Liverpool Lou

Too many 1st person accounts to enumerate + personal experience. Tax, VAT, and huge clearance fees are all common from the 2 if you try to DIY. So many personal experiences but you can't post just one receipt for those "huge clearance fees" imposed on you when buying items online and having them delivered by a courier!

From the U.S., insured USPS Priority or Express Mail are absolutely better choices, and almost guaranteed to only be charged the 7% VAT amount on personal electronics, at most. That's the same charge as Customs official rates, i.e. 0% duty and 7% VAT for a laptop. "Personal electronics" are not zero-rated and, if Thailand Post pulls your item for inspection, import duty and VAT will be charged by them also.

Whether you like it or not, by law, duty and VAT is based on assessed value, not some "arbitrary price the market is bearing on a product"! Just because you may be able to buy a product for £100 when someone else can't buy it for less than £1000 doesn't mean that it's value for import duty assessment is £100!

How do you suggest a laptop should be sent to Thailand from overseas?

"...there's different customs codes that can be applied..." Import duty rates are established by Customs and are checkable. Re-assessments can be requested. "They're apparently under no obligation to base the customs value on what you actually paid or the item cost, but what they THINK its value should be". Of course, by law, duty and VAT is based on actual value, not price paid. It is applied on CIF valuations because that is the legitimate method to calculate charges.

"Customs and fedex are colluding to charge you whatever they can get away with..." You have some evidence of that defamatory accusation? "I heard a story..." doesn't count.

Customs will always charge import duty and VAT, as applicable, on items sent/purchased from overseas.

No import duty is due on a laptop. 7% VAT is and is calculated on the actual value plus insurance and shipping (CIF). Can you post that "B20,000, or so" advice here? FedEx used the term "or so" regarding the charges? They should be able to tell you specifically and they will break down all the charges, duty, VAT and their, usually small, admin charge. If import duty is being levied, challenge it. Was the value of the computer correctly declared? Under-valuing imports is an offence that has landed people with fines from Customs.

"Need to pay" how much, how and where? If there is anything to be paid there will be a notice detailing the charge(s) that FedEx can confirm to you (unless they're asking you to visit Customs first). They usually call ahead to ensure that there is someone there to pay any charges to avoid a redundant delivery. Phone them and ask them. Laptops are zero-rated for import duty, as Crossy has said, so it's likely that it's 7% VAT that is due.

It has been a recurring subject here, that's all, and so far, not one poster who has accused the courier companies of incorrect duties on items purchased/sent from overseas using couriers has been able to show anything empirical to back their accusations. As you "suspect it's a racket", is it safe to assume that you've got something to back up your suspicions?

Same place that they get the locks and barrels from!!

Gun dealers?

"Acceptable IDs are subject to the Banking laws and regulations of Thailand".

Yes, particularly as, from a previous poster's comment... "What documents can I use to pick up money in Thailand? You need to present any official government-issued ID or a valid International passport, Thai National ID card, Thai driver’s license, other Thai government issued ID, Civil Servant ID, Alien card to pick up money at a Western Union agent location. Acceptable IDs are subject to the Banking laws and regulations of Thailand".

You really need to stop giving instructions to other members about the content of their posts! It's a forum, if someone posts a completely inaccurate slur on Thai people why should I not comment, and that's what it was, a comment, not a criticism. That you saw it as a criticism perhaps suggests something about your intention of the original post! I wonder if you see the hypocrisy of your telling me to stop (non-existent) criticisms in the same breath that you're criticising my comments?

Please stay in Liverpool . The lady I used to use is back now covid has gone quiet up here , the one today lives above her massage shop what tip would you suggest ? Why do you suggest that I stay in LIverpool, I'd need to be in Liverpool in order to stay there, wouldn't I? How much should you tip?...how about more than B20!

People don't understand sarcasm on this forum?.*..... it must mean you , Lou, you really need to stop criticizing posts and chill out. *A forum post . regards worgeordie Funny how so many posters here resort to "it was sarcasm" when there obviously wasn't, after they balls-up a clear Thai-bash!

Oh, I don't know.........maybe your handle that you use? Maybe you assume too much about my name. You certainly assume too much about people from Liverpool.

Read the link, you'll find the source there.

Who are "authorities"? The government, obviously.

Not only if the cash is legal and declared . A limit is placed on the amount of cash being taken out or in to a country . No, generally there is not. There is usually a limit over which the cash has to be declared but, as long as it is legitimate, there's no limit in/out of the UK, US or European countries, for instance. Maybe you've got an example of a country that doesn't allow declared cash to be taken out, or brought in, over a certain amount? Thailand does limit the amount of THB cash that can be taken out.

Normal middle class Thais hate it too ! My in laws would get super <deleted> when I used to leave a decent tip . It’s not Thai culture at all . Your in-laws follow you around the golf course to check how much you pay the caddy? Strange.

That's not accurate in the case of traditional Thai massage, most staff are self-employed and depend on tips, the Thai massage fee generally goes to the shop. There may be a token payment to the masseuse but not enough to survive on.

The concept of tipping for good service is not dependent on income! If someone can't afford to tip a miserly few baht, perhaps they shouldn't be larging it up and wasting their pension in a restaurant.

...or JimmyJ!