DineshR

Hello,

I am thinking of buying an air purifier (Xiaomi Air Purifier 2S). I have checked prices in several places (Lazada, Aliexpress etc) and have found the best price in Lazada Malaysia. I am planning on going to Malaysia and thought of buying the unit there and then bringing it back with me. However, I am unsure if the item will be subject to customs duties.

I have tried to do some research and it appears as if the HS tariff code is 84213990. However, I am unable to locate the Thailand customs duty for this particular tariff or for that matter on any HS code.

Would someone know how to access this information ? Appreciate any inputs you may have on this topic. Thanks in advance.

@SurfRider ... I think the answer to your question was answered by TallGuyJohninBKK on Oct 2. The shoes you ordered were from a 3rd party seller and hence not part of the Amazon shipping program where you might receive refunds on the estimated duties paid upfront. In the case of the 3rd party seller, I do not believe you will get a refund ... which is why Amazon referred you to the seller with your query.  So, please ignore my earlier response to you regarding contacting Amazon for clarification. I've never had this problem since I have never bought anything through a third party seller on Amazon but only with Amazon shipping which is why I have always got refunds on the estimated duties. Hope this helps. Apologies for the confusion I might have created with my earlier post.

@SurfRider ... thanks for the update. Wonderful you received the shoes and that too in good time. The customs valuation does not make sense. It's good you asked for some clarification. You might also want to send a message to Amazon with a copy of the customs documentation and indicate that it does not match what you were told when you ordered the product re the price, shipping cost and estimated duties. At the $150 valuation and @30% duties, you will definitely not get any of the estimated duty deposit back. But at the original Amazon pricing, you should receive a small amount back. You should highlight this to Amazon.

@TallGuyJohninBKK ... w.r.t your earlier email .... as I mentioned to you in a prior post, I did not disagree with you. My strategy is based on my objectives - i.e. getting product delivered to me at a reasonable cost in a timely manner and with certainty of delivery. As I said, I am willing to pay a few bucks more to meet these objectives. Lowest possible cost has never been my ultimate objective. Your strategy is obviously to get the lowest cost possible. 

TallGuyJohninBKK .... I don't disagree. Most times, I do check the product shipping dimensions and size (along with price and duty based on customs tariff code) before deciding on whether to use Amazon or Planet Express. In my own experience, generally speaking for the same dimensions and weight, global shipping from Amazon is comparable to Planet Express after considering the add-on charges from Planet Express such as mail out fee, consolidation fee(if multiple items are being shipped) etc. I think saying that Amazon's shipping cost are VASTLY more expensive is an exaggeration particularly when shipping multiple items. On a single low dollar value item I would agree with you. A little bit more expensive yes by a few dollars but I'd much prefer that Amazon deal with the entire logistics chain including potential duties and the only thing I need to do is accept the product at my home when it arrives. One is paying for convenience and the fact that if there is a delivery problem, Amazon will rectify the problem. You don't get that assurance from Planet Express.

The one thing I do do with Amazon is play around with different combinations of products that I want and select the set of products (that may only be a subset of the total set of products that I want to ship over) that yields the lowest shipping/duty cost. Anything outside this set gets sent to Planet Express. 

On the other hand, for those items that I can either only purchase outside of Amazon or if it is much cheaper outside Amazon, then I will send those through Planet Express. I typically consolidate multiple shipments at Planet Express before sending a package to Thailand. I try and keep the total $ value to less than $100 per package and only use either USPS or Planet Express branded post (trackable in both cases). There is a non trackable Planet Express option but I prefer to be able to see where my package is.

Both Amazon and Planet Express have their pluses and minuses. At the end of the day, one needs to be happy with the decision one makes. To each his own !

SurfRider,

A few other comments.

