Amazon shipping to Thailand incredibly fast!

[Langsuan Man]

10 minutes ago, canopy said:

I can't see any risk with Thai post involved. If the package gets lost from any carrier then Amazon will refund you for everything.

 

I can see a problem whenever Thai Post is involved, since they are as thick as thieves with Thai Customs (no pun intended)

 

I purchased a new Google Pixel 2 from Google and had it shipped to Thailand via a re-mailer.  Tracked it all the way to Bangkok Mail Center and Customs, then to Si Racha, then to Ao Udom, where it showed "out for delivery" and an delivery status that showed on the same day it was received with the annotation: International (Unsuccessful Attempt)

 

Took tracking to my local post office and they gave me a form and directed me to Customs in Lan Chabang.  When I got there they had me produce my passport, which they copied and made me sign but when they went to get my package they told me that it had been sent to Bangkok and I would have to go to Bangkok to get it

 

Then they hit me with the real bomb shell:  Since it was a cell phone, I would have to go and obtain an import license from the government for a "broadcasting " license to import a mobile phone into the kingdom since, like all cell phones , it contained a transmitter that uses the Thai airwaves.  (Insert the <deleted>, here )

 

No appeal, get the license or the phone will be shipped back to the sender (me) in thirty days.  So since it was insured I refused and watched it sit somewhere from March 31st to May 22nd when tracking showed it being accepted back into Bangkok Mail Center, USPS tracking received a notice that package was coming but cancelled the tracking number when it did not show up in the US system after a month  

 

Finally by September 27th my claim was honored BUT, I was only reimbursed for the declared value of the items (not the actual value) plus International postage so I lost about $100 for the exercise

 

So just assume that if Thai Post gets involved in anything of high value, it is going to go missing most of the time 

[canopy]

That experience has nothing to do with Amazon. If you made the order using Amazon the experience could have been a lot different. You have the upper hand and are no longer at the mercy of any of these carriers to do as they please.

 

[DineshR]

On buying from Amazon. On any product page, you will see 'sold by xxx and fulfilled by yyy'. Typically yyy is Amazon but sometimes it is the seller itself who will ship it to you and is a third party seller that does not utilize Amazon's fulfillment services but does utilize Amazon's storefront.

 

I aways click on 'xxx' to see how long the buyer has been on Amazon's storefront and what their rating is. Only buy from sellers who have a long history with Amazon and who have good ratings. I usually check both the seller rating as well as the product rating itself to understand the experience of other people that have bought the same product.

 

I have noticed over the last few months a large influx of new sellers (I think mostly from China but I am not certain) because they have no history and some of them simply disappear. You usually find these sellers if you look at "today's deals' or the 'lightning deals'. I once purchased something from one of these sellers and when I had a problem with it, I went back to find the seller but that page had disappeared. After that experience, I have now stick to only sellers that have a long history with Amazon (longer than 12 months) and whose product has good ratings from a large number of purchasers (greater than 50). You will find that those products that have extremely good ratings but only a handful of reviewers are suspect since the reviewers could be employees of the seller even if it says verified purchase. I look for products that have hundreds of reviews - never had a problem following this strategy.

 

On cell phones - I have purchased 2 cell phones in different times and I have had no problems with receiving the product although I did pay VAT in one case and nothing in the 2nd. Both came through I-Parcel and then via Thai Post.

 

As I have said before, in 15 years of experience, never had an issue with Thai Post. I think they are just like USPS or Malaysian Post with whom I also have a long history with. But because of where I currently live, I do track the parcel and when I see it has reached the post office I usually go straight to the post office and pick it up. FYI .. Thai Post has a customer contact center that you can call and they can tell you exactly where the parcel is and they can also tell you how much duties are due, if any.

 

As always, when dealing with any Thai entity - the Post Office, Immigration, banks etc - politeness, soft spoken talking and patience goes a long way to getting things done. Anger, loud voices, aggressive gestures will invariably not get you anywhere. Thais disdain aggressive behaviour and when faced with such behaviour will go out of their way to make it even more difficult for you. You can't win especially if you don't speak Thai well. My 2 cents.

 

 

[balo]

I use a company called Shipito.com.  They will give you a virtual address in the US. 

 

I placed an order on Amazon a few days ago and they sent it to my Shipito address in California.  

Then I pay a few dollars for Shipito to send it to Thailand.  I only buy small stuff with little value this way. And it is sent to me the cheapest way by mail so it could take 30 days. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by balo

[SurfRider]

DineshR,

 

Well, I took my chances.  The product was only $50 and the shipping $65! 

