Guitar God

I have a couple EU licenses and a U.S. one. In Bangkok I had to take the color, depth perception and reaction time test. I didn't have an international license. One DL said "motorcycle" and "car" and another had pictures of a car and a big bike. I heard Phuket was easier than that. That could explain why there are more accidents there if one-eyed, color-blind drivers with the reaction times of a sloth can just show an old license and pay a fee.

It finally worked but it was kludgy as hell. I have a 17Mbps connection, just DL'd a big file from my PC in Europe in a matter of seconds but it still took a long time and didn't want to respond when I placed the order. They were fast at responding to my email though, when I did finally get through it went to my Paypal account and then told me they didn't allow shipping to Thailand if I used my Euro Paypal account. The Maige rep said they used the shipping address you use when you create an account and they ignore the Paypal shipping address and once you're at the Paypal site you have the option of using another (Thai) credit card if you want.

And shooting someone who owes you money gets you your money back by??

Wouldn't it make more sense to take the bike back?

Two people try to murder someone and shoot two bystanders and they're fined? Not put in jail, not deported but fined? W-T-F

Not impressed with Maige's shopping cart on their website. I'm 30 minutes into the process of ordering (25 minutes were waiting for it to load) and now the "Place order" button doesn't work.

Maybe this is the time of day in China when people download all their porn and clog up the internet. I'll try again later.

I wanted the Discovery, NatGeo and a few others and they were only available in the Platinum package. I get around 150 channels and watch 10.

I have TrueVision in Bkk but I'm on the verge of ordering a cablestreamer box for my place in Ubon as they don't have cable there and I'd need a dish. Anyone have any experience with them?

One of the new Thai channels is 50% less annoying than usual, it's all cartoon sound effects with none of the screaming and arguing.

I am a platinum subscriber and signed up for the 20 free extra channels yesterday. They will send me an sms confirmation within 2 working days. Don't know what the extra channels are yet but no doubt they will tell me.

Seems to be a no brainer if the concession expires in September 2014.

I think they are all the new Thai Channels. Very useful...Not.

Is auto-pay an option here? I'm getting a little bored with having to take my True and Dtac phone bill to 7-11 every month to pay.

I have accounts with 3 or 4 banks, I haven't asked but you'd think at least one of them would allow it if the vendors were set up for it.

As for True and their sattelite permit, it seems strange their new company could get a new permit but their old company couldn't.

I'm sure it looks better than it sounds, but then again, maybe not. What are "spangles", or shouldn't I ask?

I notice a big size difference in the clothes.........@ but equally only like to wear shorts and a vest top. I take the elastic out of the shorts and use a lace and cut bigger slits in the vests so that they are not tight. Open back rubber spangles from Tesco and away

I go. The good thing is no one actually thinks you look strange ? I won't win any fashion prizes, but who cares, it's far to hot to be concerned with such trivial matters ! Shower fully clothed and I'm dressed for the morning!

I can't find my last receipt from Raja's in Bkk but I'm sure long-sleeved dress shirts cost me no more than ฿1000-1200 each. A quarter of what I pay in the states for off-the-rack stuff. Short sleeve with more casual style fabric would probably be around ฿700-800 I'd guess, and they fit perfectly.

Nobody has said yet: about how much does it cost to get a custom-made shirt?

I buy XL shirts even though I don't think I'm XL. They fit me around the torso well enough but the collar is way too tight if I button it. I use collar extenders. If I buy a 2XL, the collar fits but I'm swimming in the shirt.

I second the mushroom picking in Pai idea.

I'd like to know where you can buy shoes larger than size 45 here. When I go into a shoe store here the first thing I ask is if they have size 48. They usually just laugh and shake their head.

In my experience here with clothes, most run two sizes smaller that U.S. sizes. I have American "L" shirts that are bigger than Thai XXL's, same with underwear.

I see quite a few plus size Thai men and guys with big feet. I wonder where they buy their clothes and I'm surprised that since there's obviously a market, why there aren't larger sizes available in stores.

Custom shirts are cheap here and the selection of fabrics is good, faster and easier than buying online from Eddie Bauer or Gander Mountain or other stores that ship internationally.

Any recommendations for an experienced and well-connected customs broker in Bangkok?

