Shipping PC from the US - FedEx or DHL?

[watthong]

I have a used desktop PC that I want to ship from USA. Cost of shipping: FedEx or DHL is about 200 USD (Fedex is a bit under, DHL over). Value of item: 200 USD. The SD import duty calculator shows the attached screenshot. Result shows that I will have to pay near 900 baht for VAT only, duty is 0. Plus 200 for disbursement fee  to go to the courier I am looking at roughly 1100 baht to clear custom. Is this calculation correct? 

I did read the recent thread 

 

which discussed mainly DHL. So I wonder if anyone fared better on FedEX? Normally I would go with USPS but in this case the shipping is over 500 usd (weight 40 lbs). Ouch. Looking forward any input/advice to decide whether I should ship this PC at all, thank you much in advance.

[OneMoreFarang]

You pay duty on the value of the item and freight cost.

So if the value is 200 USD and freight is 200 USD you pay duty on 400 USD. How much that is will vary depending on the mood of the customs officer on that day.

There are lots of horror stories in this forum. 

My advice: Sell that PC in the USA and buy another one here. It will probably save you money and for sure it will be less headache. 

[ohyesiam]

A few years ago I paid 21 US dollars to receive $140 tablet from amazon.com so it was $161 all in. On the other hand, with a used computer the only really cherishable items maybe the hard drive or drives which may be worth shipping. Most of the rest will be pretty much dead weight that you can replace here quite easily, especially the case fan/power supply. FYI any hard drives that come in as used can be subjected to deep scan, so if you have any serial numbers and passwords and banking information on them it's accessible; that said I'm sure they got better things to do than to look at your bank information lol.

[asiacurious]

16 minutes ago, ohyesiam said:

A few years ago I paid 21 US dollars to receive $140 tablet from amazon.com so it was $161 all in. On the other hand, with a used computer the only really cherishable items maybe the hard drive or drives which may be worth shipping. Most of the rest will be pretty much dead weight that you can replace here quite easily, especially the case fan/power supply. FYI any hard drives that come in as used can be subjected to deep scan, so if you have any serial numbers and passwords and banking information on them it's accessible; that said I'm sure they got better things to do than to look at your bank information lol.

 

Also, hard drives don't last forever, and there's no guarantee of the hard drive making it here with data intact.  (Or if he shipped the whole PC, that the PC makes it here intact.)

 

If it is only after the data he's after, best might be to have a friend connect the computer to the internet, then use remote access software (like Teamviewer or Chrome remote desktop) to connect to it, and then use something like Dropbox, Google Drive, MS One Drive, iCloud... and upload all the data and then download it here to a local drive.  That's probably the easiest, cheapest (free!) and safest way to do it.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Could you store all of your important things in Dropbox or similar cloud storage service and then buy an inexpensive PC here to access it? Might be easier and cheaper.

[Thomas J]

Why would you ship a used desktop from the USA?  You can certainly purchase a brand new one with far better speed and a warranty for the cost of shipping and import duties. 

If there is data on the old desktop either send the hard drive only or have someone upload it to the cloud and you can download it here. 

[chalawaan]

I bought a new pixelbook on US Amazon, they handle all the duty etc with the govt, and include a pre-paid duty in the shipping costs, there was no BS overcharging, I got USD $90 refund on the duty, I cant recall the actual charges now,  but I was blown away at the Amazon refund, so that's the way to go.

 

The stuff arrived early January this year.

[watthong]

51 minutes ago, ohyesiam said:

with a used computer the only really cherishable items maybe the hard drive or drives which may be worth shipping. Most of the rest will be pretty much dead weight that you can replace here quite easily, especially the case fan/power supply.

 

The used PC got impressive hardware for editing purpose (CPU, RAM & GPU) which the reason I would pay 200 (but not 500) for shipping, and built like a tank. Maybe a trip to Zeer in Rangsit (in Bangkok)  would land something that I can use for the same amount of money...

[CharlieH]

Niot economically viable, if the contents are important, post HD.

 

Buy here.

[Crossy]

PCs "should" be zero rated for duty, so you ought to just get charged VAT at 7% on the CIF value.

 

But in all honesty, I'd just get a machine here unless it's really top end.

 

Either way don't just ship it, the expansion boards won't be well enough supported, you need to get it stripped and the boards individually bubble-wrapped. Maybe just send the mainboard, HDD (make a backup first) and GPU then buy a box and PSU here.

