Shipping to Thailand - What items did you have rejected? What items had outrageously high Duties/Taxes charged? Gray area items - Problem items??

[JimmyJ]

E.g., Will Thai Customs reject bar soap, as I see Cosmetics seem a gray area and Amazon won't ship soap here?

 

Likewise Amazon (and/or their 3rd party sellers) won't send the following to Thailand - Vitamins; Mobile phones; Mobile phone batteries.

Is it because these may be rejected?

Any other gray area/problematic imports?

[hansombeast]

Well Jimmy I did two shipments to Thailand from Scotland.  guitars, amplifier's, general personal goods never had a reject as all was stated on my customs declaration. I've since bought golf clubs and things some have been caught others havent, I know guys that shipped furniture and stuff like a container full and was charged 20000 baht.once I even brought a Martin d38 acoustic worth £1600 as hand luggage with no worries

[Liverpool Lou]

27 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

Vitamins; Mobile phones; Mobile phone batteries.

Vitamins need to be FDA approved so Customs will probably intercept them and may not allow them in.  I believe it's the batteries that are the problem with mobile phones.   If you can get a vendor to ship a phone it won't be rejected at Customs but may be assessed for duty.

https://www.customs.go.th/cont_strc_simple.php?ini_content=individual_160426_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_03_01

[CharlieH]

Four words answers this from a practical point of view " luck of the draw" !

 

What is stipulated and what happens on a daily basis are not the same.

 

People seem to order(vitamins etc) frok Herbalife all the time without issue.

[malathione]

I had trouble with a cell phone coming from HK. I asked the vendor to have it recalled. DHL.

[lopburi3]

Medical items need official import permit (although often get through in small amounts),  Customs duty is cost plus shipment and can be very high.  Stated duty on Ebay for an ostomy item seems to be 50% according to seller.  Unless paying under about 1,500 baht including shipping it is normally better to use Lazada or Shopee even if more expensive if it is an option.

[JimmyJ]

Has anyone imported a cell phone battery (or tried to)?

 

What about a phone?

[Lacessit]

As other posters have said, only bring in items of low value.

I got stung 3000 baht for a set of secondhand Ping golf irons, it was either pay up or forfeit them.

[JimmyJ]

On 8/15/2022 at 2:43 PM, malathione said:

I had trouble with a cell phone coming from HK. I asked the vendor to have it recalled. DHL.

What sort of trouble?

[malathione]

1 minute ago, JimmyJ said:

What sort of trouble?

Needed an NBTC license as it wasn't a phone make/model that had been officially authorized for use in Thailand. 

[mojaco]

I had Crystal Lite (non-alcoholic) drink mix refused entry by Customs as needing a "food additive" certification from Thailand FDA.  There are no powder type such drink mixes in Thailand.  Crystal Lite has wonderful flavors.

[pixelaoffy]

Customs the biggest racket in whole of Thailand. And there's a lot of competition