oncebefore

Hello Husker. I am in Bangkok area getting consultations on a total hip replacement. Can you comment on how your surgery went and did you get the anterior procedure? Do you mind sharing what hospital you went to and the surgeon's name? What was the total cost? Thanks so much.

On 7/27/2023 at 9:53 PM, HuskerDo2 said:

I'll be getting a hip replacement next week and the other side 2 months later. I was told the titanium in the joint will set off the scanners at the airport. I know in the US it isn't a big deal as so many people have had hip replacements the airport staff can quickly identify what is setting off the scanner alarms. However, I don't know about the airports in Thailand and Philippines. Does anyone know if it'll be a big hassle getting thru the airport scanners there or does the airport staff understand about hip replacements and the associated titanium?

 

Thanks all!!

Since Thursday, I have only received 2 newsletters. I assume they have server problems again.

Hello. Can anyone recommend a reputable agent that deals with Nonthaburi immigration? Appreciate any input.

Pib, that is correct. They were going to charge me 3% on top of my withdrawal. Nothing about the DCC rate. I didn't do it. I went there to see what would happen. Don't know if I will try any other banks. If any others have no charge, I believe it won't be long before they all do. Just no escaping it for most. Their greed will always prevail.

Folks, this is my experience of today, Feb. 21 at a SCB ( SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK ) in Chonburi city. I took my USA debit card with a MC logo to the counter and told them I would like to make a cash withdrawal. They said how much. I said 3000. She said you mean a cash advance. Yes. The girl asked for my passport. As she did that, the girl next to her told her in Thai it has to be 5000 up. I said ok and asked if there were any fees. The one who said in Thai 5000 up told the girl 3%. So I guess they already figured out how to get the minimum 150 B charged at the ATM's. I suppose it will be a bank by bank, branch by branch decision, but seems like this will be the norm soon if not already. Just no way around the withdrawal fee unless you got a card that reimburses all fees and does not charge anything on their end. Of course, some others from other countries still claim their cards are not charged the withdrawal fee at ATM'S. Anyhow, good luck to all.

If I show my financial statements without the letter from my Embassy, it is not enough and vice versa. Just extra steps for no reason and waste effort, money and time getting it. Like a catch 22. I know things change, especially with immigration. My first 2 reporting times at SriRacha were easy, especially the 2nd time. That was a piece of cake because of the way they had it set-up. In and out in 3 minutes. I was the only one there for that. This time it was changed to another way and man, it was a complete nightmare. That office is extremely small and the way they r doing it now was worse than any trip I made to BKK immigration. Took me 1:45 this time.

I know it is a BS thing and I don't like wasting my time with that. Wouldn't even know what doctor to go to for that. Just like the affidavit of income they want from your Embassy. I am from USA and they will not just accept that. Still want to see your financial statements. What use is the statement of income if it is not accepted?

Strange though. When i switched last year and got the initial 3 months, I did it in BKK in Sept. In Oct., just before the floods came, I moved to Chonburi city. I did the one year extension last Dec. in SriRacha and they did not request a medical certificate then. I won't mess with it there this time.

Thanks again Jingthing. Really appreciate it. I won't do it in SriRacha, as one less step is welcomed.

Thanks Jingthing and Lite Beer. That helps alot. I did my 90 day report in SriRacha today as I am in Chonburi now. I tried to ask about it, but the place was a zoo and the guy did not understand all and rushed me. He gave me a sheet of requirements and it mentioned a doctors certificate. I did not have one when I got the visa last year. I might be moving back to BKK before Dec. so I can just do it there where I got it before. Thanks again.

Hi. No I do not. What I did was last Sept. I changed from a tourist visa to a non-imm O in BKK. They first gave me 3 months, then I had to apply for a one year extension. That is what will expire on Dec.6

Sorry to ask about this when I am sure there are topics on it, but where I live the internet is always down and I am just lucky enough to get online for this question. My permission to stay on my non-o retirement visa will expire on Dec.6. Do I have to apply for a new non-o or I just apply for an extension of stay? Can u get a 1 year extension? Do I need a doctor's certificate for the extension? Any quick information would be appreciated.

They charge 7 baht a unit for electricity. Can anyone help for a guesstimate on how much the monthly electrical bill would be in that one bedroom mentioned? I plan on using the AC a lot (practically all the time).

Also are there any food stands in that area within a 5 mn walk from the residence?

Thanks.

G-

It depends if they have a government installed meter that is properly calibrated. If it isn't and u run yur a/c all day, u will have at least a 4000 baht a month bill. I was living in BKK for 2 years in a roughly 30 meter apt. and I would try to manage the use of my a/c. By that it means I would have to leave it off a lot and really feel like I would die from the extreme heat. I was charged 7 baht and they had a proper meter. I would say on an average, I still would use in the low to mid 300 units per month. Now I live in a nice and bigger place in Chonburi city and am being charged 5 baht with 2 a/c units. I only use the a/c in my bedroom and I discovered after my first month that they do not use a government calibrated meter. Just using the a/c in my bedroom and managing as described above, my electric bills are insane. Last month I used 508 units.

