Jimlim Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Hello there good folks of the expat community. I am in need of your feedback, guidance & hopefully good advice from ya'll about shipping my stuff from America to Thailand. Specifically, my personal car & few hard to find tools. I heard, the Thai custom will tarrif tax me for the same value of my car. Therefore, it would not be a good option to bring anything. Did anyone else had experience shipping their personal items into Thailand. Should I forget about shipping anything to Thailand? Thank you so much.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post onera1961 Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Jimlim said: shipping my stuff from America to Thailand. Specifically, my personal car & few hard to find tools. Thailand is left hand drive, hence, the steering is on the opposite side of American cars. American cars will be kind of awkward to drive. Why don't you sell your car and buy a used one in Thailand? What hard to find tools? If you can list them, members may suggest if they are available in Thailand or not. Edited March 25, 2019 by onera1961 6 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimSaints Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Not hard to find stuff here - quality can be of lower value tho but that's mostly the case of bags, shoes, clothes, home appliances and other electrics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post quandow Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 Don't bring your car. Driving here is dangerous enough without driving from the wrong side of the vehicle. You run the chance of tariffs any time you bring in anything. I brought in a bicycle I had honestly purchased in Thailand, brought to the states for an extended stay, them brought back. I had a devil of a time convincing them I bought it in Pattaya. You can most likely get any tools or electronic gadgets here. DO bring a positive attitude and make up your OWN mind from your OWN experience after you've been here. Thailand isn't for everybody, and you'll find out soon enough if you and Thailand are a good fit. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Langsuan Man Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 Well your hard to find tools had better be 220 Volts. There has never been a tool that I needed here that I couldn't find in one of the many DIY stores in Thailand Forget the car. Full stop. No matter what you think it is worth Customs is going to think it is 10 times more valuable and the commensurate amount of duty will follow. You either pay it quickly, or spend a fortune in Customs House storage. It is not subject to appeal. The Royal Thai Customs Officer that is assigned to your shipment makes the determination. If the car is any good condition they will make the import duty so high that you will have to abandon it and then someone from Customs get's it , at auction, for a pittance. It's really a crap shoot but a car is automatically a problem that can effect the rest of the shipment Household goods can sneak in with little or no duty so long as your shipping company's expediter is willing to pass a brown envelope or you could be lucky and have it sail through with not even a nod. You feeling lucky ? 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Kelsall Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 Sell everything except for laptop and clothes. Show up with only two suitcases of stuff. We drive on the left side of the road here so your US car will not work. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rabas Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Kelsall said: Sell everything except for laptop and clothes. Show up with only two suitcases of stuff. We drive on the left side of the road here so your US car will not work. Well, they attempt to drive on the left, sometimes. But, yes your car would not work out well and learning to drive here on the wrong side, with a wrong sided car would be dangerous. Are you coming to work, and do you have a work permit? Some time ago they had a rule that IF you are moving here to work, and have a work permit, you could bring in one container duty free but work permit paperwork had to be approved prior to clearance from customs. You can contact the Thai Embassy in the US for custom details. Tools, it's easy to find a 230 to 120 volt transformer, I sill have some 120 volt items after 35 years here. Edited March 25, 2019 by rabas 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocddave Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) I would just buy a car here, and don't buy expensive, not worth it (everyone and his cousin will crash into you anyway). I went with a small hatchback, that way I can park it anywhere, and lower the seats to transport anything larger. I also made sure to buy the newest smartphone, and newest most powerful business laptop I could before I left. I also made sure to buy as much clothes as I needed to make it here, especially in the heat, the selection here is lacking, at least for me. Everything else I get in care packages from my brother in the US, never been taxed a penny, but sometimes get hit with a fee based on package weight (maybe 1 out of 30 packages - never more than 800 baht). The vehicles really are better bought here, I have a car, big bike, and scooter, all brand new and all together costs me about 1,000,000 baht.....not bad, and I'm happy. If I splurge on a vehicle next time, I might go with a Mazada CX-3 or CX-5, but really overkill, best bet would be a simple fuel efficient hatchback (Honda JAZZ RS or in my case a Toyota Yaris TRD). Tools I bought here, nothing big, simple decent 120 pc automotive handset from Blue-Point (plus misc tools), and my beloved Dremel tools!!! Edited March 25, 2019 by ocddave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelsall Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 10 minutes ago, rabas said: Well, they attempt to drive on the left, sometimes. But, yes your car would not work out well and learning to drive here on the wrong side, with a wrong sided car would be dangerous. Are you coming to work, and do you have a work permit? Some time ago they had a rule that IF you are moving here to work, and have a work permit, you could bring in one container duty free but work permit paperwork had to be approved prior to clearance from customs. You can contact the Thai Embassy in the US for custom details. Tools, it's easy to find a 230 to 120 volt transformer, I sill have some 120 volt items after 35 years here. BTW, where's a good place to find a good 230 to 120 V transformer? I could use one myself. