Customs question concerning already loaded hard drive for a computer being shipped to me by FedEx

[WaveHunter]

I have a 4tB computer hard drive loaded with business data files being readied to be shipped to me here in Thailand from the the United States.

 

I want to know if there are going to any issues regarding duty or any other things to deal with. 

 

The drives do not at all look new and have plenty or ID labels and writing on them.  They absolutely do not look like they are intended for resale.

 

I don't imagine there should be any payable tax on them or other issues BUT in the past I have had some pretty weird experiences with Thai Customs resulting in delayed delivery to my door, once for over 4 weeks!  I can't afford for that to happen this time.

 

Are the any steps I should take to avoid such issues?  Knowledgeable help would certainly be appreciated.

Thanks

Edited August 28, 2022 by WaveHunter

[fdsa]

Send by DHL, they are the customs broker themselves so there will not be any issues with import, especially if you clearly state that the equipment is second hand - something like "used computer equipment (hard drives)".

But you will have to pay the import tax - 7% VAT and possibly 10% extra for the "computer equipment", plus 220 baht DHL fee.

 

 

[blackcab]

HS Code 8471.702000 Hard Drives are exempted from import duty, but require a permit from the Department of Industrial Works to import, which would be impossible for you to obtain.

 

The fact that the hard drive is used doesn't really matter - all goods have a value, and this will be calculated for the addition of VAT.

 

Considering that a permit is required, if you receive a reasonable sounding invoice which you can pay to get your goods then my advice would be to just pay it quickly and move on.

[WaveHunter]

5 minutes ago, blackcab said:

HS Code 8471.702000 Hard Drives are exempted from import duty, but require a permit from the Department of Industrial Works to import, which would be impossible for you to obtain.

 

The fact that the hard drive is used doesn't really matter - all goods have a value, and this will be calculated for the addition of VAT.

 

Considering that a permit is required, if you receive a reasonable sounding invoice which you can pay to get your goods then my strong advice would be to just pay it quickly and move on.

So do you happen to know the tax rate for hard drives?  I thought computers were exempt from being taxed here in Thailand.  I was going to purchase a computer from the USA last year and was told that from several sources.

[blackcab]

27 minutes ago, blackcab said:

HS Code 8471.702000 Hard Drives are exempted from import duty

 

However you will still need to pay VAT on the assessed CIF value and the handling charge.

[The Hammer2021]

Back up back up back up everything...assume they will check for Porno,  KP especially and snide component  ersatz bootlegged pirated parts software and in the process  stuff might get lost.  Plus the old knitting needle inside to check for contraband and maybe x-ray.

Back up everything

Edited August 28, 2022 by The Hammer2021

[RayWright]

Why not download it?

4Tb over a 1 Gbit/s link will take 9 hours. Got to be quicker then postage / courier rates.

[RayWright]

Meant to add. Use a Google account and buy  2TB (max size) storage quota for a month, which is only £7.99.

Get your colleagues to upload in the USA in a couple of tranches. Timings will be slower if you use a VPN. For added security encrypt the data.

[rwill]

As already mentioned make sure your data is already backed up if you can't afford to lose it.

Maybe consider some cloud storage solutions instead.

 

[andygrr]

How many hard drives are we talking about and size

[Tropposurfer]

Why import the physical drive? As many have said there's considerable risk or damage to the drive in transit (if not an SSD then its very delicate), interference by Thai Customs resulting in loss of data, possible loss in transit, possible inspection/snooping around in the contents by Customs strangers (your business material.

 

if you want to be ultra-safe CREATE A 2ND BACKUP DRIVE FIRST.

 

Then upload it in a group of caches as others have advised, directly onto a new external drive (perhaps faster, newer better tech than the old drive?) waiting to receive it.

Continue to store the original drive in safe place back in the US. 

[FritsSikkink]

 

Get a cheap Azure / AWS storage account and let them upload everything into the Cloud.

[WaveHunter]

6 hours ago, RayWright said:

Why not download it?

4Tb over a 1 Gbit/s link will take 9 hours. Got to be quicker then postage / courier rates.

Outstanding idea!  Why didn't I think of that?  I only need perhaps 30% of what is on that drive.  I'll call the client and tell them to just transfer the folders I need to my Google Drive cloud server.

 

That's what I love about this forum; there always seem to be some smart person who thinks a little bit out of the box replying to queries like this.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

[lopburi3]

10 hours ago, fdsa said:

Send by DHL, they are the customs broker themselves so there will not be any issues with import, especially if you clearly state that the equipment is second hand - something like "used computer equipment (hard drives)".

But you will have to pay the import tax - 7% VAT and possibly 10% extra for the "computer equipment", plus 220 baht DHL fee.

 

 

That was not my experience 2 years ago on a non company shipment I declined.  Obviously not everything meets fast clearance process.  Notation was "require customs formal clearance according to local regulation".

 

DHL service fee to act a agent:  900 baht

DHL handling fee for tax payment:  500 to 1450 baht (2% plus vat)

Tax on item/shipment:  unknown

Storage if more than 2 days:  200 baht +

Customs fee:  200 baht

 

So minimum of 1600 baht before any tax.  

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by lopburi3

[fdsa]

12 hours ago, blackcab said:

HS Code 8471.702000 Hard Drives are exempted from import duty, but require a permit from the Department of Industrial Works to import, which would be impossible for you to obtain.

