it is
The ATO draws a line between a hobby and a business: sell occasionally and irregularly and it may be hobby income, but sell regularly with the intention of making a profit and it is assessable income you must declare. Most active sellers land on the business side of that line, so the safe assumption is that your earnings are declarable. Keep records from day one.
This is general information, not tax advice - for your specific situation, a local accountant is worth one short conversation.
Shipping: plain, sealed, honest
Australia Post does not prohibit sending worn clothing domestically or internationally. Sealed, plain packaging is the standard. International parcels need an honest customs declaration - "clothing" is accurate and sufficient.
For the full playbook on discreet packaging and staying anonymous while you ship, see the packaging section of our complete guide to selling.
Selling independently vs selling on a platform
Nothing stops you selling through social media or forums - but everything that makes this category risky lives there: no verification that a buyer is an adult, no payment protection, no one to turn to when someone tries a chargeback or a scam, and your personal accounts one mistake away from your real identity.
A dedicated marketplace exists to remove exactly those risks. On Panty Post, buyers pay from a prefunded wallet so card details are never shared between users, sellers keep 90% of every direct sale, every account is age-verified, and a public complaints process answers every report within five business days. You sell under a username; your legal identity stays between you and the verification process.
Quick answers
Do I need an ABN to sell used panties in Australia?
Not to start selling casually. If you sell regularly enough that it becomes a business in the ATO\u2019s eyes, an ABN becomes appropriate - the same threshold at which your income becomes clearly declarable.
How old do I have to be?
Eighteen. Australian age-assurance rules mean legitimate platforms verify this properly - a seller who has passed identity verification is also a safer person for buyers to deal with.
Do I declare my earnings to the ATO?
If you sell regularly with a profit motive, yes - it is assessable income. Occasional one-off sales may be hobby income, but regular selling should be declared.
Selling from somewhere else?
Ready to start selling?
It is legal, it is workable, and the safest way to do it is on a platform built for it. Create your account, verify once, and list the same day - sellers keep 90% of every sale.
This guide is general information about selling as of August 2026, not legal advice. Laws change; when in doubt, check with a local professional.