 

No choice on shipping options nor any indication of what service they'll use. 

 

Seller has 100% rating.  Delivery between Oct 17, to Nov. 1, so doubtful it's FedEx, DHL or UPS.  ( Fingers Crossed )  ????

 

[DineshR]

SurfRider,

I am really surprised with the shipping cost ! I've never paid more for shipping than the cost of the product. Did you mean to say that the total cost including shipping was $65 ? Or was the estimated duty on it high ?

Sent from my PH-1 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[SurfRider]

The shipping alone was $65 - no taxes or Customs duties were listed.

 

This is the actual final summary

 

[DineshR]

Wow ! Even though the value of the item is small, if the shipping cost is high, I can only assume it must be a large item. I'd be interested to know how fast it gets to you. Good luck !

Sent from my PH-1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[watcharacters]

Dario,

 

You seemed to leave out some important details.

 

1.    What was the shipping cost?

 

2.    How much did the item weigh?

 

3.    What, if any,  were the duty fees you needed to pay?

 

I'd love to use Amazon for far more than my Kindle purchases.

 

[johnjohn2]

If you want to know shipping cost, duty fees etc just look at an item you want on the Amazon site. It tells you. It also tells you estimate of how long it will take. Then you can make your own choice.

[Langsuan Man]

On 9/29/2018 at 4:59 PM, canopy said:

That experience has nothing to do with Amazon. If you made the order using Amazon the experience could have been a lot different. You have the upper hand and are no longer at the mercy of any of these carriers to do as they please.

 

It has to do with the "last mile" and should serve as a warning about The Royal Thai Post Office and the common assumption that using them is some how cheaper and safer than private carriers

 

Not true if something goes missing and once an item enters their system a customer has no control or appeal
 

[SurfRider]

Just a pair of running shoes, probably less than 2 kilo. 

   

Seems strange there were no choices for shipping and nothing about Duties or Taxes. Implies those will need to be settled on the receiving end.

  

Apparently an Amazon shopping experience differs widely from one person to the next. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 hours ago, SurfRider said:

Just a pair of running shoes, probably less than 2 kilo. 

   

Seems strange there were no choices for shipping and nothing about Duties or Taxes. Implies those will need to be settled on the receiving end.

  

Apparently an Amazon shopping experience differs widely from one person to the next. 

 

Usually with Amazon Global shipments, any tax and duty amounts are pre-calculated into the purchase price, and the buyer is guaranteed that nothing extra will be required at delivery beyond their prepayment. And sometimes, will receive a refund if tax/customs charges are less.

 

In the case you described, was your purchase an item sold BY or fulfilled BY Amazon, or an item sold ON Amazon by some third party seller and sent by that third party seller? AFAIK, the Amazon Global shipping program is mainly for items sold and/or fulfilled directly BY Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/International-Shipping-Direct/b?ie=UTF8&amp;node=230659011

About Import Fees Deposit

Edited October 2, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SurfRider]

There were four possible "shops" on Amazon that had the shoe in my size.  I chose the one with a 98% rating, the listing was similar to the "shoecity" one below - it was called "NICE KICKS" and had  good comments from customers. "NICE KICKS" is not in the available list today - hopefully that means they're out-of-stock and not out of business!
 
The actual order details are in the second image below - can't tell about the "fulfilled by" status.
 
Probably the worst news is that the tracking shows they handed it off to USPS - I had hoped that would not happen - two previous USPS shipments (not Amazon) tracked to their Chicago shipping center, then vanished from the system - presumably when they entered the Thai Postal system. They never arrived.  I had hoped to have a choice of shippers and would have used FedEX, UPS, or DHL, but no option was offered.
 
I almost chose a more expensive pair of shoes but decided to do a "test" order with a less expensive pair in the event that something went wrong - as the data compiles, it sounds like that might have been a good decision  ????
 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

45 minutes ago, SurfRider said:

 

That info above would suggest the item was NOT sold and/or shipped/fulfilled by Amazon, but rather, a third party seller who sells on the Amazon platform.  The third party sellers who handle their own shipping, AFAIK, are not part of the Amazon Global shipping program.

 

This is the kind of product listing you would see when ordering something thru Amazon Global where Amazon handles the international shipping, even when the seller is a 3rd party. It will say, "fulfilled by Amazon." It also will say "Amazon Global shipping."

 

 

Here's the portal page for Amazon's Global shipping site. Do a product search from this page to find items that can be sent via Amazon Global internationally.

 

https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=230659011

Edited October 2, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[DineshR]

 

 

SurfRider,

 

I checked for the shoe you identify in your post and though I found the same seller(NICEKICKS) as you, the model that my search showed (Amazon US site) is as shown the screen shot above (There are 2 screen shots ... I am referring to the 2nd screen shot).