1. I did some checking on duties for shoes and here's what I found.

https://customsdutyfree.com/customs-or-import-duty-for-nike-shoes-to-thailand/

Bottom line is duty rate is 30% (on cost, insurance & freight - CIF) and then VAT @ 7% (on CIF + duty) ... so if for example your shoe cost $50 (Thai baht 1600) and shipping at $30 (Thai baht 960) ... customs duty would be 30% x(1600+960)= 768 baht and then VAT would be an additional 7%x(1600+960+768)= 232.96 baht ... so total import duties would be $31.28 (1000baht) (@32baht to the $)

So the Amazon estimate is pretty much spot on and I would expect to receive a small refund.

2. With respect to details from Amazon, with reference to the screenshots in my earlier email, note the text in blue - "Details" - under the price info. Click on "Details" to see the total price details which includes the product cost, shipping and import fees deposit. This is shown twice - once under the main product price and then a 2nd time on the right side of the frame. Anywhere you see the blue text, you can click on it for more info such as on user reviews.

3. I did another scenario where if you purchased the shoes and had it shipped to say, Planet Express (www.planetexpress.com) and then had it shipped from Planet Express to you, the total cost would be approximately as follows.

Product cost - $50 (assuming you have prime and do not pay shipping from Amazon)

Assume box size at 12"x6"x6" and weight at 2 lbs (the shoes themselves are only 12 ounces, less than a lb), then the lowest cost shipping option from Planet Express is $14.76 that takes 30 business days. If you elect USPS Priority mail (7-10 business days) the cost is $31.56 - which is pretty close to Amazon's global shipping cost at $29.90.

Even shipping from Planet Express, your total costs will work out to about the same price (if you use USPS) though with the cheap rate at $14.76, you could save about 340 baht (660 baht as opposed to the 1000 baht - see above calculation).

Just something to consider for in the future.

If you are worried about your current order, you might see if you could cancel the order. If you had just placed it in the last few hours, there's a good chance you could cancel the order. Then you can re-order it and have it sent through Planet Express.

I myself really prefer just working with Amazon because in the end the costs are about the same and if there is any problem with delivery, Amazon simply refunds the full purchase price no questions asked. And you don't have to deal with the hassles of paying the duties. It just comes to your door.

Good luck with your shoes.

SurfRider,

I checked for the shoe you identify in your post and though I found the same seller(NICEKICKS) as you, the model that my search showed (Amazon US site) is as shown the screen shot above (There are 2 screen shots ... I am referring to the 2nd screen shot).

It's a MT410LV5 vs the MT410LT5. Don't know what the difference is and also size shown is 12 vs the 12 4E... there wasn't an option to select 4E for me.

Nonetheless, what you need to be aware of is what is shown in the top right of the screen shot ... the shoe itself is 46.29, the shipping is 29.9 but the estimated import fees deposit is 38.15 ... this is what is inflating your total shipping cost. If you are lucky, the actual import fees will not reach 38.15 and you will be refunded the excess. The 1st screen shot shows that I am given the choice of standard shipping or expedited shipping which costs an extra $16.32 but you get it next week.

Seems like the main issue here is the estimated duties on shoes.

That said, the other interesting thing is that I can't find the your exact model nor am I able to select the 4E option.

Lastly, if you never receive the product, just contact Amazon that will give you a complete refund. There is no downside to shopping with Amazon.

Wow ! Even though the value of the item is small, if the shipping cost is high, I can only assume it must be a large item. I'd be interested to know how fast it gets to you. Good luck !

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SurfRider,

I am really surprised with the shipping cost ! I've never paid more for shipping than the cost of the product. Did you mean to say that the total cost including shipping was $65 ? Or was the estimated duty on it high ?

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On buying from Amazon. On any product page, you will see 'sold by xxx and fulfilled by yyy'. Typically yyy is Amazon but sometimes it is the seller itself who will ship it to you and is a third party seller that does not utilize Amazon's fulfillment services but does utilize Amazon's storefront.

I aways click on 'xxx' to see how long the buyer has been on Amazon's storefront and what their rating is. Only buy from sellers who have a long history with Amazon and who have good ratings. I usually check both the seller rating as well as the product rating itself to understand the experience of other people that have bought the same product.