Each package to receive i pay 21baht and shipper each week runs me about 12$ total depending on what site im using. They range from 1lb to about 3.5. Because of how the site i linked to ships its the same size rectangular box 99% of the time unless what i ordered is an odd shape. If price is a concern for shipping Healthdesigns has a scaling shipping cost, 1lb cheaper than 3lb for instance. For iherb i think its flat 5$ for under 4lbs. But healthdesigns has a ton more choices and brands for what i purchase.

Just a side note, ive never had a package take longer than 15days and not get hit by customs. The 2 times i was hit with customs it took me nearly 30 days to receive my package. Currently my average is 12days order placed to my door.

Even for international shipping u are only paying 12.00 dollars per week for 5-6 packages? I use online companies as well and they have specials all the time for free or low priced shipping, but that is only for the 48 continental US states.

Just on a side-note, the topic title is misleading: There is no customs rip-off in the reported case.

Skin and bodycare products as well as any kind of medicine or food or food supplement, is subject to an import licence from the Thai FDA. However, we all know that the post office cannot check each individual parcel, and so most packages just slip through.

There are some exceptions for small amounts for personal use, that's where the reported "one month's supply" comes from. I am not sure where it says "one month" in the regulation, but suffice it to say that you can bring in small amounts for personal use. These may still be subject to import duties.

Just be happy that this can all be arranged in a day, and with your passport only. If you want to apply for a commercial licence, it will take months.

I have ordered the same type of products before and had them inspected in front of customs at their post office. Bottles of shampoo, soap, etc., all for personal use and have never been hit with an import license fee. I can understand if u were reselling them and received tons of containers. Not for 1 bottle, sorry. By the way, the agent who told me about the one month supply, was referring to anything that is ingested. Skincare products he said was ok if I had more than a months supply.

As for what/how i ship, its 90% from 2 different sites, and its a mix of supplements, and foods. (healthdesgins.com, iherb.com)

I'm kind of a protein addict and at this point have close to 12 different flavors and at least 30lbs here with me in BKK. Current Stash Pic. I order alot of foods such as peanut flour, sugar free syrups, stuff of that nature. As far as things that spoil via shipping ive never had an issue with even some of my more perishable orders.

5-6 packages a week is my average from both of these sites combined and ive never been taxed/hit by customs. The one time I was hit by customs sounds much like the OP, was a different company and a huge order. was 12kg in one box, 90$ shipping they hit me for 8500b. But what happened was a small box along with the huge, the postal worker had me pay the duty for the small which also had the manifest for my large order. So i got all for about 1000B. I only later got the bill for the big. Lesson i learned? ALWAYS ship small when it comes to Thailand.

As far as your vitamins Tropo http://www.healthdes...ite-180-tablets they can be found there for $28.91 and $4.99shipping for 1. You could order up to 4 of these and still get airmail which would still be fine. 4 would be 12$ shipping so its not quite a sliding scale. 6305684 as a coupon will save you 5$ first time you checkout, not much but its about 20% off your 29$ order.

Theres a lot of things that are in Thailand that specify to not store at temperatures above 90f, 100f even 120f. On 100f days my apartment will hit about 110f if i leave the blinds open, but ive still never seen a can explode or anything go rancid.

What r u averaging per week in shipping costs if u receive 5-6 packages? What is the average weight of each?

Just a question that occurred to me about shipping medical items via mail...

As some medicines are spoilt or looses its potency with extreme temperatures, how can you be assured that the product has maintained the correct temperatures required right through out the trip? (e.g. not left in some hot humid/sunny or freezing area)

Good point and exactly what I worry about, especially when things get tied up in customs. As Robblok says, u can never be sure and most products are packed in a manner to sustain temperature variations for a period of time. Some things though, such as probiotics and genuine bee pollen need to be kept refrigerated and cold as much as possible. The only solution is to have family or friends coming who are willing to help out and carry them for you. I have become so frustrated with the system that I have flown back to get a 1 year supply of what I use and take care of it myself. Cannot do that now with the cost of airline tickets. I don't know if the regulations have changed, but last time I did this was about 2.5 years ago. When u carry on the plane, u have no limits as to what u can bring, as long as u meet the weight limits of the carrier and they are legal. I am referring to natural care products and nutritional items. When u arrive, just walk out the airport in the nothing to declare line. I have had my boxes opened by the scanners to see what is inside, but that is it. No taxes, fees or duties necessary. That is because when mailing vs carrying on the plane, items are classified in different categories and treated differently. I think all of us from the same countries should form a network and help each other out. For instance, if u r going back or have someone coming and they can carry a few things. Make each other aware of this and the dates. Of course, weight limits have to be administered. I know I would be very willing to carry what I could if the room allowed for someone. No problem for me.