It's a MT410LV5 vs the MT410LT5. Don't know what the difference is and also size shown is 12 vs the 12 4E... there wasn't an option to select 4E for me.

 

Nonetheless, what you need to be aware of is what is shown in the top right of the screen shot ... the shoe itself is 46.29, the shipping is 29.9 but the estimated import fees deposit is 38.15 ... this is what is inflating your total shipping cost. If you are lucky, the actual import fees will not reach 38.15 and you will be refunded the excess. The 1st screen shot shows that I am given the choice of standard shipping or expedited shipping which costs an extra $16.32 but you get it next week.

 

Seems like the main issue here is the estimated duties on shoes.

 

That said, the other interesting thing is that I can't find the your exact model nor am I able to select the 4E option.

Lastly, if you never receive the product, just contact Amazon that will give you a complete refund. There is no downside to shopping with Amazon.

 

 

[SurfRider]

  
DineshR,
 
Thanks for the information.  I've searched all over Amazon several times and did not find the detailed info that you found.  I wish I had - it would have been very helpful and I might have made a different decision.
 
Just a guess, but the key might be "4E" - that's a very wide shoe and that's what I need.  At the very beginning of the search I chose 4E, which presumably guided all additional processing.
 
Today, when I searched for the specific shoe, NICE KICKS did not even appear in the options.
 

 

 

[SurfRider]

TallGuyJohninBKK,

 
Thanks for the information you provided.  I never found anything like that.
 
Again, the key might be "4E".  The instructions I found were to choose the size option first from the drop-down list (see button below)

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, SurfRider said:

TallGuyJohninBKK,

 
Thanks for the information you provided.  I never found anything like that.
 
Again, the key might be "4E".  The instructions I found were to choose the size option first from the drop-down list (see button below)

 

 

 

 

I'm not telling you the particular size/width you want is or isn't available.

 

Just pointing you to the site where you can find what IS available via Amazon Global, and what it should look like when you're making that kind of purchase.

 

With shoes on Amazon, things always vary by size. One size is sold by one vendor. A different size is sold by a different vendor and under different terms, even though they're starting from the same basic product page.

 

For Amazon Global items, search from the website link I provided above:

 

https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=230659011

 

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In looking, it looks like Amazon does sell this item and size for U.S. delivery, but does NOT offer it as part of their Amazon Global program.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZ9IK7U/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;psc=1

 

[DineshR]

SurfRider,

 

A few other comments.

 

1. I did some checking on duties for shoes and here's what I found.

 

https://customsdutyfree.com/customs-or-import-duty-for-nike-shoes-to-thailand/

 

Bottom line is duty rate is 30% (on cost, insurance & freight - CIF) and then VAT @ 7% (on CIF + duty) ... so if for example your shoe cost $50 (Thai baht 1600) and shipping at $30 (Thai baht 960) ... customs duty would be 30% x(1600+960)= 768 baht and then VAT would be an additional 7%x(1600+960+768)= 232.96 baht ... so total import duties would be $31.28 (1000baht) (@32baht to the $)

So the Amazon estimate is pretty much spot on and I would expect to receive a small refund.

 

2. With respect to details from Amazon, with reference to the screenshots in my earlier email, note the text in blue - "Details" - under the price info. Click on "Details" to see the total price details which includes the product cost, shipping and import fees deposit. This is shown twice - once under the main product price and then a 2nd time on the right side of the frame. Anywhere you see the blue text, you can click on it for more info such as on user reviews.

 

3. I did another scenario where if you purchased the shoes and had it shipped to say, Planet Express (www.planetexpress.com) and then had it shipped from Planet Express to you, the total cost would be approximately as follows.

 

Product cost - $50 (assuming you have prime and do not pay shipping from Amazon)

Assume box size at 12"x6"x6" and weight at 2 lbs (the shoes themselves are only 12 ounces, less than a lb), then the lowest cost shipping option from Planet Express is $14.76 that takes 30 business days. If you elect USPS Priority mail (7-10 business days) the cost is $31.56 - which is pretty close to Amazon's global shipping cost at $29.90.

 

Even shipping from Planet Express, your total costs will work out to about the same price (if you use USPS) though with the cheap rate at $14.76, you could save about 340 baht (660 baht as opposed to the 1000 baht - see above calculation).

 

Just something to consider for in the future.

 

If you are worried about your current order, you might see if you could cancel the order. If you had just placed it in the last few hours, there's a good chance you could cancel the order. Then you can re-order it and have it sent through Planet Express.

