Thai Customs Rant

[1FinickyOne]

15 hours ago, G Rex said:

the vendors understated the price of the item (

why would they do that? Was it at your request?

[Golden Triangle]

39 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Been said countless times, where possible avoid couriers on dutiable items.

Stick with the Post Office, you may still get charged but there wont be any "fees" .

 

 

 

When having stuff sent from the UK I would normally ask the sender whether it be family or friend to use the Post Office Track & Trace, on this occasion it's the actual manufacturer - Bremont, they ship world wide, so I have to go with the flow with this one I think. 

[spidermike007]

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it's you who thinks that you're a law unto yourself, it's your purchase that contravened the law by having it's value wrongly quoted.   Don't rant at Customs or DHL.  Jesus...

 

By the way duty, VAT and the DHL charge is normal, nothing to do with your illegally undervalued item.

Not a reasonable comment. When customs is out of control, import taxes make no sense, and the division is a law unto itself, we are forced to cheat. Everyone does it. Being honest with customs makes no sense. So, this is not about morality. If anything, the lack of morality is with the customs office. 

[clivebaxter]

At our last condo there was a bloke who had a relatively top job at docks customs on about 40k a month. Owned 4 condos and several large and expensive cars, must have been a hard worker ????

[ronster]

I avoid and tell everyone to avoid DHL like the plague . Always get crazy charges added .

I was told before they actually have a contract with the customs here to charge high taxes etc as part of it goes to customs or government as a nice earner for doing nothing .

[1DegreeN]

If goods are imported via post, e.g. via EMS, then if the total value incl shipping is less than 40,000 baht, and no inspection is required i.e. customs know what the goods are and what tariff is applied, then the Post Office can deliver to you but you still need to pay the import duty and VAT. Otherwise i.e. goods are too high value or need to be inspected, you have to go to the nearest customs house to have the goods inspected and pay the import duties and VAT. For goods purchased from ASEAN countries there is a trade agreement - see https://www.thailandntr.com/en/goods/tariff

I've had to go to the customs house 3 times to collect items sent via EMS and each time the customs officers were friendly and polite and I was always charged the correct duty according to the tariff (my stuff was bought from HK). 

I've had just one experience with DHL which was a few months ago. They had staff shortages due to COVID and it took much longer than it should but they cleared customs on the day of arrival, the import tariff and VAT were the correct rates and their own charges were clearly listed. Yes, they were much more than the 20 baht fee I would pay at the post office but they delivered to my door and I didn't have to drive 2 hours to the customs house and spend half a day there.

[LivinLOS]

You tried to cheat.. Got caught.. and your feeling hard done by.. 

By all means treat it as a game, I do too (items declared at 1 USD, with a invoice for 1 USD and a paypal payment to a seller for 1 USD.. They still wont accept the full paper trail) but when you play the game dont cry when you lose.. 

If you had paid with credit card (not debit) you can tell them to go whistle and claim non receipt of the goods.. 

 

Also of note.. I also bought a carplay android auto dasaita android head unit from china.. no tax.. I thought china had a special deal, I have never had tax on chinese packages and must have had 30 in the last few months. 

 

[Sydebolle]

Got shafted nicely by the same institution of highway robbery services.

a) NEVER, repeat NEVER ever use DHL for anything like that, they skin you alive
b) let the shipment be sent back to China, do not accept it. Like that everyone in the line can stuff it up wherever they want
c) use Chinapost, UPS or Fedex instead - just avoid DHL! 

[G Rex]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

You tried to cheat.. Got caught.. and your feeling hard done by.. 

By all means treat it as a game, I do too (items declared at 1 USD, with a invoice for 1 USD and a paypal payment to a seller for 1 USD.. They still wont accept the full paper trail) but when you play the game dont cry when you lose.. 

If you had paid with credit card (not debit) you can tell them to go whistle and claim non receipt of the goods.. 

 

Also of note.. I also bought a carplay android auto dasaita android head unit from china.. no tax.. I thought china had a special deal, I have never had tax on chinese packages and must have had 30 in the last few months. 

 

No I did not try to cheat.  I did not ask vendor to underestimate value of item. I had no choice with delivery - it was organised by vendor.

I paid with PayPal, which is funded from a credit card - so I could charge back on the item if I want to make things messy - but I've put my big boy pants on, sucked it up, paid my not insubstantial fees and should receive the item tomorrow

 

I have learnt about the perils of DHL ( I like the Documents Handled Lost moniker!)

 

My next rant will be about some of the opinionated judgemental illegitimates on AN...  

[unblocktheplanet]

19 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

Out of pure curiosity just  how much does a pulsating gear shift  knob actually  cost?

Is this for the wife???

[Nojohndoe]

9 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Is this for the wife???

No. Nor  for  me neither!

[PMEL]

You do realize that 3/4; or, more of the stuff sold on Lazada now ships from China.  If you are going to order anything from China go with the local "vendor".  All those problems/costs will be included in the price.  Lazada may have been sourcing from China for a long time; but, I just noticed it in the past six months; or, so.  

[VocalNeal]

19 hours ago, G Rex said:

DHL contacted me

There's your of someone's mistake. DHL is not as bad as Fed|Ex or UPS but they all have a license/permit to collect duty. So Guess what?

[NightSky]

20 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

 

Out of pure curiosity just  how much does a pulsating gear shift  knob actually  cost?

I heard from a friend once that the ones moulded to resemble a male genitalia and that flash red and green in the tip are the more expensive ones..

 

I emphasize ‘friend told me’

[Headgame]

DHL is really no different than FedEx and other major shippers. Neither charge VAT or duty but collect those charges as assessed by TH Customs. I never make an international purchase without using the Import Duty Calculator online to calculate both duty and VAT. It is almost always spot on. The only variable will be the DHL processing fee. With many international sellers you have no choice regarding shipping services.

 

Purchases from Lazada and Shopee from CN sellers always are imported duty VAT free. AliExpress is not. Most often CN sellers will purposely value under 1,200 THB which will enter TH duty / VAT free.

[placnx]

21 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it's you who thinks that you're a law unto yourself, it's your purchase that contravened the law by having it's value wrongly quoted.   Don't rant at Customs or DHL.  Jesus...

 

By the way duty, VAT and the DHL charge is normal, nothing to do with your illegally undervalued item.

This charging VAT on international online purchases by Thailand is new. The idea is for VAT to be billed to purchaser, then paid by the foreign selling company to Thailand. 

 

I just ordered toothbrushes from Amazon US, and before they left the US the transporter announced that they couldn't be sent and were being returned to Amazon. I'm not sure whether this has to do with the new VAT rule, though.

 

Is it fair in an online purchase to blame the purchaser for misstatements by the sender?

[placnx]

21 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You only think that you have cracked it.  Threatening DHL and the Customs Dept. after breaking the law won't help your case and they certainly won't give in and let you have the items just because of that threat.   They won't give a toss.   DHL probably won't return the item to the seller either, more than likely they will record it as delivery not accepted as a result of your refusal to pay import duty (paying that is your sole responsibility) so the chances of your getting your money refunded that way aren't good.

 

Hope you feel even better now.

I have ordered some stuff through Amazon US where they added to the price a provision for customs duty, and they refunded later. This item from China must have seemed too pricey for the value claimed.

[3STTW]

I'm going to come out in favor of DHL, I had one bad experience with them and I took that up with their HQ in Germany - everything got sorted out and the cost of shipping was refunded in full.

 

Since then, I found them prompt, fair and responsive. Yes, they can be a bit expensive but if you want something on a certain deadline, they pull the stops out. I always prepay the tax through their web app and everything is smooth as silk.

 

I'm fairly sure that most of the major couriers in TH are not actual branches of their respective companies; they're agents who are licensed to operate on their behalf. As such, you can expect the same type of shenanigans that get with any other local cowboy.

 

FedEx have been okay-ish, if a little slow and they tend to punt out their deliveries to third-party drivers for the last leg.

 

UPS on the other hand are in a different league, the local defamation laws preclude me from going into details but, if you ever get a call from UPS saying there's a problem with your shipment, tell them to send it back.

[Nojohndoe]

2 hours ago, NightSky said:

I heard from a friend once that the ones moulded to resemble a male genitalia and that flash red and green in the tip are the more expensive ones..

 

I emphasize ‘friend told me’

Well I guess it's nice at times to have "friends" who know the scale of the/ a market.

[Skeptic7]

23 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

Out of pure curiosity just  how much does a pulsating gear shift  knob actually  cost?

Mine was free. Came with the stock model...ME! 

[hanuman2543]

23 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it's you who thinks that you're a law unto yourself, it's your purchase that contravened the law by having it's value wrongly quoted.   Don't rant at Customs or DHL.  Jesus...

 

By the way duty, VAT and the DHL charge is normal, nothing to do with your illegally undervalued item.

Proper reading can help a lot with understanding:

"Now - because the vendors understated the price of the item ( a CarPlay & phone mirror box for my car stereo) - I am now required to pay VAT (Ok , I accept that) ,  a service fee (to DHL) , a storage fee (once again to DHL , charged daily until finally cleared) and a fine to Customs (amounting to 50% of cost of item) because of the value underestimate. "

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, placnx said:

This charging VAT on international online purchases by Thailand is new.

I don't think so. Buying on-line is no different than buying anything from an overseas business/supplier. I did that for years .  

 

The OP says he has to pay 50% of the value. Maybe he means 30% of the landed value , which includes the freight cost from DHL. Then 7% VAT on top of that. 

 

This is just another example of a lack of understanding about how the import procedure and customs clearance works when importing stuff from overseas.

[Liverpool Lou]

32 minutes ago, hanuman2543 said:

Proper reading can help a lot with understanding:

"Now - because the vendors understated the price of the item ( a CarPlay & phone mirror box for my car stereo) - I am now required to pay VAT (Ok , I accept that) ,  a service fee (to DHL) , a storage fee (once again to DHL , charged daily until finally cleared) and a fine to Customs (amounting to 50% of cost of item) because of the value underestimate. "

Thanks for confirming that he was wrong to say that Customs are a law unto themselves.  Whether it was him, or the vendor, it sure wasn't Customs fault.   Incidentally, why would any vendor (illegally) understate the value of the items unilaterally, i.e. without the buyers input?   That makes no sense?   

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, G Rex said:

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

This is a forum , so we are all entitled to our opinion & to have our say.

Umm.  I think I said that already…

Really?  I'm surprised that it registered with you.

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, G Rex said:

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

This is a forum , so we are all entitled to our opinion & to have our say.

Umm.  I think I said that already…

Note to self - ignore English Dunnies

"...ignore English Dunnies".

Take care with the insults.

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When customs is out of control, import taxes make no sense, and the division is a law unto itself, we are forced to cheat. Everyone does it. Being honest with customs makes no sense. So, this is not about morality. If anything, the lack of morality is with the customs office. 

Not a reasonable comment.    How is "Customs out of control" when it is doing everything by the book, unlike the OP/vendor? 

 

Customs Dept is not a law unto itself, unless you can say specifically why, neither is it "lacking morality" [sic].

Edited September 8, 2021 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, ronster said:

I avoid and tell everyone to avoid DHL like the plague . Always get crazy charges added .

I was told before they actually have a contract with the customs here to charge high taxes etc as part of it goes to customs or government as a nice earner for doing nothing .

"...avoid DHL like the plague. Always get crazy charges added".

Total nonsense.  DHL (and all the courier companies) are agent for the Customs Dept and collect the official duty rates and VAT plus a small admin charge that they are permitted to charge.   All charges are detailed on the delivery slip and if you are not happy with the duty rates they can be disputed with the Customs Dept.

 

"as part of it goes to customs or government as a nice earner for doing nothing"

Where else would you expect Import duty and VAT to go?   Every government charges it!

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

Got shafted nicely by the same institution of highway robbery services.

a) NEVER, repeat NEVER ever use DHL for anything like that, they skin you alive
b) let the shipment be sent back to China, do not accept it. Like that everyone in the line can stuff it up wherever they want
c) use Chinapost, UPS or Fedex instead - just avoid DHL! 

DHL charge official import duty and VAT rates for dutiable items, if you don't agree with the charge it can be disputed with Customs.   UPS and FedEx are subject to exactly the same rules as DHL, there's no difference, they all have to charge the same when import duty applies.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, placnx said:

On 9/7/2021 at 9:21 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it's you who thinks that you're a law unto yourself, it's your purchase that contravened the law by having it's value wrongly quoted.   Don't rant at Customs or DHL.  Jesus...

 

By the way duty, VAT and the DHL charge is normal, nothing to do with your illegally undervalued item.

Expand  

This charging VAT on international online purchases by Thailand is new. The idea is for VAT to be billed to purchaser, then paid by the foreign selling company to Thailand. 

That's a different subject, what you're referring to is online vendors in Thailand, with turnover exceeding a certain figure, having to register for VAT.   

 

For imported items, import duty plus VAT has always been levied on certain products/values, it's nothing new.

[hanuman2543]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Thanks for confirming that he was wrong to say that Customs are a law unto themselves.  Whether it was him, or the vendor, it sure wasn't Customs fault.   Incidentally, why would any vendor (illegally) understate the value of the items unilaterally, i.e. without the buyers input?   That makes no sense?   

How could he have done it himself? Travel to China and send the package himself? Don't know why the vendor did it? Maybe want to stay under the radar? In any case the OP did nothing wrong.

And I can tell you from personal experience that the Thai customs is a law to themselves ( brought my dog with me, had all paperwork and the info from the Thai Embassy was that there is nothing to pay. I had to pay 15,000 Baht under the table to get the dog out of custom. I was there when a couple wanted to import a container of household goods which is tax free for Thais returning from abroad. They charged a " fee" of 40,000 Baht).

I confirmed only that you didn't read proper and falsely accused the OP of wrongdoing.

And maybe you want to read up on the subject why Toyota went to court and the SEC in the US. It has something to do with Thai customs not honouring the Japanese/Thai free trade agreement about importing tax free parts for cars.

Edited September 8, 2021 by hanuman2543