Shipping household goods from USA - LCL shipment

[Jason Green]

Hi all ???? 

 

I’m finally breaking down and shipping my remaining possessions to Thailand. Not a big shipment, I’m estimating 250 cubic feet / 7 cubic meters. Low value, mainly clothing, books, toys, memorabilia, household decorations (no buddhas) and a couple of outdoor chairs. 
 

I’ve spoken with a variety of shipping / moving companies. Prices vary from $3,000 - $5,000 for shipping. Customs duties is where it gets potentially sticky. A good customs agent seems to be the ticket here, but how to know if they’re using a decent one?

 

I saw Asian Tigers shipping company recommend on this forum (they are based in Thailand) but they seem to want to charge the most out of anyone. They want to assess shipment value at a flat fee of $2,700 PER cubic meter, regardless of contents! That’s absurd. My shipment value is maybe $2,700 total. 
 

One other company (International Van Lines) wants to charge a flat fee of $2,500 for customs clearance and delivery from the port to my home in Chiang Mai. This also seems high and not correct as the duties should be calculated on declared value + shipping + insurance (“CIF” value). 
 

The best price / estimate for duties I’ve seen is $300-$500 with International Movers Network. But they also say customs officers will assess their own value on what they think second hand items are worth in Thailand, not what I declare. 
 

Curious if anyone can clarify: are customs planning on doing a full physical inspection of everything I ship? They’re going to rip

open every single plastic bin? Or if the packing list is clear enough and the value is declared high enough for their liking, they will likely skip the inspection? I’m trying to figure out what sort of a headache/nightmare I’m getting myself into here… the more I look, the worse it seems to get… ????????

 

I’ve lived in Thailand 8 years. Therefore I don’t think I qualify for “duty-free import of household goods,” which seems to be limited to people who have a legitimate work permit and who have only been in the country of less than one year. 
 

Can anyone share any power tips/advice? Anyone experienced with this sort of move? Recommended companies? Recommended way to declare things? Recommended way to breeze through customs? I’m lost here… ???????? I just want my stuff and don’t want to be extorted for it, especially paying more than it’s actually 

worth. I’m shipping very personal memorabilia, artwork, toys etc that are not high value but irreplaceable. So I just want it to go smoothly… 
 

Thank you! ???? 

[mikeymike100]

I shipped about the same amount of stuff as you, in 2005. I was informed unless I had a work permit (I didn't) I would have to pay duty on everything.

Cut a long story short, I used a company called, John Mason. When the shipment arrived in Thailand a company called Santa Fe Thailand Co Ltd contacted me and informed the following:

 

My name is Surapong Poosing

> (Nhong)

> > > > working with Santa Fe (Thailand) Co., Ltd. as

> > > > Inbound Coordinator for Inbound     

> Department

> > > who

> > > > will responsible and helping you when your

> > > shipment

> > > > arrives in Bangkok.

> > > >         We have received information from your

> Agent,

> > > John

> > > > Mason International Ltd

 

Per our telecon yesterday, please be inform that

> the

> > negotiate duty (with no receipt) are Baht 22,000.

> > Please transfer to our bank account. Details as

> > attached. Please also fax to us the transfer slip

> > when the payment was completed.

> >

> > Thanks and Best regards,

> > Nhong

 Which I did and everything was delivered unopened, even had some whisky in the shipment.

Plus in 2005 the exchange rate was much more favorable.

So I don't know if that helps, but that was my experience!

 

 

[howlee101]

29 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Which I did and everything was delivered unopened,

Similar story for my move back in 2016.  My (Thai) wife and I shipped a 20ft container from Florida to CM.  I was thinking my wife qualified to ship household goods duty free but she didn't meet the number of years away from the country to qualify.  Long story short, the agency (liaison)  in Thailand representing the moving company in Florida contacted me and said "...blah, blah, duty fees, it will get stuck in Bangkok, blah, blah BUT if you pay $$, then it will clear customs".  I recall it cost about $1000 for the "fee" but my container showed up, unloaded, and everyone was happy..

[paddyfield7]

I would contact one of the big globally active forwarderers, such as https://www.dbschenker.com/th-en or https://th.kuehne-nagel.com/. They have offices in Thailand including the port of Laem Chabang where your consignment would probably arrive and be cleared. When it comes to customs duty, the other member's statement quote negotiate duty (with no receipt) are Baht 22,000. unquote probably is the best solution (you know what "no receipt" means), and guarantees that nothing is opened, checked or touched. THB 22,000 are roughly US$ 650.00.

[Conrad65]

Shipped 30 cbm of household domestic goods (furniture, clothes, electrical items, bicycles, etc.) last month from the middle east to Thailand using AGS (they have branches globally including Thailand). The advantage with using AGS was I only dealt with one shipping and clearing entity. Having read some advice elsewhere on this forum and other users previous experiences I was concerned about customs treatment here.

 

Total fees in incurred in Thailand ThB 36,000 (customs clearance, demurrage, etc.). Door-to-door service from country of origin to Samui. I was present when the truck arrived and was unloaded on Samui. Not a single box (of 140) had been opened.

 

Declared value was done by AGS at country of origin and passed on to AGS Thailand - I think it was around USD 10,000. This was substantially less than the actual value. I did not insure the items as my understanding was that customs may use this as a baseline number to determine values. I'm on a tourist visa currently. To get duty free entitlement a work visa is required. But, when I looked in to declared values and how customs here determine what's duty/tax free it didn't seem to make much difference.

 

Anyway, I was surprised and very happy to witness all 140 boxes unloaded and installed in to my property on Koh Samui. It could not have been more straight forward and problem free! Unlike my attempts to get a long stay visa ????

[The Hammer2021]

Why assume you will be extorted? I was in Thailand  when my goods arrived - an agent hanging around offered his services- just  a kid actually-sorted everything  out for  me - that was my experience.  People are helpful and honest  and services  are cheap here. You obviously  have no expensive, high value brand new good - it should be cheap. Anyway good luck.

[bluejets]

Don't see why anyone would bother doing this.

Sell up and buy local.

[timkeen08]

Are you still in the US?  If so, check out the Facebook link below.  You can fill part of a pallet like we did with one box or get a whole shipping container.  See the photo of a man riding his hog into a container.  Goes by big container ship delivered to your Thai doorstep by truck.  We sent a 24x48 size box crammed full for $300 from Atlanta to Isaan.  Took about 3 months in 2016.  Really nice Thai Lady we met at the Atlanta Temple.  She does it as a service to Thai families as part of her merit making.  One representative is in Tennessee for sure.  We delivered the box to her house in Atlanta to save on pick up and packing.  I now wish I had packed all of my electrical, electronic, EPA, acetylene torches/accessories, big appliance tools, etc..., and so many specialty tools.  And my big roll around tool box from AT&T and jobs beyond.  50+ years accumulated.  Excluding 120vac small appliances and tools of course.  I could have bought step down transformers once here for my tube audiophile gear and electrostatic speakers, but my oldest son gets to enjoy my stacks of vinyl like he did growing up.  Good luck.

 

https://m.facebook.com/Sinnava-Shipping-LLC-570901813068367/

[blackshadow]

for import try using A G S fourwinds Laem Chabang port......