No Thai Customs charges ever if package is valued at less than 1500 THB.?

[MrJ2U]

24 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I don't use DHL

Great person to give advice on there experience with DHL.

 

Like I said, your hilarious. 

[Photoguy21]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Not exactly, you implied that because the clothes were used they should not have had duty levied on them.   That is incorrect, duty applies to new or used items, the regulations make no distinction.

It does in most countries but only if they are 6 months or less in age

[Headgame]

21 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it is not true.   The prices quoted by all vendors on Lazada do not cover potential import duty and VAT levied by Thailand on certain items.

My you are very stubborn. Post that statement from Lazada. Has anyone on this forum ever paid 1 baht for VAT and import duties on Lazada purchases? Step up.

[Gottfrid]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:40 AM, CharlieH said:

You can dispyte and prove otherwise AFTER

Yeah, that will work fine ???? 

[CharlieH]

1 minute ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, that will work fine ???? 

It has for me many times over the years. ????

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, Headgame said:

On 7/15/2022 at 11:30 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

No, it is not true.   The prices quoted by all vendors on Lazada do not cover potential import duty and VAT levied by Thailand on certain items.

My you are very stubborn. Post that statement from Lazada. Has anyone on this forum ever paid 1 baht for VAT and import duties on Lazada purchases? Step up.

No, I'm not being stubborn, I'm responding because I'm correct.  "Stubborn" suggests that there is evidence that I'm wrong, there isn't and I'm not.

 

You're the one that made the initial claim that all Lazada purchases are duty/VAT exempt, not me, so it's you that has the obligation to "step up" and justify your claim.   My proving a negative by providing evidence for something that does not exist is not the way it works.

 

Nowhere on Lazada's site does it state that all oversea purchases are free of taxes.  If that was the case it would be splashed all over their site as something no other site could offer and a huge benefit to buyers...but, oddly, it isn't.

 

Just because a Lazada item is not selected for examination coming into the country does not mean that it's duty exempt, Thai Customs are not able to check every item coming in by post.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

On 7/15/2022 at 2:39 PM, Photoguy21 said:

On 7/15/2022 at 11:03 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

Not exactly, you implied that because the clothes were used they should not have had duty levied on them.   That is incorrect, duty applies to new or used items, the regulations make no distinction.

It does in most countries but only if they are 6 months or less in age

So what?  Oher countries' Customs laws are 100% irrelevant here.

[portlandtree]

On 7/14/2022 at 4:08 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

What?

Yes the total worth of item , shipping fee, and if insured fee needs to be less then $1,500 baht otherwise your getting VAT and import tax added. All or only over $1,500 it’s taxed I don’t know??? But it’s still bullshiet

[placnx]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:46 PM, gearbox said:

I can't generalise but I ordered quite a few times items from AliExpress way exceeding the 1500 baht limit, all came through without any customs holds. Amazon already calculates the duty and taxes in the purchase price.

If customs duty is not charged, Amazon rebates the amount previously charged for duty & taxes.

[Tubulat]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:52 AM, rwill said:

I read on a shipping site that customs exemption was for items less than 1,500 baht and less than a kilo in wieght.  Unless they contain prohibited or restricted items.  I try to keep packages small and light and never have a problem receiving them.  

 

The exception to the exemption is when your package arrives with UPS or DHL.  They like to create problems that don't exsist.  In my experience UPS is the worst offender.  But I read others here saying DHL is bad.  I have had many packages arrive with DHL no problem at all.  A couple of things DHL sent me an email and said they needed a copy of an ID, a description in Thai of the item, and a purchase receipt copy.  But I received them no problem after that.  UPS has on a few occasions demanded that I either mail them my passport or bring it to the customs office at the airport to get my package delivered.  Once was for a box of candy canes.

About DHL, also it depends who it send and where it comes from, in my experience.

Recently I order something by Apple, they send by DHL, and no problems but many times when I order something by Aliexpress and they have to send it by DHL, you'll get problems with customs.

[Tedly]

On 7/13/2022 at 11:30 PM, portlandtree said:

everything i order thru amazon i get no extra charges but the shipping is around $10 usd.

I was under the impression that Amazon adds taxes/duty in an estimated (usually high) amount an charge you when you order. Is 10 USD like a flat fee for shipping and no additional duty? If so maybe I need to go back to buying from them again. I haven't used Amazon since I left USA. 

[phetphet]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:18 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

Having brought in well over 1 million baht in value of new goods over the years. I have never bothered to either discard original packaging nor make things look used. I have had my suitcases checked a couple of times and never been charged on any accompanied goods, the IOs were just interested in what the tools were used for.
 

However I have also never brought in designer label fashion bags, accessories or large quantities of alcohol or tobacco except for 1 occasion when I had 10 litres of cheap Japanese whisky 

Things may have changed after the pandemic. The government needs all the money it can get, and Customs and import duties  are an easy one.