 

 

[vinci]

I assume you know nothing about comp hardware or else you wouldn't suggest shipping your computer here, don't do it, buy a new or built your own here.

[VocalNeal]

Dump important stuff onto SSD. Get new when arrive.

[asiacurious]

30 minutes ago, Crossy said:

PCs "should" be zero rated for duty, so you ought to just get charged VAT at 7% on the CIF value.

 

But in all honesty, I'd just get a machine here unless it's really top end.

 

Either way don't just ship it, the expansion boards won't be well enough supported, you need to get it stripped and the boards individually bubble-wrapped. Maybe just send the mainboard, HDD (make a backup first) and GPU then buy a box and PSU here.

 

I'd definitely Mylar and wrap the GPU separately.  The CPU and memory are probably fine in place.  

 

The idea about buying anew box/PSU here is a good one.  Much less weight.  Also, shipping a few old used components won't likely incur the same kind of attention with customs (and resulting tariffs) as a complete system.

 

I'd still backup the drive and get a new drive here.  It cuts weight, gives you a refreshed drive (they don't last forever!) and keeps your data safe.  You could even image the drive and then transfer that image here over the cloud and avoid the whole re-installation thing.   (Though I would suggest also doing a separately backup of files in case the image fails.)  As an extra added bonus, keeping your old HD overseas means you've got a serious off-site backup!

[watthong]

Thank you everybody for advice and input so far. Much appreciated. I dropped by Seacon today and window-shopped some. A small Dell desktop ("refurbished") with an Intel i5 4th gen and 8G ram (4x2) costs 9000 baht. Another 2000 baht if I want to up the ram to 16G (8x2). GPU has measly 1G ram. Flimsy build. Basic editing gig but not much more for around 300 usd.

Now if I shipped the used one from home, 200 shipping with what ever duty tax thrown on top, how would that compare? Still waiting to know if anyone has shipped electronics via FedEx and how they got "treated." In the meantime, I am not making any move, except going to look around some more at refurbishing shops. Again thank you all for looking in.

[daviddunham]

There are 2 apple stores here. Macs last, PCs (including sh_t software) do not.

[mtls2005]

 

 

On 6/17/2021 at 11:25 PM, watthong said:

how would that compare?

 

What is the spec on the machine in the U.S.?

 

 

Piling on: it's nuts to ship a PC from the U.S. to here, but it's a big world and takes all kinds. Maybe go for it, then let us know how it worked out for you.

 

 

[Sundown]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:49 PM, watthong said:

 

The used PC got impressive hardware for editing purpose (CPU, RAM & GPU) which the reason I would pay 200 (but not 500) for shipping, and built like a tank. Maybe a trip to Zeer in Rangsit (in Bangkok)  would land something that I can use for the same amount of money...

You always get what you pay for 99% of the times unless the seller is some kind of generous individual (hint: he is not) a 200 dollar impressive hardware for editing you can forget it. With 200 dollars you barely buy a 2nd hand <deleted> hardware for email and browsing. Did you ask him if it's working? Mind you mentioning the specs?

[NCC1701A]

what video editing software are you using?

 

i was a editor for 40 years. i am sure you know it takes a fairly expensive machine to play out a 4k timeline or to render effects in real time. 

 

the flip side to that is I use Davinci Resolve and like Avid and Premiere is a professional software suite which, incredibly, is free. 

and a note book computer that is under powered for the task. i7, 32 gig ram, not much of a GPU and I can edit 1080P using external drives on USB 3.0. Or 4k with some stalling. 

 

how much to build a replacement machine like your used computer?

 

 

 

 

[rabas]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:59 PM, Crossy said:

PCs "should" be zero rated for duty, so you ought to just get charged VAT at 7% on the CIF value.

 

This has been my understanding. Over the last few years I've imported high-end mainboards, gpus, and other parts about 20 times. I shipped by post or EMS from many countries and was never asked to pay import duty. I pay VAT about half the time. 2-3kg items sometimes come directly to the house, in which case I was not changed VAT. I do pay VAT when told to pick the item up at the PO. Thailand Post flips a coin to decide.

 

I don't know about FedEx. Ebay's global shipping program always asks for hefty up front import duties for Thailand that don't exist. 

 

You might call DHL and explain there is no import duty on computer items and ask what to do. The advantage of a postal service is you pay actual duty on arrival.  Unfortunately, the USPS suspended international services to Thailand on May 25, 2021.