I have noticed over the last few months a large influx of new sellers (I think mostly from China but I am not certain) because they have no history and some of them simply disappear. You usually find these sellers if you look at "today's deals' or the 'lightning deals'. I once purchased something from one of these sellers and when I had a problem with it, I went back to find the seller but that page had disappeared. After that experience, I have now stick to only sellers that have a long history with Amazon (longer than 12 months) and whose product has good ratings from a large number of purchasers (greater than 50). You will find that those products that have extremely good ratings but only a handful of reviewers are suspect since the reviewers could be employees of the seller even if it says verified purchase. I look for products that have hundreds of reviews - never had a problem following this strategy.

On cell phones - I have purchased 2 cell phones in different times and I have had no problems with receiving the product although I did pay VAT in one case and nothing in the 2nd. Both came through I-Parcel and then via Thai Post.

As I have said before, in 15 years of experience, never had an issue with Thai Post. I think they are just like USPS or Malaysian Post with whom I also have a long history with. But because of where I currently live, I do track the parcel and when I see it has reached the post office I usually go straight to the post office and pick it up. FYI .. Thai Post has a customer contact center that you can call and they can tell you exactly where the parcel is and they can also tell you how much duties are due, if any.

As always, when dealing with any Thai entity - the Post Office, Immigration, banks etc - politeness, soft spoken talking and patience goes a long way to getting things done. Anger, loud voices, aggressive gestures will invariably not get you anywhere. Thais disdain aggressive behaviour and when faced with such behaviour will go out of their way to make it even more difficult for you. You can't win especially if you don't speak Thai well. My 2 cents.

In my experience with Amazon this past year, for the standard Amazon Global shipping, they use something called I-Parcel which gets delivered to the post office. It is certainly slower than their Global expedited shipping which you have to pay extra for. However, the expedited shipping in my experience usually comes via UPS or DHL and I think one time that it did come via Fed-ex but all the other times, they shipped it UPS or DHL which comes right to your door.

The standard global shipping arrival estimate is longer than the expedited shipping as expected but interestingly, almost 100% of the time, it comes way earlier than what they promise - usually less than 7 working days. When you check tracking, you will see almost no movement for a few days and you are wondering what's going on but then towards the end you see a string of activity and within 2 to 3 days it's arrived. The expedited shipping comes within 4 to 5 working days. You must however, factor in Thai holidays and weekends when trying to predict when you can expect your product. Best time to order something is over the weekend so that shipping gets an early start Monday morning.

I should mention that when things get shipped via UPS, DHL or Fed-Ex, you can be certain to get taxed with either VAT or customs duty depending on the item(s). However, with the slower Global shipping or with USPS Priority Mail (which I use via Planet Express), if the value of the item(s) are less than around US$100 you typically don't have to pay VAT or duty. So, I usually ship via USPS with Planet express and use the slower shipping method with Amazon to lessen the overall duty/tax burden. 

I've done this dozen's of times and I now avoid DHL/UPS/FedX. 

Another thing with USPS. You can track it and it will show when it arrives at your amphur post office. I usually go to the post office to pick it up directly as if I wait for it to come, it will take another 3-4 days before it shows up at the moo baan post office. But I've yet to lose a USPS shipment for now going on almost 15 years (11 years in Bangkok and 4 in the sticks).

I've been buying regularly from Amazon for more than a year now ... All shipments whether global shipping or expedited shipping came through in not more than 7 business days. Never had a single problem. They take care of all duties and taxes and the shipment comes right to your door - and I live in the boonies in rural Isaan. You even get refunds on any excess duties you they may have originally estimated but ended up not paying. I also use Planet Xpress for product I can't get from Amazon and when comparing shipping costs, Amazon wins hands down. If I could buy everything from Amazon,. Would not use Planet express. Amazon benefits from scale. It's no surprise Amazon is where it is relative to any other retailer. They just can't be beat. They are too big now and have economies of scale no one else can match. That said, you do need to be careful if what you buy from Amazon since there are now a ton of shady sellers on Amazon. See how many people have bought the product and read the reviews especially the negative ones. I for one am a huge fan of Amazon ... Have been since 2001... Did a strategy review of Amazon in 2005 and predicted, at that time, that nothing could stop this juggernaut ...