[Tubulat]

3 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Things may have changed after the pandemic. The government needs all the money it can get, and Customs and import duties  are an easy one.

Haha, looks like the Netherlands, there everyone is hung upside down to see if another coins falls out.

And it is already one of the countries with the highest taxes.

[vandeventer]

I think it depends of the company you are buying from and how much you buy. If for any reason they think you are a reseller they will hit you with tax. So don't put all your eggs in one basket.

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, phetphet said:

Things may have changed after the pandemic. The government needs all the money it can get, and Customs and import duties  are an easy one.

It hasn’t.

[roger101]

I had a small box of secondhand books sent over. My nephew arranged through his  shipping company to send them, no charge. On arrival here DHL wanted 1400 Baht for tax. Secondhand books theoretically are tax free.

 

A few years ago some friends moved here from the UK.  After contacting the embassy they were informed that personal second hand goods were tax free.  So before they came they arranged for a container to be shipped with the  contents of their house that they wanted to bring over.

 

A few weeks after they arrived they were informed by the shipping company that it had arrived at Laem Chabang and could be picked up.

On arrival at the port the customs Officer said that there was a 400 pound (I forget the Thai amount) duty to be paid. When they said it should be Tax Free he said you can appeal but it would take months and the container would sit here all that time.

They paid.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:52 AM, rwill said:

The exception to the exemption is when your package arrives with UPS or DHL.  They like to create problems that don't exsist.  In my experience UPS is the worst offender.  But I read others here saying DHL is bad. 

 Glad you brought that up... Yes, the private couriers here tend to be much more aggressive in adding on various fees -- VAT, custom's duty and even for storage. Probably because they run their own Customs clearance houses. I learned long ago best to avoid them whenever possible.

 

I have a mail forwarder in the U.S. send Amazon and other U.S. stuff to me here in Thailand all the time via international regular mail. I always try to keep the declared values per package below $50 USD, and I almost never pay any of the above fees on anything. And to keep within that framework, I tend to ship more smaller packages instead of fewer larger ones with multiple items consolidated. The international mail service I use is valid for packages up to about 4.5 pounds in weight.

 

If the weight is heavier than that, then I instead will use USPS Express or Priority International Mail.  The per kilo rates are a bit higher, and for higher value/heavier things like a PC laptop, they'll tend to charge the 7% VAT here on arrival... but not anything else.  Because in all of the above cases, the packages ultimately are delivered here by Thai Post.

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

21 hours ago, Tedly said:

I was under the impression that Amazon adds taxes/duty in an estimated (usually high) amount an charge you when you order. Is 10 USD like a flat fee for shipping and no additional duty? If so maybe I need to go back to buying from them again. I haven't used Amazon since I left USA. 

If you choose Amazon's international shipping -- which isn't available for all their products, only some selections -- then they guarantee that you won't have any excess customs/duty fees upon arrival in TH beyond what they themselves charge you on the front end. But their front end handling/tax/customs charges usually are pretty expensive.

 

As a general rule, it's going to be much more economical to have Amazon U.S. purchases sent to/handled by a mail fowarder in the U.S., as you'll get better postage rates and lower/less add-on fees. Plus by using a mail forwarding service (which are very easy to use and can be managed entirely online), you have all of Amazon available to you, not just parts.

 

PS - I don't think Amazon's international shipping arragements are any kind of flat fee based add-ons. I'm pretty sure they're calculated based on the value and probably weight of what's being shipped. But as someone mentioned above, yes, if Amazon overestimates the actual charges for postage/handling, I believe they can/will rebate the excess to you.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[portlandtree]

On 7/23/2022 at 5:39 PM, Tedly said:

I was under the impression that Amazon adds taxes/duty in an estimated (usually high) amount an charge you when you order. Is 10 USD like a flat fee for shipping and no additional duty? If so maybe I need to go back to buying from them again. I haven't used Amazon since I left USA. 

Not really a flat fee I think ?  Most of the time I buy something like carburetors, lite poles, etc?. They charge for shipping around 9-10 usd but sometimes I buy something very small for $12 and the dorks charge me like $30-$50 shipping so I think that might be the greedy merchants not Amazon 

[JimmyJ]

"Choose a delivery option:

Friday, Aug. 5 - Wednesday, Aug. 17
AmazonGlobal Flat rate Shipping"

On checkout bill, calls it "Flat rate shipping promotion".

On all other pages does not list it as "promotion".

 

Items of course have to be shipped by Amazon.

 

Shipment 1 is 3 light small items, shipment 2 is 1 light (3 oz.) item.

Total price for all shipping:

 

$9.95

to Chang Mai, Thailand

Have not completed order but got up to "Click to pay".