Very surprised that they hit you with customs when it came international mail. I have dozens of packages sent monthly all health supplements and ive never had a single one hit customs. Try to keep it small (2kgs or less) and you will fare better I think. If this was already a small package then you just got very unlucky.

If your not insuring the product why place the amount on the packages as what you actually paid?

Seeing you're quite experienced at shipping health supplements over, perhaps you could give me some specific advice on having multivitamins shipped..

Last month I ordered a bottle of Anavite multivitamins from the US. They are quite expensive at about US $30 per bottle and USPS shipping is $12.95 (first class mail international) per container. If I ship more than one then I save $2 per extra bottle on shipping, which isn't much. I was thinking of ordering about 4 bottles on my next order. That will only save $6 on shipping but it will be a lot more convenient because I need one bottle a month.

What are the chances of getting hit with taxes? Is there a better chance of it slipping by customs if I order only one bottle at a time?

The first time I had items mailed to me was about 20 months ago. It was a bigger box, weighed about 7.7 kilos. I like to get supplies of things that will last 6 months to a year. Just too expensive to have mailed more frequently. Got a notice from customs that I had to go to their post office to pick it up. Had no idea of the procedure. When u arrive, u have to produce your passport and a copy of the main page. They then give u a number to wait in the queue. I waited about an hour and half before my number was up. U go to the counter and the agent will ask u to open your box. If it is health related, they send u upstairs to another agent who specializes in this category. They inspect what u have and ask u questions. I was very surprised when he told me that I can only have one bottle of any given supplement and it can only be a one months supply. They can confiscate any others if they choose. He let me have all as it was my first time. They approve it and send u downstairs to the original agent who calculates the taxes owed. This process can vary. One time the agent downstairs who I opened my box for gave me a choice, pay him a bribe or send me upstairs to the official inspector and perhaps have some things confiscated. I just paid him to get out of there. I hate going through all the hoops presented to u just to get some health products. Really annoying and extremely expensive.

Well now at least you did not have to spend half a day at the THAI FDA! I did that for wheatgrass powder spirulina and cholorella. Just a bunch of algae! But these products are on a restricted list - Food, health. My tax was only 300 baht but lost half a day of work. What did the customs form contents list it as?

I had my brother write personal bodycare, something like that on the form

Very surprised that they hit you with customs when it came international mail. I have dozens of packages sent monthly all health supplements and ive never had a single one hit customs. Try to keep it small (2kgs or less) and you will fare better I think. If this was already a small package then you just got very unlucky.

If your not insuring the product why place the amount on the packages as what you actually paid?

Sorry for the duplicate. Don't post often and learning the functions. The box weighed 5.5 kilos. The other 3 times I have had items mailed to me they weighed about 7 kilos. Each time they went through customs. 2x had to go to the customs post office near the train station and the other time it was released to my post office. Still had to pay taxes on it. I have insured before, but they add that to the amount of taxes u pay. So this time I decided to not have it insured to save money. Little did I know I would be scalped alive. Before, I would put gift on the form, but the still ask how much u paid. That doesn't work. If u tell them that, they calculate cost of your products on some computer program they have and it is on a higher end. U wind up paying more than if u gave them the actual cost.

Very surprised that they hit you with customs when it came international mail. I have dozens of packages sent monthly all health supplements and ive never had a single one hit customs. Try to keep it small (2kgs or less) and you will fare better I think. If this was already a small package then you just got very unlucky.

If your not insuring the product why place the amount on the packages as what you actually paid?

You can check Aeon's website for their locations. One thing to be aware of, when u withdraw money from their ATM'S using your atm/debit card, they only allow in 1000 increments. For example, if u wanted to withdraw 5500, u cannot. U have to withdraw 5000. Don't know why it is like this. People can pay their bills on these machines and it gives change. Kind of strange.

Heads up folks if u are sending natural healthcare products from overseas to Thailand. I just ordered some from the USA. A family member repacked them and sent by priority mail international. Arrived in 5 days to a sorting facility, then sent to customs 2 days later. Was in customs 1 week before I received the postal notice of collection. When I went to get it, post office said the tax owed was 1584 baht PLUS another 4000 baht for something like customs LAD. May be spelled wrong. I had no idea what that was and have never heard of it. Had a Thai friend with me and the translation was something about when they opened my box, since it had natural products, they sent it for further inspection and they say it was considered medicine. Something to that affect. Ridiculous. Medicine? Most of what I ordered was skin and bodycare products and some vitamins like C.D,E, etc.. My postage to ship was in dollars 78.45 and the cost of my products was about 141.00. Package was not insured. I figured I would pay 800 baht in taxes based on prior times. 1584 was double what I expected, but the extra 4000 baht really caught me off guard and shocked me. Anyone have knowledge of this?