ThaisGood

in 2004 our clearing agent did not "interprete" anything but cited information he got from customs. moreover, we did not plan to import "tons of gold" but a gold coin collection (31 coins out of which 27 were less than one ounce).

Hi Naam. Did you decide not to bring the coin collection into Thailand? Or did you bring it and have problems at the airport?

There was a report in the past year at sovereignman.com (Simon Black) of a foreigner come to Thailand with gold that he did not declare, a sizeable amount, which was conficated, it is said, by customs. At the airport one day myself, I happened to pass by the customs office and inguired of the 2 ladies there what is the procedure. They did not know of this happening, and indicated confiscation would not not proper in such a case. (I am not saying that this answer is reliable enough.) The individual involved seems to have figured he had no other recourse but 'mai pen rai'. Simon' comment, in his basic website, not his premium website,

is, that if you are internationally transporting gold to a country in which the value in your baggage outweighs the local official's salary, watch out The whole question has been, and I think is occasionally continuing to be debated on Simon's premium site in at least one thread The thread also, in keeping everybody and every action legal, discusses the procedure of removing gold from a country, and options besides sticking it in your pocket.

Thanks for sharing the info. I am a fan of sovereignman, to a certain extent. Great website and his line of thinking is what I like to read.

I would never bring more gold value into Thailand than what I might use on a vacation. I should think that if I had 2 oz of gold, and I was stopped on entry and that small bit of gold was found in my possession I would explain it was for emergency use, and then offer to prove that I will take the gold out of Thailand when I leave. Should be no problem. It really seems ultra-paranoid to think you can't carry a few bits of gold with you when traveling. In fact, I really like carrying gold when traveling--it offers the security of knowing I should always be able to buy a ticket home in a shtf scenario. Most often I travel with gold and bring it home with me.

Back to what you mentioned, gold seizure at the airport. I wonder what the guy had on him. You might have heard of the American guy in Mexico who had over 100 krugerrands, all of it seized.

By the way I was at a coin show and found one of these, a rare gold coin from Thailand. I bought it.

http://www.davidlawrence.com/inventory/viewitem.cfm/inventory/175828/inm/Thailand%3A-1981-Gold-4000B-Year-of-the-Child-NGC-Proof-67-UCameo/snm/Thailand/gnm/Asia/auc/100/lotid/119109

Thaisgood

Thailand is a nice country in that I can easily find buyers for gold, to convert to baht, but I wonder if they pay 100%.

you should rather wonder what percentage you will pay to Thai customs as opposed to the opinions of some learned TV-members you cannot import gold bars free of duty to Thailand :jap:

Hi. Thanks. I did not know that there is a duty if you enter Thailand with a small amount of gold. I wouldn't bring more than a relatively small amount, just to pay for hotel, etc. If I were stopped upon entry in Thailand, and my bags searched, that would be the first time such event happened. Between my wife and I we have traveled in and out on a yearly basis probably 30 times between us, maybe more than that. We're getting old!

If the customs department noticed a few small gold bars among our carry on bags, I would be surprised. However, you make a good point. There are Canada Maple Leaf coins which have a face value, and they are made of pure gold. I have some 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/2 oz of those. The face value is like $5, $10, $20. I know that people take Canadian maple leaf gold coins to India on trips back to see family, and they never have a problem because there is a face value on the coin. The advantage of bars is that I can buy them at nearly spot value. Canada coins have a premium of $20-$50 per coin, and I don't think a Thai shop will pay that premium (?).

Overall, I think getting my gold seized upon entering Thailand is a very minor concern. So minor, I would take the risk for sure. Do you know the official response if I were found to be carrying 50 grams of gold at the airport? It almost seems comical that this is an issue of concern. I have not personally heard of anyone having a problem entering Thailand with valuables. I am sure there are some stories though. What do you know about this?

If your thinking you will make $$$ by buying in the US & selling in Thailand..... I would be surprised.