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Advice from@robertson468 is spot on !


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In addition to what ChouDoufu mentions above on how to get find those items that do ship to Thailand, I use either www.planetexpress or www.shipito.com to get what I need from Amazon or any other retailer that doesn't ship to Thailand. Just redirect your shipment to either of these 2 forwarders and then have the forwarder ship it to you wherever you are in the world.

I have since thrown away the packing so can't tell you what the real weight was but the units themselves weigh 0.74 lb in total, so I figure with the packaging, it should be around 1 to 1.5 lbs. USPS Priority Mail Intl for 1 lb is 45.75 while for 2 lbs is 49.7. I figure for the extra $10 or so, for my own peace of mind, it's worth it to ensure I get the package delivered on time and in good condition. I've been an Amazon customer from their earliest days (and a stock holder) and have never been disappointed with their deliveries. It isn't a wonder they won't top Apple soon at the rate they are going.

I have tried USPS first class mail and it's completely unreliable - I've lost one package - never arrived and the ones that do, sometimes come in 10 days and sometimes in 30 days - never any consistency. Priority mail however has been consistent and I use them for my regular mail now from my mail forwarder.

I've actually had many Amazon shipments to Thailand (most of them small) except for the 2 larger ones I mentioned about earlier and never had any problems with any of them. I think Amazon does take some extra care with their shipments - they are so big now, they have the clout to ensure their service providers toe the line on quality execution and with the threat of them building out their own shipping logistics, their current providers I am sure will be careful to toe the line.

Clokwise - the refund is credited to the payment method you used to buy the goods ... that's how my refund was processed. And in my case, neither package was opened by customs.

Thanks TallGuyJohninBKK ....yes, I agree. Amazon is more expensive than the other options mentioned but the couple of times I used them, I really needed what I had ordered quickly ... their orders are trackable right to your door (and I live in the boondocks here in Isaan !) and they come fast - order to you is less than 5 days in the 2 times I ordered from them. In my case, they used UPS both times. And I think their shipping prices are comparable to USPS pricing.

As an example, I bought the Google wifi mesh system and here is their pricing breakdown. Units arrived in 5 days.

Order Summary

I've done online shopping via Amazon and they ship directly to you and take care of shipping and duties. They estimate duties first which you pay and in case the duties are lower, they refund the difference. I've also bought stuff at other online places and had them delivered to my mail forwarder and I then use USPS priority mail to ship it to me. More expensive than shipitto... but I want to ensure what I have ordered reaches me quickly. Now that I know if shipitto, I'll try that sometime as well


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I wanted high quality video and good night vision and I went with Nest Cam's which I bought in the US. Easy to set up, works off wifi, keeps video in the cloud for a monthly fee and I run both the cameras and my wifi router off a UPS so they work even when the power goes. Each Nest Cam runs US$200 and the monthly fee for recording up to 10 days of video is US$99 a year for the first camera and $50/year for each additional camera.  I can view live video or recorded video on a laptop or on a phone -IOS or Android. And I set up all my cameras outside. More expensive than the other options mentioned above but you get what you pay for. Hope this helps.

I forgot to mention that you need to apply online via the link you will find at the US embassy website. Follow All the instructions - pay the fee, get the correct photo etc. As to how long it will take to get the visa, this is dependent on the earliest available date for the interview(set up online) and you receive the visa via mail about 3 to 4 days after the interview.

I am married to a Thai girl here. For both my wife and her stepson, they were both given 10 year visas without any difficulty. My own personal opinion is that she should be completely truthful as to her reasons for going. You should write a letter that she should take with her confirming those intentions as well as stating that you will be responsible for all her expenses while there. She should also bring proof if her assets in Thailand - car registration, home ownership, bank accounts etc. I think if you are completely upfront you should have no difficulty getting a visa. I've done this for several Thai individuals over the last ten years and have never had a problem. My final advice would be to ensure she has travel insurance. Good luck !