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by JimmyJ

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 7/28/2022 at 2:26 PM, JimmyJ said:

 

Total price for all shipping:

$9.95

to Chang Mai, Thailand

Have not completed order but got up to "Click to pay".

 

 

Not sure I understand exactly what you were trying to convey in the above post....

 

But, for myself, I just went today and priced Amazon as the seller shipping me directly a $28 pair of Crocs shoes to Bangkok. Their website doesn't list the weight, but I'm sure it's under 2 lbs for a pair of Crocs...

 

The total price, including $31.85 shipping and $22.44 customs duty, was going to be more than $82 USD (almost triple the purchase price), as follows:

 

 

 

 

If I were going to buy the shoes thru Amazon and then send them thru my U.S. reshipper, I would have paid less than $20 or so in shipping fees and zero in customs duty.

[JimmyJ]

Flat Rate Delivery to Thailand

https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23736627011

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 8/2/2022 at 8:54 AM, JimmyJ said:

Flat Rate Delivery to Thailand

https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23736627011

 

That's interesting... I used that link you posted, and then searched for some random 1 lbs item, and indeed it came up with the following as just an example:

 

A 1 lbs, $16 corded telephone with a discounted flat rate shipping fee to Thailand of $5.99 and a customs deposit of $4.11, which is quite reasonable pricing in the international shipping realm of things.

 

Where did you come across that link from?

 

I did a Google search for "Amazon global flat rate shipping" and found absolutely ZERO hits, for Thailand or any other country for that matter.

 

When I went to check out, Amazon showed a discount on the regular TH shipping price of $12.96 for the phone that I used as an example, and referred to the discount as "flate rate delivery promo..."

 

Meaning it's a temporary thing???

 

Also, from the couple of tests I tried, the flat rate promo appears to only be available for CERTAIN items SOLD and SHIPPED by Amazon...

 

And NOT those sold by other sellers but shipped by Amazon.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Also, it appears that Thailand flat rate link above is not always accurate in leading to flat rate eligible products...

 

I did an Amazon search using that link for men's shoes in my size 16, which normally results in a box weighing about 4 pounds. Got a search hit on an Amazon sold and shipped pair of New Balance cross trainers...

 

 

But when I went to check out and picked my Bangkok address, I got the following error message from Amazon:

 

 

 

[JimmyJ]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:52 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

That's interesting... I used that link you posted, and then searched for some random 1 lbs item, and indeed it came up with the following as just an example:

 

A 1 lbs, $16 corded telephone with a discounted flat rate shipping fee to Thailand of $5.99 and a customs deposit of $4.11, which is quite reasonable pricing in the international shipping realm of things.

 

Where did you come across that link from?

 

I did a Google search for "Amazon global flat rate shipping" and found absolutely ZERO hits, for Thailand or any other country for that matter.

 

When I went to check out, Amazon showed a discount on the regular TH shipping price of $12.96 for the phone that I used as an example, and referred to the discount as "flate rate delivery promo..."

 

Meaning it's a temporary thing???

 

Also, from the couple of tests I tried, the flat rate promo appears to only be available for CERTAIN items SOLD and SHIPPED by Amazon...

 

And NOT those sold by other sellers but shipped by Amazon.

 

 

 

 

"Where did you come across that link from?"

 

Don't recall.

If I see link again will post.

 

"When I went to check out, Amazon showed a discount on the regular TH shipping price of $12.96 for the phone that I used as an example, and referred to the discount as "flate rate delivery promo..."

 

Meaning it's a temporary thing???"

 

I mentioned this in my post above of 7-28 - 

"Friday, Aug. 5 - Wednesday, Aug. 17
AmazonGlobal Flat rate Shipping"

On checkout bill, calls it "Flat rate shipping promotion".

On all other pages does not list it as "promotion"."

 

 

 

"Also, from the couple of tests I tried, the flat rate promo appears to only be available for CERTAIN items SOLD and SHIPPED by Amazon...

 

And NOT those sold by other sellers but shipped by Amazon."

I mentioned this in 1 of my  posts above of July 14 - 

"But for the items which they do allow to be shipped to Thailand, many of them are shipped from the 3rd party sellers, so do not come under the flat rate $9.95, and the shipping fees can double or more  the price of items."

 

(Forum softwareforcing  this odd print format).

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by JimmyJ

[JimmyJ]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:52 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Also, from the couple of tests I tried, the flat rate promo appears to only be available for CERTAIN items SOLD and SHIPPED by Amazon...

 

And NOT those sold by other sellers but shipped by Amazon.

 

 

 

 

No.

 

Depends on the item.

 

I'm planning to order 5 items.

 

Four of those are sold by 3rd parties and shipped by Amazon.

 

Three of the 4 are covered by the flat rate.

Edited August 13, 2022 by JimmyJ