 

[watthong]

9 minutes ago, rabas said:

Unfortunately, the USPS suspended international services to Thailand on May, 25, 2021.

 

 

Thanks, I too normally use the good old USPS, all went fine, only one time out of dozens of times that I was called to Bangkok Custom house (to be flayed.) The shipping cost for this desktop by USPS is 900 plus usd due to its weight (40 lbs.) and the service was still available when I checked on it last week. I didn't know about the May 25 shipping suspension of USPS services to Thailand.

[rabas]

3 minutes ago, watthong said:

 

Thanks, I too normally use the good old USPS, all went fine, only one time out of dozens of times that I was called to Bangkok Custom house (to be flayed.) The shipping cost for this desktop by USPS is 900 plus usd due to its weight (40 lbs.) and the service was still available when I checked on it last week. I didn't know about the May 25 shipping suspension of USPS services to Thailand.

 

Oops,The May 25, 2021 notice seems to be a warning here. Under Thailand it says.

 

"Thailand’s post advises that cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among operating staff handling inbound letter-post items at the Laksi mail processing center. Quarantine and other public health measures have been implemented at the facility, resulting in a reduction in the workforce. Delays are expected in processing, customs clearance and delivery of all inbound letter-post services destined for Thailand. A backlog resulting from the temporary closure of the Suvarnabhumi Office of Exchange has been cleared and operations there have returned to normal."

[rabas]

24 minutes ago, watthong said:

 

Thanks, I too normally use the good old USPS, all went fine, only one time out of dozens of times that I was called to Bangkok Custom house (to be flayed.) The shipping cost for this desktop by USPS is 900 plus usd due to its weight (40 lbs.) and the service was still available when I checked on it last week. I didn't know about the May 25 shipping suspension of USPS services to Thailand.

USPS belongs to the International EMS consortium but they keep it low profile and don't use the name. 

 

Here is a hard to find  page listing every USPS service, look at Priority Mail International or Priority Mail Express International. The price of a 40lb package is $225 and $275 respectively. I have used these before when buying computer items from the US.

 

[watthong]

10 minutes ago, rabas said:

USPS belongs to the International EMS consortium but they keep it low profile and don't use the name. 

 

Here is a hard to find  page listing every USPS service, look at Priority Mail International or Priority Mail Express International. The price of a 40lb package is $225 and $275 respectively. I have used these before when buying computer items from the US.

 

 Thank you so much for the info. I'm writing an PM to you, will send it shortly (need to get a screen grab of the shipping fees I was telling you about.)

[watthong]

24 minutes ago, rabas said:

Here is a hard to find  page listing every USPS service, look at Priority Mail International or Priority Mail Express International. The price of a 40lb package is $225 and $275 respectively. I have used these before when buying computer items from the US.

 

 PM sent

[PadPrikKhing]

I had a similar discussion (about getting a PC to Thailand) with some people on Reddit, and more than one guy chimed in to say that he had no trouble just bringing his PC as checked luggage, just like a photographer would bring his tripod and gear or whatever. Why isn't that talked about as an option in this thread? OP is already in Thailand and trying to get the PC there after the fact?

[kynikoi]

Just walk in the main board and the RAM with you on the plane. PC is prolly worthless anyway. Buy a new case and PS for 1500. Upgrade to SSD.

[watthong]

Mod, what is forum policy regarding folks just signed up so they can post nefarious-looking website, and any means to pre-vet those sites before us unwittingly clicking on it?

[metisdead]

1 minute ago, watthong said:

Mod, what is forum policy regarding folks just signed up so they can post nefarious-looking website, and any means to pre-vet those sites before us unwittingly clicking on it?

 

You can use the Report button to report that kind of content. 

[johng]

On 6/29/2021 at 8:46 AM, PadPrikKhing said:

no trouble just bringing his PC as checked luggage

yes I did that myself  kept the hard drives in hand luggage just in case my suitcase got lost.

[smedly]

On 6/17/2021 at 11:25 PM, watthong said:

A small Dell desktop ("refurbished") with an Intel i5 4th gen and 8G ram (4x2) costs 9000 baht.

how did you end up

 

never buy a branded PC they are ####, build your own and select the specs best suited for your needs - I have built all my PC's for years and work out very cheap and I put in there what I want and if I need an upgrade real easy to do