 

I myself really prefer just working with Amazon because in the end the costs are about the same and if there is any problem with delivery, Amazon simply refunds the full purchase price no questions asked. And you don't have to deal with the hassles of paying the duties. It just comes to your door.

 

Good luck with your shoes.

[SurfRider]

"you might see if you could cancel the order"
  
Thanks for the information.
 
The order has already been handed off to USPS and the credit card charged.
 
Didn't you say that Planet Express uses Thai Postal?  That's exactly what I wanted to avoid, but thanks anyway.

 

I'll post further comments as I learn any good/bad news so others might avoid future problems.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 hours ago, DineshR said:

I myself really prefer just working with Amazon because in the end the costs are about the same and if there is any problem with delivery, Amazon simply refunds the full purchase price no questions asked. And you don't have to deal with the hassles of paying the duties. It just comes to your door.

 

Buying directly from Amazon U.S. as a Prime member, getting free U.S. shipping, and then paying forwarding shipping via Planet Express' airmail express service for packages under 4.5 or so Lbs. is VASTLY less expensive than buying thru Amazon Global, paying their private courier shipping fees and then added customs and VAT charges.

 

For packages under 1500 baht declared value, with Planet Express airmail express, you'll basically almost never pay any VAT or duty (under customs' small package exemption). And although PE talks about a 30 day delivery timeframe, the actual time for PE airmail express from CA to BKK usually is about two weeks, sometimes a few days less, sometimes a few days more.

 

[DineshR]

TallGuyJohninBKK .... I don't disagree. Most times, I do check the product shipping dimensions and size (along with price and duty based on customs tariff code) before deciding on whether to use Amazon or Planet Express. In my own experience, generally speaking for the same dimensions and weight, global shipping from Amazon is comparable to Planet Express after considering the add-on charges from Planet Express such as mail out fee, consolidation fee(if multiple items are being shipped) etc. I think saying that Amazon's shipping cost are VASTLY more expensive is an exaggeration particularly when shipping multiple items. On a single low dollar value item I would agree with you. A little bit more expensive yes by a few dollars but I'd much prefer that Amazon deal with the entire logistics chain including potential duties and the only thing I need to do is accept the product at my home when it arrives. One is paying for convenience and the fact that if there is a delivery problem, Amazon will rectify the problem. You don't get that assurance from Planet Express.

 

The one thing I do do with Amazon is play around with different combinations of products that I want and select the set of products (that may only be a subset of the total set of products that I want to ship over) that yields the lowest shipping/duty cost. Anything outside this set gets sent to Planet Express. 

 

On the other hand, for those items that I can either only purchase outside of Amazon or if it is much cheaper outside Amazon, then I will send those through Planet Express. I typically consolidate multiple shipments at Planet Express before sending a package to Thailand. I try and keep the total $ value to less than $100 per package and only use either USPS or Planet Express branded post (trackable in both cases). There is a non trackable Planet Express option but I prefer to be able to see where my package is.

 

Both Amazon and Planet Express have their pluses and minuses. At the end of the day, one needs to be happy with the decision one makes. To each his own !

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Sorry, but I don't think your strategy above makes any sense at all.  I order from Amazon all the time, but I NEVER ship thru Amazon Global, as it's just unnecessarily and significantly more expensive vs. Planet Express.

 

First, there's really no advantage and a lot of disadvantage to combining multiple items into a single shipment Thailand, especially when that drives up the declared valuation. Because, Thai Customs small package exemption only applies on individual shipments valued at up to about 1500 baht. Anything above that, and you're risking unnecessarily getting hit with VAT and customs duty, in addition to paying the shipping cost. (Of course, with Amazon Global, you're ALWAYS going to pay the customs deposit fee AFAIK, regardless.)

 

With Planet Express, basically, I almost never pay any customs or VAT because I keep the package valuations low by shipping individual items. The mailout fee per package is only $2, which is insignificant. And their best deal for shipping to Thailand is their Planet Mail Express service that runs about $8-$10 per pound up to several pounds -- which is a rate that Amazon Global can't come even close to matching just on shipping fees alone, before you start adding in their added VAT and customs duty deposit.

 

Here's Planet Express's rates for a 1 Lbs package I shipped today using Planet Mail Express, with the applicable price underlined in RED. That's basically a package being handled in the U.S. by the USPS and then in Thailand delivered by Thai Post. On the other hand, you can see the corresponding rates for the private couriers that Amazon uses like FedEx and DHL (again, not including their added VAT and customs charges).

