DogNo1

The thing that matters most to me is whether they will continue to be hospitable to the large number of long-stay retirees, especially those unmarried.  We seem to have a low priority for re-admission to the country at the moment.
I have heard some Thai say that they could do with a much lower number of tourists in the future.

I misspoke.  He did not come in on an STV.  It was a Non-O for marriage.  He didn't mention the cost so I assume he has no complaint.

Sep by step.  Thailand will allow retirees back in due time.  Yesterday I talked to a retiree who came in on the STV.  He will extend for a year near the end of his 3rd three-month extension.  He said he was pleased with his treatment at the airport and at the quarantine hotel.  I think that Thailand is doing the best that it can with the limited quarantine facilities available.

Feelings of frustration are understandable.  I can’t go to Tokyo to take care of pressing business because the way is not yet open to return to Thailand.

My sympathies to retirees but buck up.  This new two factor monoclonal antibody treatment holds great possibilities if it is found the be generally safe.  The American government is vowing to make it available for everybody free.  If it does, it could probably by duplicated and made available by Thailand - at a high price, no doubt.

Had to look it up: Pritsajikayon.  I wonder how many posters can really remember the months of the year.  I certainly can’t.

As I understand it, year-long extensions are not technically visa extensions so the November 1st extension date does not apply to them.  My extension of stay is good until May but I wish that some helpful policy for those with long-term extensions who are stuck outside of Thailand would be thought of.  Returning on the special 90-day renewable tourist visa is expensive!

A lot of chemical medicine was derived from the effective ingredient(s) in herbal sources.  You will find that many supplements contain extracts from the herbal source to ensure that the supplement has an adequate amount of the herbal active ingredient.  So the distinction between herbal and chemical is sometimes illusory.

Did the hotel attempt to apologize to the guest and make things right?  I am reminded of the divers jailed for handling sea creatures.  I sometimes lose my temper about poor service or other mistakes but not very often.  It is sobering to realize that I could be arrested or jailed for doing so.  Thailand seems to have changed, perhaps due to an excessive number of tourists.  Too many tourists cause stress to a society.  Perhaps it's time for me to go home.

Allergy to mildew and mold is a big problem for me too.  I have bought an expensive UVC air filter and a dehumidifier for my bedroom to which my bathroom is connected.  I can’t manage to keep the humidity much under 62%.  To kill the mildew on the bedclothes and carpet, I spray with colorless isopropyl alcohol that I buy at a store in Sathorn.  It evaporates leaving no residual smell.  My hotel room has many sliding windows so I’m never going to get the humidity below 50%.  The problem here is not as bad as in Japan where my wooden house is built over a concrete slab but I’m moving out of it soon.  If anyone is interested in buying the 100% isopropyl alcohol, I can PM the name and phone number of my supplier.

Incidentally, a problem often overlooked is dust and mold that builds up on the fan of the indoor part of the unit.

So what are the post-debate poll numbers?  How much support did Trump lose?

Funny - I have extended my permission of stay twice using the monthly income method and have not required any certification from the US Embassy.  In fact, they don’t issue certifications of income any more.

Google will not translate som nam na.   What does it mean?

I can imagine that people who have made Thailand their home but whose permissions to stay have expired may take the nine-month tourist visa option to return with the hope that they will be able to convert to a long stay status again before the expiration of their tourist visa.  This may also appeal to my German friend who has been coming on a one-year Non-O but who only stays for about nine months of the year.  I'm not sure that they will be able to afford the extra expense though.  Probably some will.  Let's see how it goes.  Perhaps the numbers will be smaller than the government thinks.

Rohto  appears to be a product for the Japanese market.  Can't say if it's made in China but the Japanese are pretty strict about their standards for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals so chances are that it's made in Japan.  Drops for dry eyes don't solve the problem of irritated eyelids, unfortunately.

Sheryl, I'm interested in knowing if you were successful in getting your cosmetics released by customs. This afternoon, I had coffee with an American friend who is a long-time resident here.  He said that for the past several years, none of his friends have been able to get anything vaguely resembling medicine released by customs.  I expect to hear back from the UPS agent who contacted me sometime next week.  In the meantime, Amazon hasn't responded to the complaint that I filed four days ago.  I stand to lose $123 on these two half-ounce bottles of Hypochlor Gel.  Reports on this thread indicate that what is being done is a common UPS/Customs these days.

Mak25: Thanks.  My supplier in Sathorn, JTW, is back in business and they supplied me with 12 liters today.

Weorgordie:  I expect that UPS is trying to run a similar scam on me.  I have told them that the eyelid spray is a cosmetic for personal use and given them the customs clearance code that Sheryl supplied.  I am not going to apply to be a broker with their "paperless application."  Either I get it for personal use or not at all. I may lose my $60 customs deposit.  If necessary, I will instruct them to return to sender and see what I can get back from Amazon.

Guderian:  Last year, a shipment of supplements from Dr. Mercola was also seemingly lost for about two months.  The shipping label was apparently changed by an expedite label somewhere in Germany.  DHL was able to track down the shipment somewhere in customs and I eventually got it.  I suggest calling DHL and the seller to see if they can track down the package.

I have tried many different eye drops including Ocusoft's own Retaine.  My problem is not dry eyes.  It is irritated eyelids and Hypochlor Gel soothes them best of any preparation that I have found.  My allergies to dust and mold play a role in the irritation.

Thanks.  I’ll have to be careful.  May just return the package.   The total value was about 2,100 Baht.  I’ll keep it under 1,500 in the future although I never do that with supplements.  iHerb and Amazon charge customs fees upfront so there’s never been a problem.

Thanks, Sheryl for the advice.  I have told the UPS agent over the phone that it is a cosmetic agent for personal use and gave her the clearance code that you kindly provided. I am waiting for a follow-up email. She apparently is going back to customs.  As advised, if I can’t get a quick solution, I will contact Amazon.

Personally, I have never had a delivery charge for supplements from iHerb or Mercola but sometimes for items from Lazada. Something sounds wrong there!

It also sounds wrong that customs should be requiring your TM-6 and 90-day report slip.  Shouldn’t the monitoring of them be the province of Immigration alone? Shades of creeping fascism!
BTW, Lazada carries many Ocusoft products but not the one that I need.

I am not going to go through the hassle of registering as a broker.  I don’t have to do that for any of my other deliveries of supplements and cosmetics.  Mind you, for these two bottles of eyelid gel, I have already paid an $11 handling charge, a $38 shipping charge and a $60 customs deposit. I wonder how much of that Amazon will refund.

Apropos of nothing - Does anyone know where I can buy colorless isopropyl alcohol?  I use it to spray things for sanitary purposes and can't use blue-colored alcohol because it leaves a permanent stain.  My supplier down in Sathorn has gone out of business.

I tried the washing of my eyelashes a few years ago and it didn't work then, possibly because the skin around my eyes sags too much.  I'll try it again for a few days and see how it goes.  A friend of mine had aperture widening surgery done for free at Yokosuka Hospital because he was retired from the military and that worked out quite well.  His eyebrows were raised and the skin below his eyes tightened up.  In my case, if the skin on my eyelids becomes irritated, it's really uncomfortable and I need something like Hypochlor to soothe it.  Dust is a real problem and rinsing my eyes with water doesn't calm the irritation that it causes.

Speaking of Lazada, it carries all of the Ocusoft products except for the Hypochlor Gel so perhaps they have had their own customs problems with this product.  No doubt it is on a list at customs as a medicine.  
I had a similar problem in Japan when I started buying Lyprinol from New Zealand.  It's really just green-lipped mussel oil for arthritic symptoms but they thought it was a medicine.  I was only allowed to bring in a month's supply and paid a horrendous tax like what Thailand is trying to charge me for the Hypochlor - about 95%.

Last year when I received delivery of my Surface X, I surrendered my passport for UPS to show to customs but my TM-6 and 90-Day Report were not requested, nor was a Thai description of the package contents.  I guess that customs is assuming that Hypochlor is a medicine.  They also seem to be assuming that I am a business.  Maybe I won't be able to sort it out.  I've already written to Amazon to see if I can return the shipment.  It's ironic.  I ordered three bottles.  Two days ago I received one bottle with no problem.  The two packaged together got stopped.  I'm not going to go to too much trouble.  If it doesn't work out quickly, I will abandon the package and try to claim a refund from Amazon.

Lazada doesn't carry this particular product and it's the only one that works for my particular problem.  

I think that people have run into problems with this particular product before.  Ebay sellers won't ship it to Thailand.

I often order supplements and personal use items from the US.  Usually there is no problem with them clearing customs and being delivered to me.  Today, though, I received a notice from UPS regarding two bottles of Ocusoft Hyperchlor Eyelid Gel.  Although the PDF of the customs form looks quite complete to me, it apparently is lacking the proper title: "Mr, Ms. or Mrs."   UPS also wants the name and description of the contents in Thai and wants to pick up the original of my passport, my TM-6 and my 90-day Report in order to complete a "paperless registration." This is for two bottles of eyelid gel worth $23 each.  Single bottles have cleared customs in the past with no difficulty.  I have never been required to provide a Thai description of contents before and I don't see why my TM-6 and 90-day Report should be required to clear a package.  Amazon has collected a $60 customs fee deposit for this shipment.  It seems that customs clearance is becoming increasingly difficult.  Has anybody else had a similar experience recently?

You’re OK.  The slip will probably show up eventually.  I’ve often wondered whether they can send a copy of a missing slip if you send them a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

I’ve been mailing my reports for several years.  I keep a completed TM-47 in Acrobat.  Change pertinent information, print out, sign, attach required copies, put in envelope with stamped return envelope and hand to front desk to mail.    Done in 20 minutes at a cost of under 100 baht.  Receive new notice in about a month.

I’m grateful for the extra days.  The report apparently was processed on August 20th but the new report date is November 25th which seems to be 90 days after the previous report was due on August 26th.  I always put a three-baht stamp on the return envelope and have not failed to get it back so far.  This time they even returned my passport copies!  Mail-in has now been working for me for several years!