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattd Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 8 minutes ago, Kelsall said: BTW, where's a good place to find a good 230 to 120 V transformer? I could use one myself. Depending on the electrical item to be transformed, then also be aware of the frequency difference between here and USA. If it isn't dual frequency and involves a motor, then it will spin slower here. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabas Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 15 minutes ago, Kelsall said: BTW, where's a good place to find a good 230 to 120 V transformer? I could use one myself. I bought mine long ago in an old electronics district not far from Chinatown but I would not look there now. Google "Thailand 230 120 volt step down transformer" shows several leads, I see 300 watt 1000 watt, and larger. Many come with a wonderful dead man's cord with male plugs on both ends. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GinBoy2 Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) Ditto'ing many of the other comments. Don't bring your car. It's horrendously dangerous to drive in Thailand at the best of times, let alone driving a car designed for the right hand driving. Recipe for sudden death! And again, the duty they will apply to the import will be ridiculous. Sell up and buy something in Thailand. However prepare yourself for sticker shock. You could probably go and buy yourself a pretty decent used vehicle in the US for $7k, or less. That just ain't gonna happen in Thailand. The used market is horrible, and cars are very often extremely poorly maintained. Bite the bullet and buy something new, and make sure you maintain it at the dealership Edited March 25, 2019 by GinBoy2 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ocddave Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said: However prepare yourself for sticker shock. You could probably go and buy yourself a pretty decent used vehicle in the US for $7k, or less. That just ain't gonna happen in Thailand. The used market is horrible, and cars are very often extremely poorly maintained. Bite the bullet a buy something new, and make sure you maintain it at the dealership Ditto.....don't buy a used car from a Thai, even my wife warned me on that one. Just buy new and take care of it.....sticker shock was why i went with a cheap hatchback....LOL Edited March 25, 2019 by ocddave 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Kelsall Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 4 minutes ago, ocddave said: Ditto.....don't by a used car from a Thai, even my wife warned me on that one. Just buy new and take care of it.....sticker shock was why i went with a cheap hatchback....LOL I learned this the hard way. Now I have a car that I purchased new and I love it. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lacessit Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 Waste of time and money bringing a car here. Go to Myanmar if you want to drive on the right-hand side. Sell up everything, include converting property to cash. You don't want to be maintaining property in the US from Thailand. Leave 80% of your cash and investments in the US. The worst mistake you can make is to bring all your assets to Thailand. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post attrayant Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 I was lucky to move here with my Thai spouse (we got married in the states). Since he had been in the USA for a few years, he was permitted to bring back all his personal possessions into Thailand and avoid import fees, so we brought over most everything that was not too big. No sofas, no beds and nothing too heavy. However, I would not do it again if I had the chance for two reasons: 1. The Thai shipping company's up-front quote seemed reasonable at about $2700 but after taking all our stuff away they notified us about lots of added "repacking" charges. When the items finally arrived in Thailand (about 2-3 months later), I did not see any difference in packing. Everything appeared to be packed as I had originally packed it with the exception of a few items (like tabletops and mirrors) getting wrapped up in extra padding. Not sure that justified an extra $2000 in charges, but in the end I was on the hook for $5000 to move the contents of a small one-bedroom condo. 2. About half of everything I brought over still sits in boxes in the spare room eight years later. Obviously my attachment to these things was purely emotional, not material. Power tools are plentiful and cheap here, and of decent quality. China is right next door, where most of America's tools probably come from anyway. I can not imagine why anyone would want to bring a car here. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onera1961 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) Recently bought an iPhone 8 plus (Amazon refurbished). With customs, and shipping it is almost 20K. Brand new one sells for 28K in Pattaya. My GF does not know it's refurbished. She thinks it's a brand new. But she complained it does not have original box. I told her in America nobody can sell old model iPhone in original box. Edited March 25, 2019 by onera1961 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanoshi Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Being a returning Thai national you should be exempt of customs tax for personal household items. Shipping is still expensive though - just as cheap to sell in US and buy new here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiChakayan Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Been here about 6 years altogether now. If I had to make that decision now I definitely, wouldn't come to Thailand. Being settled in I can survive, but just... Please don't underestimate how dangerously xenophobic this place is. And yesterday's election was just a bit bit of tightening of the lid of the pressure cooker. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocddave Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 2 minutes ago, Lacessit said: Waste of time and money bringing a car here. Go to Myanmar if you want to drive on the right-hand side. Sell up everything, include converting property to cash. You don't want to be maintaining property in the US from Thailand. Leave 80% of your cash and investments in the US. The worst mistake you can make is to bring all your assets to Thailand. I have my brother maintaining my home in the US, so far so good, you just need someone you can trust, or a management service to handle your properties. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanoshi Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 1 minute ago, KiChakayan said: Been here about 6 years altogether now. If I had to make that decision now I definitely, wouldn't come to Thailand. Being settled in I can survive, but just... Please don't underestimate how dangerously xenophobic this place is. And yesterday's election was just a bit bit of tightening of the lid of the pressure cooker. The OP is a Thai national. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocddave Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 1 minute ago, KiChakayan said: Been here about 6 years altogether now. If I had to make that decision now I definitely, wouldn't come to Thailand. Being settled in I can survive, but just... Please don't underestimate how dangerously xenophobic this place is. And yesterday's election was just a bit bit of tightening of the lid of the pressure cooker. I would definitely rethink moving here also, especially under the current circumstances! Like you though, I am here for the duration.....so have to cope with whatever comes our way, at least until we can't anymore, then maybe move back....which is why I keep my house in the US. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onera1961 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, ocddave said: I have my brother maintaining my home in the US, so far so good, you just need someone you can trust, or a management service to handle your properties. In most communities, the city will fine you for not cutting your grass. You cannot ask post office to stop your junk mail forever. I asked my friend to visit my house once a month, at least, to check it out. He has to hire a guy (his son) every month to cut my grasses. I sold the house and bought a condo in Las Vegas. No more grass cutting or other maintenance problem. Edited March 25, 2019 by onera1961 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ocddave Posted March 25, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 8 minutes ago, onera1961 said: In most communities, they the city will fine you for not cutting your grass. You cannot ask post office to stop your junk mail forever. I asked my friend to visit my house once a month, at least, to check it out. He has to hire a guy (his son) every month to cut my grasses. I sold the house and bought a condo in Las Vegas. No more grass cutting or other maintenance problem. My brother lives in my home, so he better be mowing the lawn ???? Plus he handles all the mail, he scans anything important to a Server I setup at my house in the US, I just access it from here when I need to, I can also send back important documents to the server and print them on a Laser Printer at my home in the US for him to work with, if need be. Believe me, I covered all my bases before I left, thank God for Technology ???? Edited March 25, 2019 by ocddave 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onera1961 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, ocddave said: which is why I keep my house in the US. Keeping a place to stay in the US is kind of empowering for me with a "don't care" attitude with immigration. I will never buy a condo in Thailand. I am happy with my rental condo that I maintain for the whole year though I live only for 6-month in Thailand. I may buy a car in the future but I did not feel the need so far as Grab is working OK so far in Pattaya. I bought a motor cycle to run around. And that is my only possession in Thailand. I can leave everything behind if they ever deny me entry. Edited March 25, 2019 by onera1961 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onera1961 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 8 minutes ago, ocddave said: My brother lives in my home, so he better be mowing the lawn ???? Plus he handles all the mail, he scans anything important to a Server I setup at my house in the US, I just access it from here when I need to, I can also send back important documents to the server and print them on a Laser Printer at my home in the US for him to work with, if need be. Believe me, I covered all my bases before I left, thank God for Technology If you find a family member to live, it is the best option. But many people may not have the same choice. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocddave Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 5 minutes ago, onera1961 said: Keeping a place to stay in the US is kind of empowering for me with a "don't care" attitude with immigration. I will never buy a condo in Thailand. I am happy with my rental condo that I maintain for the whole year though I live only for 6-month in Thailand. I may buy a car in the future but I did not feel the need so far as Grab is working OK so far in Pattaya. I bought a motor cycle to run around. And that is my only possession in Thailand. I can leave everything behind if they ever deny me entry. Yes, keeping the house gives a connection back home, and makes it easier to move back. My wife would be the hardest to get back to the US (not super hard), as she is still Thai, our daughter is all set now, has her Certificate of Birth Abroad, SS Number, and a passport now. I leave everything we bought here in my wifes name only, the only thing I keep in my name now is the new bank account for immigration purposes (400-800K baht). She has a pretty good footprint here financially, so we have choices, though for now its best for the family to stay here.....so we are working on making things better here, hopefully we wont be heading back to the US. But I will keep the house in the US for the time being unless my brother decides to move elsewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ba ba Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I would not ship my self to thailand after living here on and off for 15 years, 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arithai12 Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Don't bring your car. But maybe don't sell it right away either. You sound like you don't know Thailand very well (or you wouldn't ask the question), if that is the case you'd better not burn all bridges behind you. Try to live here 6 months first, then you may know better. As for electrical tools, they already told you about the voltage, keep in mind that also the frequency is different (50 vs 60 Hz), so anything that depends on that, like e.g. a corded alarm clock, will not work. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCC1701A Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 2 hours ago, Jimlim said: Should I forget about shipping anything to Thailand? assuming you are retiring, sell all your stuff and put 800,000 baht in a Thai bank to satisfy Thai immigration. then you will be happy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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