Gold is Gold & sold accordingly worldwide based on spot & of course recalculated if not 99.99%

Hi. Thanks. My thinking is not to make money in some sort of buy/sell trade.

I am looking for alternatives to the current system. I now take US$100 bills to Thailand, instantly lose 1% via bank commission when I convert to baht.

What if I find a good deal on 9999 bars and buy them at spot. Then go to Thailand, and sell those bars for Thai baht. I understand that gold price fluctuates. But will I get 100% of prevailing spot price when I sell to the shop in Thailand?

I was not so happy with 98% in Australia, but I didn't mind really that much. I would do it again. In my opinion gold is on an upward trend anyway. I like to carry it with me overseas.

Thailand is a nice country in that I can easily find buyers for gold, to convert to baht, but I wonder if they pay 100%.

If anyone here has actually sold 9999 gold bars in Thailand, and did due diligence prior to selling to ensure that the price you got was same as you expected, please kindly confirm above mentioned calculation and if the newspaper quotation is relevant for individual sellers.

Cloudhopper gave you everything you need to know

http://www.ausiris.co.th/en/index.php

Note that site gives the prices for both 96.5 & 99.99 gold

It also gives you prive in Baht & grams

You cannot do better than that.

The gold shop will buy gold be it 99.9 or 96.5 prices are adjusted appropriately & as Naam said at that point basic math will give you your answers

Hi Flying. Thanks. Everyone who has posted has been very helpful and I appreciate your post. The website ausiris.co.th is great, I bookmarked that. I like how they break down the price by gram.

There is still some mystery though, pardon me for continuing the conversation. I understand that ausiris.co.th is expressing the spot price of gold by posting a "buy" price and a "sales" price, separated by a tiny margin. I believe this is the equivalent of "bid" and "ask". Bid and Ask are important concepts but neither represent the price that a shop will pay to buy a bar of gold, or what they charge to sell me a bar of gold. ausiris.co.th might report 1356 per gram for 9999 gold, but if you walk into a shop, do they really sell for that price? If you sell a shop the same gold bar, what will they pay for it? This is what I want to know.

If I walk into a gold shop here in USA and offer to SELL THE SHOP a 1 oz bar of 9999 gold, usually I can get the full spot price for that gold. Maybe $10 under spot, but never more than $10 over spot. Most shops here SELL TO CUSTOMERS gold for about $50 over spot price. This is how they make money. Sometimes, because I am a regular customer, if a shop is a bit long on gold bars, or there has been a recent price jump, they will sell to me based on spot plus a smaller margin, about $10.

When I traveled to Australia, I took along some gold, and went into a few shops, and they offered to buy this bar based on 97% or 98% of the spot price. I am not sure what the Aussie shops sell for, but probably more than $50 over spot. Everything is expensive in Australia it seems.

When I travel to Thailand, I bring along US$100 bills and exchange them at the airport for Thai baht. I believe the bank is earning about 1% commission on that, so I lose 1%.

I wonder, if I purchase a few gold bars before my trip, bring them to Thailand and sell to a reputable shop, will they pay me 98% of spot as in the case of Australia? Will I get 100%? If I get 100%, I can have the satisfaction of not paying a bank 1%, and I can carry real money with me (gold).

Also, when someone buys a 9999 gold bar in Bangkok, do they pay spot +1%? What is the general feel for the market there on the "over spot" amount merchants charge?

Thanks for any further info, and thanks again for the ausiris.co.th website.

1. Have you ever sold bars of gold in Thailand yourself?

2. Just wondering how you know this and if you are really certain of it.

1. i have never bought nor sold gold bars in Thailand. my wife has bought gold bars in Thailand and a bunch of other countries but she never sells, respectively she claims that she will never sell.

2. simple maths is "certain" and does not require practical gold trading experience.

OK thanks a lot for your help. I believe your calculation is correct however I want to get feedback, if possible, from actual sellers. I know this forum reaches a wide audience.

If anyone here has actually sold 9999 gold bars in Thailand, and did due diligence prior to selling to ensure that the price you got was same as you expected, please kindly confirm above mentioned calculation and if the newspaper quotation is relevant for individual sellers.