And again, I really appreciate all the helpful information. I hope this info serves other people who are importing their personal effects here as well. It's nice when there is an exemption in your favor and I think it's very fair of the Thai government allowing you to import your own property (except for motor vehicles) that you've already paid tax on once.

It's quite the contrast to some of the other bureaucracy and complications a lot of immigrants experience. Setting up a business here seemed overly complicated, depositing 100k to get a Thai credit card that doesn't even give me credit is different from my experience in other countries. having to fly to KL to extend a business visa because of delays and other inconveniences are mitigated by helpful exemptions like this.

Now if I'm lucky enough to get a customs agent who's in a good mood and knows the rules...

Someone asked if I played all my guitars. No. Most of them, yes, but not all of them. Some are too similar to others that I prefer playing more but I'm hanging on to them just because I don't have any reason to get rid of them and a few have appreciated in value. The problem with having a lot of one kind of thing is you forget what you have or where they are. Once I saw a Gibson ES-355 BB King Lucille signature model for sale and was tempted to buy it. The next day I was going through some cases in a closet and guess what I found? Yup, the same ES-355.

CharlesHH- you have a good argument. They were part of my household needs there, why not here? I'm still planning on only putting a couple in the container though, don't want ot push my luck. I've already paid duty on most of them at least once anyway.

What's it cost to ship a 20 footer from Europort or Antwerp to Bangkok, anyone know?

I imported a couple containers a month from BC to Rotterdam for $8-10k USD depending if it was a reefer or not.

Now I'm paying $2500 USD for 20' containers from Hong Kong to Rotterdam. I'm guessing there are a lot more exports from Hong Kong to Europe than the other way around so I would expect an even lower price going the other direction, and Bangkok is even closer.

I don't suppose anyone has recent experience shipping from Europe to Thailand?

I have three make farang friends who are still happily married to their Thai wives, one for 15 years, one for 13 and the other at least 10 ( they have a 9 yo boy and another in the way.

I have one acquaintance who was married, divorced and she wanted to keep the house, an old truck and other property. He went to court, proved he paid for everything, she ended up keeping the truck and had to sell the house and he kept the proceeds from that.

So my experience is somewhere between 0 and 25%, depending how loose your definition of "friend" is.

Thanks for all the replies so far, sounds like I have a few options to investigate already. Different shipping companies, customs brokers and trying to get that friendly customs agent.

I just wish I could get a sort of pre-approval do there are no surprises.

I shipped a TV with built-in DVD player and a few other items in a box which were worth around 500 euros and paid nid noi money for import duty. I shipped an HD video camera and something worth less that 500 total and got taxed ฿9000.

The import duty on that HST code plus shipping and tax was a lot less than the bill so I don't know how they figured that one.

I'd prefer to know if they're going to allow the exemption before I have things packed and sent rather than just let it hit the docks, have them calculate duty and then negotiate with them.

What is the procedure for stating that the goods are being imported under the exemption? Is there a code or a memo space on the broker's forms. A Thai form that accompanies the shipment so they agents know?

As for the guitars, I wouldn't include more than a couple in the container, nor would I bring two beds and multiple items that are similar.

I'm mainly interested in sending over my office suite, living room set, favorite recliner, combi-oven, music studio, books, art, hobby things, mountain bike, and items like my high-pressure washer, tool chest, etc.

I like them, some things I can't replace here, I don't need one there and one here and if all I have to pay is shipping costs I would save loads of money.

As for the guitars, if I miss one I didn't ship, I travel a lot, I always have one with me and rarely have any issues at the airport here.

If the video portion isn't that important, I've got a 20 minute long mp3 of Thai couples arguing, women screaming and Loony Tunes cartoon sound effects I could send you a link to.

Well, I received a one year retirement visa in May, but because my passport is only valid until February, they only stamped me for 9 months. I supposed that's going to further complicate this already convoluted procedure.

I just don't see the logic in allowing you to import household goods if you're here working or married and have a work permit but not allowing someone who moves here on a retirement visa.

"Sometimes possible" sounds promising. I'm guessing since you appear to have experience with this that it also means that there is no way to confirm it beforehand by submitting your visa and martial status info and a list of what you plan to import and when and getting a confirmation that it would or wouldn't be allowed.

I wonder what their actual interpretation of "reasonable" is. If you're building an eight room house here, can you import furnishings for eight rooms? I can see them limiting you to one bedroom set but if you have an office, AV room, studio, library, exercise room, would that be included in the exclusion or is the intention along the lines of one bed, one dresser, one table, one couch and a refrigerator?

As far as guitars go, if they allow a set of (15) golf clubs, I should get 15 guitars. I have a ES-335 and an ES-355 that are a lot more different and less interchangeable that 5 and a 6 iron are. But since they're not in the same bag, I don't think they would feel the same way though.

It is also possible to sometimes get duty privilege for retirement visa with no work permit, but must be the 1 year OA visa... Not 3 month visa and not visa extension in Thailand

Have done so for a customer just last week. although will be honest in saying that it is not 100% guaranteed, but up to discretion of Customs officer.. But in most cases over the last couple of
Years, has been possible

As to the guitar question.. You can bring as many as you want, but over the allotment given by customs will have to pay port duty

Remember .. The policy is NOT you can bring all your stuff in duty free... It is duty free for "importing of those goods reasonably needed for setting up your household "

So customs will not likely find that 100 guitars are reasonably needed for setting up a household, so may give you 1 or 2 duty free but will likely charge import duty on the rest



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My original plan was to get a B visa so I have a company with 2M THB capitalization which varies between having 3-5 Thai employees. It had only 3 when my 3 mo B visa was running out for the second time so I went with the retirement visa option just to get it over with. My lawyer either didn't know or didn't mention that since I was married that the requirement dropped to only having 2 employees.

I have, or had a work permit sitting waiting for me to collect but my lawyer said since I was getting a retirement visa and couldn't work, to not even bother to pick it up. I'd switch to a visa based on marriage but until our house is ready, my official address is one place and her's is another so I have to wait a couple months to do that.

If I have to change my retirement visa to one based on marriage (to satisfy the requirements of the import duty exemption), can I just go in an apply for a work permit and pay the fee?

No, you need a company that sponsor you.

The company must employee 4 Thai per foreigner with a work permit, and capitalize with 2 million baht per foreigner.

As you are married to a Thai that will be cut by 50%, 2 Thai employees and 1 million baht capitalization.

Does anyone have experience importing household goods/personal effects on a retirement visa?

As I don't have any experience with that I will leave that to other members to answer.

From what I've read, a work permit ( for some reason that's a mystery to me) is required in addition to a non-immigrant visa to qualify for the import duty exemption for importing household goods into Thailand. I sent an email to the address on the customs site and it's invalid. I tried another address and haven't heard anything back and in another thread, it appears customs prefers the sound of ringing phones to that of human voices and never answers any of the numbers listed.

I was issued a retirement visa in May and around October I'd like to send a container of furniture and other items over here.

I'm married to a Thai woman, we're both currently living here, she hasn't left so doesn't qualify as a returning resident.

Does anyone have experience importing household goods/personal effects on a retirement visa?

If I have to change my retirement visa to one based on marriage (to satisfy the requirements of the import duty exemption), can I just go in an apply for a work permit and pay the fee?

How picky are they on the "one of each" rule? If I have a hundred guitars, do I need to pick my favorite or could I ship an electric, an acoustic, a parlor guitar, an acoustic/electric, a dobro, a bass etc.?

Aside from the guns and friends with guns, I thought the benefits were the same as any other government job here?

Their salary maybe low but tons of benefits for them and their families.

I know one soldier, she has a desk job and takes home 9K p/m

I received a one year visa a while ago but since my passport expires before one year, my visa expires in nine months.

First they stamped it 12 months out, then made some mistake and crossed that out then put in a date 9 months out.

I'm getting my passport renewed now and then getting a multiple entry stamp.

How does it work when your visa is in your old passport and you get a new passport?

I'm guessing the reentry stamp will be made in the new passport but what about the visa?

Since my passport will be valid for ten years, any chance in hell that they'll put the original 12 month from issuance date in my new passport?

Phuket in 10 years? 100,000 more stray dogs.

I can't think of any solid way to cash in on this though off the top of my head.

Noice-cancelling ear plugs, something fertilizer related?