 

The pricing for the two different shipping methods (Planet Mail Express vs Amazon Global) aren't even remotely close on shipping cost alone, and then Amazon makes their service even more expensive by adding on VAT and customs deposit fees that Planet Express makes it easy to avoid.

 

As for the security/safety of Planet Express shipments, I've probably sent almost 100 thru Planet Express over the years to BKK, and thus far, never had one box go missing or even get damaged in shipment. Even Amazon couldn't have any better track record than that.

 

 

 

[SurfRider]

.
For anyone interested, I mentioned that I would report back on the order from Amazon.
 
The running shoes were shipped on Oct. 1 and arrived today (Oct 11)
 
It isn't clear who handled shipping on the Thai end.  All labels and documents indicate it was Amazon all the way, however I doubt Amazon has their own delivery service in Thailand.
 
There was a Customs document with a valuation of $150 but the value of the shoes was only $49 and the total amount charged was $113
 
I've sent a message to the 3rd party seller in an attempt to clarify the Customs duties and whatever refund is due, if any.
 
Given that my last two attempts at shipments from the States were unsuccessful (lost on the Thai end), I'm quite pleased with these results.  The estimated delivery date was between Oct. 17 and Nov. 1, but the product arrived today, Oct 11
 
I'll report later on any further information I receive on Customs, refunds, etc.
 

 

[DineshR]

@SurfRider ... thanks for the update. Wonderful you received the shoes and that too in good time. The customs valuation does not make sense. It's good you asked for some clarification. You might also want to send a message to Amazon with a copy of the customs documentation and indicate that it does not match what you were told when you ordered the product re the price, shipping cost and estimated duties. At the $150 valuation and @30% duties, you will definitely not get any of the estimated duty deposit back. But at the original Amazon pricing, you should receive a small amount back. You should highlight this to Amazon.

 

@TallGuyJohninBKK ... w.r.t your earlier email .... as I mentioned to you in a prior post, I did not disagree with you. My strategy is based on my objectives - i.e. getting product delivered to me at a reasonable cost in a timely manner and with certainty of delivery. As I said, I am willing to pay a few bucks more to meet these objectives. Lowest possible cost has never been my ultimate objective. Your strategy is obviously to get the lowest cost possible. 

[SurfRider]

. 

I thought everything was good, but now I find out there's more to the story.

  

I attempted to ask Amazon about the $64 charge for shipping an item that cost only $49, but they referred me to the seller.  The seller claims there was a charge for something called "Endicia Insured", but didn't say what that is, nor would they give me the actual shipping cost.  There was no mention of insurance in the original sellers order form, nor did I request any insurance.  They made a point that they don't include or pay Customs and/or Tax charges and those are the responsibility of the buyer.  From the Customs document that was included with the package, there apparently was no Customs Duty charged.   

 

Assuming a shipping charge of approximately $30 that was referenced earlier in this thread for a similar order, that would indicate that around $34 was charged for "insurance" - that's a overcharge of 70% for insurance that was not needed nor requested.  Probably not yet worthy of the tag "scam" but suspicious.

 

I'm attempting to report the issue to Amazon but haven't been able to find any way of contacting them directly.  So far, only a list of publications on "How to Contact Amazon"  (Sold by Amazon, of course ???? )

.  .  . 

 

 

 

 

[DineshR]

@SurfRider ... I think the answer to your question was answered by TallGuyJohninBKK on Oct 2. The shoes you ordered were from a 3rd party seller and hence not part of the Amazon shipping program where you might receive refunds on the estimated duties paid upfront. In the case of the 3rd party seller, I do not believe you will get a refund ... which is why Amazon referred you to the seller with your query.  So, please ignore my earlier response to you regarding contacting Amazon for clarification. I've never had this problem since I have never bought anything through a third party seller on Amazon but only with Amazon shipping which is why I have always got refunds on the estimated duties. Hope this helps. Apologies for the confusion I might have created with my earlier post.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 10/13/2018 at 11:22 AM, SurfRider said:

. 

I thought everything was good, but now I find out there's more to the story.

  

I attempted to ask Amazon about the $64 charge for shipping an item that cost only $49, but they referred me to the seller.  The seller claims there was a charge for something called "Endicia Insured", but didn't say what that is, nor would they give me the actual shipping cost.

 

 

I think I've seen the name "Endicia" before on the postage labels for some of the stuff I've received here. See below. I would assume, Endicia was the shipper service used by your 3rd party Amazon seller.

 

https://www.endicia.com/

 

Endicia offers online postage, mailing and shipping solutions for online sellers, warehouse shippers, home and office mailers.

Edited October 14, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK