Mailing small packet to US from Thailand...there must be a cheaper way than Thai Post ???

[schultzlivgthai]

Maybe one box to a friend in the states with your many small envelopes and he can forward them on for you?

[WaveHunter]

54 minutes ago, elektrified said:

O.K. I just called a friend who works for Thai Post. He said that "Rong Tabien" (Registered Airmail) to the USA up to 100 grams is 360 Baht and e-Packet "Plus" is 315 Baht. He said that registered Airmail includes up to 1,200 Baht loss/damage, signature, and that if the package can't be delivered, that it will be returned to the sender. e-Packet "Plus" includes 1,500 Baht loss/damage, no signature, and if the package can't be delivered, then it will be destroyed. I asked about Small Packet and he said "not available to most countries", and to the countries that it is available, there is no tracking and no loss/damage coverage. He said that the postal service always recommends "Rong Tabien" over any other service as it is the safest, can be tracked to every country except Australia and Canada, and will always be returned to the sender in the case of non-delivery.

Interesting to know, and thanks for the helpful comparison of Registered airmail vs e-Packet Plus.  That is very helpful!  Did you happen to get any info on comparing delivery time for these two options?

[WaveHunter]

2 minutes ago, schultzlivgthai said:

Maybe one box to a friend in the states with your many small envelopes and he can forward them on for you?

They would not be my friend for long if I saddled them with hundreds of packets, but thanks for the thought.  I just need to do this in a business like way. ????

 

[WaveHunter]

7 minutes ago, wxyz1 said:

not so if you don't have a merchant account

It is actually; I have friends who send me things from the US all the time this way....no merchant account.

[WaveHunter]

4 hours ago, stupidfarang said:

I have been caught like this with sending a letter to the UK, said something about not many flights and covid, as the letter had to go I sent it, around 800 baht. But I have found if I go to another main post office I can send at the normal rate. So I suggest you check out anoher post office. You may find it is the normal price.

You're not the first person who mentioned this.  That seems to be a Thai bureaucratic trait.  I've had this happen at Immigration often...ask two different officers a question and get conflicting answers.  I had it happen when I opened a bank account when I only had a tourist visa; one bank officer said absolutely not allowed.  I went to a different branch of the SAME bank the next day and the officer cheerfully opened an account for me.  Thailand is a very mysterious place LOL!

[WaveHunter]

On 2/4/2022 at 6:43 PM, pgrahmm said:

I mailed a softball jersey to the US - cost was 400B.....

The clerk did give a choice of fast versus slow....The fast would have been 1600B....

I'm not sure you have been given all the options....

The parcel took about 2 weeks to get there....

If you have somebody in the US to work with maybe you can bundle them already addressed & then have someone repost in the US....

I live outside of Chiang Mai & people here have gotten widely different rates from different post offices....You might want to try another - or 2.....

Excellent advice!

 

You're not the first person who mentioned this.  That seems to be a Thai bureaucratic trait.  I've had this happen at Immigration often...ask two different officers a question and get conflicting answers.  I had it happen when I opened a bank account when I only had a tourist visa; one bank officer said absolutely not allowed.  I went to a different branch of the SAME bank the next day and the officer cheerfully opened an account for me.  Thailand is a very mysterious place LOL!

[Pravda]

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

Can you explain the significance of your comment?  Same thing often  happens with all carriers like FedEx or DHL in my experience and boils down to lazy driver who doesn't submit scans until end of the day.  OR, are you saying there are actual non-delivery issues? 

 

I'm not sure if there are non delivery issues or simply the receiver claiming non delivery. Anyway, the point is every other country scans the parcel, but with USPS it seems to be optional.

[spidermike007]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

ePacket seems like the ideal solution.

 

The OP's sort of application is exactly why this service was introduced.

 

https://international.thailandpost.com/services/epacket/?lang=en

 

I read 285 baht to Zone 10 (U.S.) for 0 - 100 gr

 

 

 

 

Sounds good. Any idea of the time from to the US? I don't think anything like that is available from the US to here. I use international priority soemtimes. It is costly and takes 2 weeks or so. 

Edited February 5, 2022 by spidermike007

[MaiDong]

4 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Epkt wouldve been cheaper !

You're right. It's a dilemma I've thought about often though, as ePackets doesn't include insurance(this can be added on for B30), it also doesn't require a signature upon delivery.

Whereas Registered Airmail includes insurance and requires a signature, which in the past has given me peace-of-mind.

