geoffphuket

4 hour wait???

I would have attempted to bribe the volunteers after 45mins, failing that I would have driven to Krabi. Much nicer in immigration there

That doesn't work! You have to go to the immigration office in the province you're staying in.

Yes the only solution is to change your isp to anything except TOT, Tot has the worst routing than any isp i have ever seen.

It makes no difference which IP provider you use (in Thailand). At the end of the day, they're all connected to the same limited routing

Just my own one time experience. Last week I ordered a Maige TV box from China. It arrived by DHL 3 days later with no customs fee. The shipping cost was included in the buy price. I have heard horror stories about DHL and customs. In my one case all was perfect. When the package arrived the way bill was written showing the price of the contents at 20 USD so maybe this influenced the customs fees.

Thanks for that. Nice there's at at least one decent person left on Thai Visa. I gave up with the forum long time ago because of the number of fowl mouthed idiots. The only other reply I've received is a fine example.

Does anyone have any RECENT experience? I've read that sometimes there are import taxes to pay - sometimes not. The person I'm buying from is offering free postage with either DHL, or much slower standard air-mail - which will arrive import duty free. Obviously I'll go with DHL if I think it's worth the gamble.

Thanks for the replies, guys. It looks like it's not worth the risk

to add: I never had any shipment lost......

Sorry, I meant 'risk' of having to pay more than I'd pay here

Thanks for the replies, guys. It looks like it's not worth the risk

I've had a few phones and cameras shipped in. Phones were $299 and $199, while a camera was $120.

Thanks. I assume that was ordinary International China mail/EMS...and they arrived in sizeable boxes?

free trade agreements are not intend to help the normal people...they are for rich only.

Need certificate, need registered company....

But if the package is undervalued and per normal post there is a good chance it slips thru....

Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Trouble is, most sellers (in their terms and conditions) state they won't undervalue packages

Customs can be easy or can be a major headache. For a small difference in price I wouldn't import it.

That's my dilemma. The saving would be a couple of thousand baht on each item, but that - or more might/might-not be added.

Would be good to hear from someone who's done it.

free trade agreements are not intend to help the normal people...they are for rich only.

Need certificate, need registered company....

But if the package is undervalued and per normal post there is a good chance it slips thru....

Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Trouble is, most sellers (in their terms and conditions) state they won't undervalue packages

I've purchased quite a few items, never had to pay tax and used standard delivery which is via singapore post. Declared value on all items was the same, $49.95.

....but the actual value was more? I can understand a jiffy bag getting through, but would a small box with a value of several thousand baht?

Would some kind person fix the title please? My keyboard keeps making mistakes. LOL

Do customs charge additional import duty, or because of trade agreements, do they get through without? (small package, standard air-freight, not courier)

Ayone with personal experience? I've read through many (old) threads, but not found a conclusive answer.

looking to buy a camera 10-20,000 baht, and a tablet for around 8,000, but additional taxes would make it cheaper to buy here :-(

To add to the above, if the dedicated unit is lost/stolen/damaged beyond repairs/etc... you'd have to get a new one and pay again. With phone apps once you bought it - it's yours with all the lifetime app updates and map updates and when switching your hardware, the same app can be re-installed into a new phone/tablet as you already own the app. Sounds like a better deal in a long run.

Hi Shurup and thanks for your detailed information.

I can see what you are meaning about using the smartphone. Bit I believe the maps for that aren´t that good.

I tried Sygic about one year ago in Bangkok in my Samsung S3 and I must say that was a disaster. If I would rely on that I would probably still circling in the same loop that I ended up in that time.

That is the reason why I am looking for a standalone GPS. But maybe a lot has happen since the last year about the maps?

I think it is a little bit to early to rely on a smartphone solution. Maybe in 2-3 years if they have updated the maps properly.

However, the software version and map I tried that time was some tryout version. I can not remember that I payed 23,99 for that anyway. Maybe the paid one is better?

I appreciate your explanation above how it works and the difference between on and offline. That clarify some of my other thoughts.

No problems, I don't know what was your particular problem, but I was using Sygic for over a year and in a number of different countries. Never had problems but they keep updating their sortware and maps on regular basis.

I can usually find my fay around without heavily relying on GPS so my experience can differ from your, and if you did pay for it, you technically still owe it so you could always try to re-download a newer app version and try again?