A good friend of mine who has been in gold for years says we are going to remain in $1400-$1600 range all year

Wow wrong already.

but I think it will be much higher if things do not collapse.

What things?

Default on debt by govts in US and elsewhere and/or sudden hyperinflation as in Argentina for example (ferfal is a good blog to read). Very real possibility.

Hold onto your hats and buy physical gold & silver.

I am just looking for a calculation that will explain the spot price per gram of pure Swiss gold.

for the record: "Swiss gold" does not exist as far as your question is concerned your 10g CS gold bar has a value of 13,392 Thai Baht (assuming a gold trading shop is willing to buy it and applies the price of THB 19,700 per Baht weight you mentioned).

Thanks for your help. So you take the price quote for that day, example 19,700 and divide by 15.244 and that will tell you price per gram of 9999 gold?

Thanks again,

not exactly as you have to adjust the price because the THB 19,700 are for 965 and not 999 purity.

Hi. Thanks for your advice. Two questions:

1. Have you ever sold bars of gold in Thailand yourself? Just wondering how you know this and if you are really certain of it. Sorry to ask.

2. Please confirm the calculation. 19,700 / (15.244 x .965) = 1339 that is correct right?

Thanks!

Gold will be US$2000/oz by the end of the year...

let's hope people will not laugh at your forecast by the end of the year

Ha I like your response. A good friend of mine who has been in gold for years says we are going to remain in $1400-$1600 range all year but I think it will be much higher if things do not collapse.

I am just looking for a calculation that will explain the spot price per gram of pure Swiss gold.

for the record: "Swiss gold" does not exist as far as your question is concerned your 10g CS gold bar has a value of 13,392 Thai Baht (assuming a gold trading shop is willing to buy it and applies the price of THB 19,700 per Baht weight you mentioned).

Thanks for your help. So you take the price quote for that day, example 19,700 and divide by 15.244 and that will tell you price per gram of 9999 gold?

Thanks again,

Ok - Articles like these are part of the reason I dumped my gold last week. The goldbugs are out in force (or should I say sat in their bunkers, with shotgun, bottled water and a pile of gold bars). But outside of the sky is falling crowd there doesn't seem to be much support for gold. The $ appreciation has blind-sided gold. Without the $ driver gold is being sucked under by the great commodity de-leveraging. Seasonal demand is marked down (Joe Public in India, China) due to recession. A surprise there would strengthen price. Next years impending major bankruptcies also could spike Gold up. So the direction is down.

Ha ha that is such a great laugh when reading what people said about gold in October 2008. Hindsight is 20/20 as the saying goes but we all need to have a great laugh.

Gold will be US$2000/oz by the end of the year if our existing system doesn't completely collapse. Are average Thais buying much gold? Wealthy Thais dependent on the paper system for their wealth, or are they loading up with physical gold? I realize it's difficult to say. Where I'm at in USA only a tiny, tiny fraction of the population has even a single gold coin. There is going to be a huge day of reckoning in coming months/years as there aren't enough trees in the world to print what needs to be printed at this point.

Hello. Sorry if this has been asked already. I want to know what the spot price of pure gold is in Thai baht.

Assume I have a 10 gram bar of gold, Credit Suisse assayed gold bar.

I saw this in today's newspaper:

"The Gold Traders Association this morning announced the buying price at 19,419.96 baht per baht-weight for gold ornaments and 19,700 baht per baht-weight for gold bar."

What exactly is baht-weight? I think one baht is 15.244 grams, however that is 96.5% pure. The real amount of pure gold in one baht gold is 14.7 grams.

I am just looking for a calculation that will explain the spot price per gram of pure Swiss gold.

Thanks!

Yes, absolute nonsense.

As shown to me by the post office, the current rules are that you can send parcels over 500 grams by air or EMS if you are a "known person" at the post office.