I'm reconsidering using ePackets now though, as the costs have gone up so significantly, and the prices I charge my customers has had to come down.

 

[elektrified]

2 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Interesting to know, and thanks for the helpful comparison of Registered airmail vs e-Packet Plus.  That is very helpful!  Did you happen to get any info on comparing delivery time for these two options?

He said that there is no difference in delivery time at all between the two. I forgot to write that e-Packet is also available at 285 Baht but with no loss/damage coverage at all and according to my friend, is not recommended.

[CharlieH]

 

3 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

That's insane LOL...less weight = more cost ??? Only in Thailand would that make sense!  Their entire website is absurd.  When you click on EN for English language, many of the menu items are still in Thai.  So, if you click on the CALCULATE FEE link, you get 3 options all written in Thai. 

 

 

I checked each one, and the lowest price was 990 THB for 50 grams. 

 

Today when I look, it has changed and is now showing

• epacket at 285 THB...OR
• Intn'l Small Packet-Air at 195 THB.

Can anyone tell me the difference between the two??  It's impossible to find any description in their site.  I mean, how hard would it be to put an hotlink on each option so you could see more information?

 

This website even makes Thai Immigration's website look like a well organized site.

Yes ! Size of pkt ia restricted in " Small pkt" not so in epacket.

[CLW]

Kerry does have cooperation with DHL. Even I consider it expensive it might beat the recent Thailand Post rates for express shipping overseas.

[SteveAZ]

If there is a cheaper option, please enlighten us. I tried getting travelers to take packages on the airplane with them on their return, oddly there were no takers ; )

[happy me]

I use E-packet all the time..it is very reasonable, tracked and reasonably quick. Small packet air is a serious ball ache..the package needs to be tied with string..also look at Fastship and PP shipping for USPS to USA.. very good, quick shipping. 

[EricTh]

@WaveHunter

 

Thailand Post is amazingly expensive for international shipment. It's only meant for delivery inside Thailand.

 

I tried DHL international which offered a cheaper package.... surprisingly. You might want to try there.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by EricTh

[happy me]

11 hours ago, elektrified said:

O.K. I just called a friend who works for Thai Post. He said that "Rong Tabien" (Registered Airmail) to the USA up to 100 grams is 360 Baht and e-Packet "Plus" is 315 Baht. He said that registered Airmail includes up to 1,200 Baht loss/damage, signature, and that if the package can't be delivered, that it will be returned to the sender. e-Packet "Plus" includes 1,500 Baht loss/damage, no signature, and if the package can't be delivered, then it will be destroyed. I asked about Small Packet and he said "not available to most countries", and to the countries that it is available, there is no tracking and no loss/damage coverage. He said that the postal service always recommends "Rong Tabien" over any other service as it is the safest, can be tracked to every country except Australia and Canada, and will always be returned to the sender in the case of non-delivery.

I've had e-packet delivery returned..it depends on the country if it's destroyed for non delivery. But from Spain it was returned. I use E-packet pretty much every week to Australia, USA, EU etc. Never any problems. By far the most cost effective Thai post option for small boxes etc

[Bigtimecharlie]

You need to ask for airmail or e packet, much cheaper!

[stupidfarang]

19 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

You're not the first person who mentioned this.  That seems to be a Thai bureaucratic trait.  I've had this happen at Immigration often...ask two different officers a question and get conflicting answers.  I had it happen when I opened a bank account when I only had a tourist visa; one bank officer said absolutely not allowed.  I went to a different branch of the SAME bank the next day and the officer cheerfully opened an account for me.  Thailand is a very mysterious place LOL!

Yes very true, the rules, guidelines change from office to office, person to person. It depends also what mood they are in on the day. If you have lived here long eniugh it is not a surprise and you learn how to navigate around these things.

[elektrified]

21 hours ago, EricTh said:

@WaveHunter

 

Thailand Post is amazingly expensive for international shipment. It's only meant for delivery inside Thailand.

 

I tried DHL international which offered a cheaper package.... surprisingly. You might want to try there.

 

 

How on earth did you come up with that?????

[elektrified]

18 hours ago, happy me said:

I've had e-packet delivery returned..it depends on the country if it's destroyed for non delivery. But from Spain it was returned. I use E-packet pretty much every week to Australia, USA, EU etc. Never any problems. By far the most cost effective Thai post option for small boxes etc

e-Packet is only a few Baht less than Registered Airmail and less safe.

[CharlieH]

 

26 minutes ago, elektrified said:

e-Packet is only a few Baht less than Registered Airmail and less safe.