To add to what I've said before, I think your phone might not have had been set up properly if it was giving you a hard time. I never ever experienced any weird behavior from a phone GPS ever and I've been using them for years, even before the 1st smartphone came out. If you for example don't have a GPS enabled but only an A-GPS, it will show you jumping all over the map as A-GPS uses the cell towers to find your location and it can only give you the approximate location comparing to actual GPS or GRONAS. Furthermore, if your phone is on your laps somewhere and not on the windscreen on front dashboard, it may never get you accurate location (bad weather will make it worse) or it may loose the signal and fall back on A-GPS, any of which will make it look as if you're jumping all over the map and the software will keep recalculating the route which may look like it make you go around in circles. All it means is you're not getting a good GPS lock for which you idealy need clear sky. But this is pretty much the same case with dedicated GPS units, only they don't have an A-GPS feature to fall back on.

Ah, a common myth, probably started by salesmen with poor English! Here's how A-GPS actually works: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS

I'd like to ask Col Napat how it's possible (for an expat renewing every year) to apply for a 12 month permit extension, 18 months in advance of a passport expiring? A UK passport can oly be replaced up to 9 months before it's expiry date.

Old rule:

You have a passport valid till September 1. On January 1 you apply for a 1 year extension of stay. Immigration gives you an extension of stay till September 1 and tells you to return to immigration with a new passport before September 1. (If you come back after Sept 1 you don't have a valid permission to stay anymore and are fined for overstay).

You go back to immigration on 15 August with a new passport and immigration transfers all details to the new passport, in addition immigration gives you a new extension of stay, now till January 1 of next year for free.

New Rule:

You have a passport valid till September 1. On January 1 you apply for a 1 year extension of stay. Immigration gives you an extension of stay till September 1 and tells you to return to immigration with a new passport before September 1. (If you come back after Sept 1 you don't have a valid permission to stay anymore and are fined for overstay).

You go back to immigration on 15 of August. Immigration transfers the details of your old passport to the new passport. So far nothing has changed. Now comes the new part. Instead of immigration giving you a new permission to stay till January 1 of next year for free your extension of stay ends on September 1 and you have to apply for a new extension of stay with all necessary paperwork for the extension. You now get a new 1 year extension of stay valid till September 1 of next year and pay the usual fee of 1,900 baht for that.

So you don't need passport valid for 1 year when you apply for an extension. Often it will be handier to get a new passport before you do the next extension if during that period your passport expires.

There is a transition rule for those who already applied for a 1 year extension of stay with an expiring passport. This time they just go to immigration when they have the new passport and get the details transferred and the remainder of the 1 year extension of stay in their passport for free as usual, without needing to apply for a new extension because the passport expired.

Applying for a new passport does not cancels your permission to stay. It just means you need to have the details transferred, including the permission to stay. But that permission to stay is no longer automatically extended. For that you need to apply (again) for a new extension of stay with all paperwork.

Your examples are wrong with respect to the new rules here: http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/intro1.html

writing is on the wall here............there are none so blind as those that will not see.

What next, buffalo sick, stay to take care of sick relative.....time a for a reality check......sorry

It's okay, she's probably 'different from the rest'.

Put the cat in the fridge as well. Mine chases - and catches them all the time :-)

None of you experts out there can help? LOL

I prefer the East coast these days, but even the 4027 is getting busy lately. I try to avoid anywhere South of Thalang because of the traffic.

Moved to Swimming Pool Forum

Thanks. I couldn't find it listed on the home page, which I have now.....burried in the depths :-)

The Intex pools that 'Toyznet' sell have galvanized steel frames that can't rust, and the pool liner is made from 3 ply tough nylon which is almost indestructable. I agree that the filter cartridges are expensive (they're actually 700 Baht if bought individually, not 900 - cheaper per pack of 3), so I installed a sand filter, filled with glass media and a saltwater chlorinator. The result is cheap pool that takes care of itself at moderate cost. Thoughroughly recommended :-)

I'm using powdered glass which cost about 1,700 Baht for a 25Kg bag. Not bad considering it lasts several times longer than sand and doesn't need back-washing so often. Probably the only issue is that it's extremely hazardous to handle whilst dry, and extreme care must be taken not to inhale the dust when filling the filter.

I've read on several sites that Sodium Bicarbonate can be used to raise the Ph level in a swimming pool. Problem is, my local supermarket only sells large packs of Ammonium Bicarbonate and I'm wondering if this is basically the same stuff....I've done the 'wiki' search etc, and there is a chemical difference between the two, although it's use in cooking is much the same. Can anyone WITH EXPERIENCE offer advice please?

Just fit a bigger battery. The original 5A/Hr battery can cope with the extra load. A 9A/Hr one should do the job. If you want to test the theory first, put some jump leads from a car batery and see how easy it turns over.

Anything much to do in the general area? Looks a bit bleak compared to Phuket