I read about this as well, a person in Japan explained it. Some postal services in Japan refuse to ship the 450+ gram packages, while others allow it. There seems to be an effort to identify senders or as you mentioned only "known person" can send.

How inconvenient. Where will it end. People need to inquire and question... We are learning now more than ever the concept of false flag attacks, and things are usually not what they seem...

Hi Blue Eyes,

Thanks for your note. I'm still a bit confused about this but I haven't yet tried to fit my burner onto a propane tank, so it would help if I get to that point before posting further. But I'll extend the conversation a bit more...

Notice that this guy, India Joze (I don't know anything about this other than finding the website). He has a restaurant and sells some wok equipment. His stuff is made in China but appears to use the same fittings as what I have from Thailand, and his hardware does not use the large black plastic fitting that your photo shows. He just has the Thai setup, I think. Isn't this what I have? His hoses and clamps don't look terribly safe, but I'm not sure how much pressure is involved, or how dangerous propane would be if a hose leaked or became unattached.

http://www.indiajoze.com/equipment.html

By the way, when my mother-in-law in Thailand has a can of cooking gas delivered, is that gas exactly the same compound as propane sold in USA? I just wanted to make sure the gas is the same, before I fire this thing up. I can't imagine why it would be a problem... Thanks again.

Thank you Blue Eyes for the response. It's very useful. If you have any other advice about this please let me know. I'll tinker with the fitting too. The main thing I wanted to make sure of, is that the fuel itself is propane. Thanks again.

This tour was mentioned before, all of the vendors are in the same area. Lots of good food all together--

http://importfood.com/saochingcha_guide.html

I get the sticky rice there every visit.

Mature Thai women are so lovely. At the age of 24 I dated the mother of a Thai girl I had initially desired but she turned out to prefer girls.

Hi. I wonder if the various vendors in Thailand use propane in their gas tanks. I think it's propane. Is it? I've attached a photo of a burner thing I got in Thailand. Can I attach that to a regular propane tank for my barbeque setup, which I have in USA? Because the propane tanks here are of a universal standard, and I think it should work just fine. Any concerns? Thanks for any advice.

Strong global demand for agricultural products (rice, coconut milk, etc). Keeps baht strong.

Hi. My wife is in Thailand with our son but I can not call her. She has a cell phone only. Also tried her brother cell phone and her aunt's cell phone. Can not connect. I called a friend with a regular landline phone, and got through fine.

Any shut down of calling a cell phone from abroad? Hope all well for you in Thailand.

You may leave Thailand but forever lust for the Thai girl.

As a journalist of over 20 years and lecturer of Mass Comms, I am unaware of the legal strength of this decision, and it sounds as though you are too - as you have not mentioned any REAL legal argument for this decision. Have you been bullied? Acted out of fear? Simply believed that you can not properly quote with use of referents, just because they told you so?

You must be quite ashamed of your profession, the existence of journalists writing truly objective stories freely in the "mainstream media" is nonexistent. Try writing a story critical of Israel for example.... Frankly, when I see someone boast that they are a 20 year journalist and lecturer in the field, my first reaction is a desire to spit in their face for letting us all down, in particular the last 10 years or so.

The Baseej is a pra-police force of volunteers in the system. They hardly have the clout of the Rovolutionary Guards or the Hizbullah. There is a large merchant group in

Tehran and some of them live in houses with floors of pure green onynx six inches thick with plush exquisite Persian carpets.Such people are more likely to indulge in

get- rich- quick schemes.Whether or not they are linked to Ayatollahs is up to anyones guess but generally, the Revolutionary Guards are a devout group and seek only to be rewarded in the hereafter!

Pure BS.

This situation doesn't make sense at all, why would two iranians smuggle meth into Bangkok when it's all over the place already?

My thoughts exactly.

Several years ago a farang acountant was murdered in Thailand, as he was about to reveal fraudulent accounting methods of a large company (a rice mill?) - therefore costing the company big money. It puts a new spin on "shooting the messenger."

I remember that. I think it was an Australian accountant, and a sugar mill. Very sad, and obvious why he was murdered.