How is it less safe ?

[WaveHunter]

On 2/5/2022 at 4:21 PM, SteveAZ said:

If there is a cheaper option, please enlighten us. I tried getting travelers to take packages on the airplane with them on their return, oddly there were no takers ; )

Big red flag for ticket agent when checking in since they always ask you that standard question "Did you pack your own bag" (meaning, are you aware of everything that is in your checked bag) and you had to admit that the the answer is "no" ????

 

 

[WaveHunter]

On 2/5/2022 at 8:12 PM, EricTh said:

@WaveHunter

 

Thailand Post is amazingly expensive for international shipment. It's only meant for delivery inside Thailand.

 

I tried DHL international which offered a cheaper package.... surprisingly. You might want to try there.

 

 

DHL and FedEx have both given me horrible experiences in the past when shipping internationally.  DHL may give you better shipping rates but you can count on paying the highest possible custom fees if you ship with DHL since they overestimate those charges so they don't get bottlenecked with Customs on the receiving end, and YOU pay the price for that by paying higher Customs fees tha you normally should.  Ask anyone who ships regularly and they will suggest you stay away from DHL for that reason.

[WaveHunter]

20 hours ago, elektrified said:

e-Packet is only a few Baht less than Registered Airmail and less safe.

Fact is I get a lot of e-packets from China every month and can't remember one that was ever lost or damaged.  Seems pretty safe (and quick) to me.

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

DHL and FedEx have both given me horrible experiences in the past when shipping internationally.  DHL may give you better shipping rates but you can count on paying the highest possible custom fees if you ship with DHL since they overestimate those charges so they don't get bottlenecked with Customs on the receiving end, and YOU pay the price for that by paying higher Customs fees tha you normally should.  Ask anyone who ships regularly and they will suggest you stay away from DHL for that reason.

 

I have used DHL in the past for paper document delivery so there was no custom charge on receiving end.

 

It was cheaper and faster than Thailand Post.

 

Never mailed any electrical products before. I presume yours is electrical product.

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by EricTh

[happy me]

On 2/6/2022 at 5:45 PM, elektrified said:

e-Packet is only a few Baht less than Registered Airmail and less safe.

If you say so..the photo shows 200g to UK. 65b difference in price. Almost identical delivery times. I prefer e-packet personally. Also to certain countries such as Canada, e-packet is quicker than registered post.

[CharlieH]

On 2/8/2022 at 12:25 PM, happy me said:

If you say so..the photo shows 200g to UK. 65b difference in price. Almost identical delivery times. I prefer e-packet personally. Also to certain countries such as Canada, e-packet is quicker than registered post.

Just remember Epacket insurance is limited to 1500bt max. So if valued above that its prudent to go with Registered service.

[poohy]

On 2/5/2022 at 10:02 AM, oslooskar said:

Perhaps, but you can be sure whatever you're sending will reach its intended destination promptly. A couple of years ago I sent an important document from Bangkok to San Francisco by regular mail. Apparently, it went from Bangkok to Hong Kong, to Los Angeles, to San Francisco-----where it disappeared down the black hole of Calcutta and was never seen again. A few days later I sent a copy of that same document by DHL and it was on the desk of the individual it was sent to within 30 hours. Also, when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area I used the U.S. Postal Service two times to deliver similar documents and each time there was a snafu and delivery time in both cases was about two weeks, when it should have been less than 48 hours. Bottom-line, if you want to be absolutely certain that your mail, parcels, documents are delivered, then avoid any dealings with the U.S. Postal Service, they are incompetent.

Agree important paperwork to Gibraltar there on banks desk in 2 days (Thai post would or could not send to Gibraltar at the time)

 

Funnily enough nearly on topic i bought pair of shrink to fit Levis jeans from LA on ebay i got them after a month but only after i tracked them around the world twice with US post, i kid you not

[happy me]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

Just remember Epacket insurance is limited to 1500bt max. So if valued above that its prudent to go with Registered service.

According to their international website. The per package insurance is actually less unless you go for a specific postage, I could be reading it wrong though: https://international.thailandpost.com/services/registered/?lang=en

[CharlieH]

1 hour ago, happy me said:

According to their international website. The per package insurance is actually less unless you go for a specific postage, I could be reading it wrong though: https://international.thailandpost.com/services/registered/?lang=en

You are slightly, its per kilo per package eg: 2kg 2x 1297

Whereas epacket is fixed at ceiling of 1500.