Australia's appetite for online shopping is surging - despite a lower Australian dollar - as growth in overseas sales drives the online retail market.

Data obtained from Australia Post reveals that overseas sales now make up just over 40 per cent of all online purchases in Australia, up from just 25 per cent just five years ago, when the Australian dollar was above parity with the US dollar.

eBay said Australians would shop on "opaque parts of the internet". Credit:Paul Sakuma

"What we have found is that the Australian dollar really has very little to do with people's online buying habits," said Ben Franzi, general manager of eCommerce at Australia Post.

"The reason is simple – the level of the dollar also affects the prices of items at old-fashioned bricks-and-mortar retailers in Australia, and the majority of goods are imported."