I think this applies to bulk import, not individual drives. I've purchased 4x HDD recently and was not asked for any papers.

 

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

That was not my experience 2 years ago on a non company shipment I declined.  Obviously not everything meets fast clearance process.  Notation was "require customs formal clearance according to local regulation".

what kind of product was that?

[lopburi3]

11 minutes ago, fdsa said:

I think this applies to bulk import, not individual drives. I've purchased 4x HDD recently and was not asked for any papers.

 

what kind of product was that?

Urostomy bags.

[WaveHunter]

5 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

That was not my experience 2 years ago on a non company shipment I declined.  Obviously not everything meets fast clearance process.  Notation was "require customs formal clearance according to local regulation".

 

DHL service fee to act a agent:  900 baht

DHL handling fee for tax payment:  500 to 1450 baht (2% plus vat)

Tax on item/shipment:  unknown

Storage if more than 2 days:  200 baht +

Customs fee:  200 baht

 

So minimum of 1600 baht before any tax.  

 

 

 

I have to say that everything related to customs duties in Thailand is ridiculous, pure nonsense, and sets a new standard for the definition of "corrupt".

 

 

[WaveHunter]

5 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Outstanding idea!  Why didn't I think of that?  I only need perhaps 30% of what is on that drive.  I'll call the client and tell them to just transfer the folders I need to my Google Drive cloud server.

 

That's what I love about this forum; there always seem to be some smart person who thinks a little bit out of the box replying to queries like this.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

I have to ask (to nobody in particular) why do so many member of this forum use the "ha ha" emoticon as a response to a reply like this, where nothing amusing or funny was said.

 

Is that emoticon just supposed to be an affirmation of the poster's state of mind?  Just curious ????

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by WaveHunter

[Peterphuket]

5 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Outstanding idea!  Why didn't I think of that?  I only need perhaps 30% of what is on that drive.  I'll call the client and tell them to just transfer the folders I need to my Google Drive cloud server.

 

That's what I love about this forum; there always seem to be some smart person who thinks a little bit out of the box replying to queries like this.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

For download big files, I always use "Wetransfer.com" until 2 Gb a time for free.

[Photoguy21]

If the drive has business files on it surely in the interests of security you wouldnt want them on a drive being sent to you. Are the files not on the company server? If so using a VPN for security download them once you have the drive.

[Iamfalang]

expect all information to be compromised, of course.  

 

8 billion people are currently being monitored, and you are handing them the information they seek.

 

they may, or may not, really look at it......but for sure it will be copied.

 

business data files?   don't send it to China.......

 

If I was in-charge, I would also collect as much info as possible....

 

I remember 20-years ago a kid I knew would buy as many used hard drives as possible.   Once he found pretty important code, tried to sell it for one million.   no idea if he ever sold any of it....

 

no joke.

 

data is money...................

[WaveHunter]

2 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

For download big files, I always use "Wetransfer.com" until 2 Gb a time for free.

I tried a bunch of different cloud servers and finally settled on Google Drive, once I got a little technical support from the Google team.  Right out of the box, it's good (and they give you 15 gB of space for free, not just 2). 

 

When you tweak it though, it can be a pretty powerful tool.  I am a professional photographer shooting with a camera that produces 154 mB files, and some of my multi-layer retouches can end up being well over 500 mB.  Soon I will be transferring my entire library over to Google Drive.

 

Why I didn't think of using Google drive to accomplish my goal with that 4tB drive is beyond me but I'm grateful to RayWright for making me see the light LOL!

 

Having this 4tB sent over to me here in Thailand, and being able to download it all will be a perfect test, not to mention saving havig to spend hundreds of dollars to FedEx (they want $300 USD to send it insured ), which would have meant that Customs would have had a field day bilking me in Duty tax and VAT

 

What I really like about Google Drive is it's consistent download/upload speed with almost no crashes.  I can't say the same thing for almost all the other servers I tried.  This will be the acid test for sure1

[WaveHunter]

3 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

If the drive has business files on it surely in the interests of security you wouldnt want them on a drive being sent to you. Are the files not on the company server? If so using a VPN for security download them once you have the drive.

The drive only contains photographic image files.  There are therefore no real concerns for data privacy.

 

Initially I just figured the easiest and quickest way to get one of my libraries into my hands here in Thailand was to have FedEx deliver the hard drive they are on, until another member on the forum suggested  sending files through the cloud!  Eureka!!!  Sometimes the simplest solutions allude me LOL! 

 

I'll be using Google Drive for the transfer.

Edited August 29, 2022 by WaveHunter

[MrJ2U]

It's hit or miss if they pick your package.

 

I wouldn't worry about it unless there is something nefarious on it. 

[WaveHunter]

Thanks to everyone that provided me with thoughtful suggestions, and especially to RayWright who provided me with the "Eureka" solution and made my day by allowing me to completely circumvent any interactions with the dreaded Customs Man! ????

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by WaveHunter

[ChaiyaTH]

Why can't they just prepare the files on a AWS cloud instance or as a image, then you can just write it on a disk. Would be crazy to send hard drives with existing data over to other countries if you ask me.

[Photoguy21]

34 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

The drive only contains photographic image files.  There are therefore no real concerns for data privacy.

 

Initially I just figured the easiest and quickest way to get one of my libraries into my hands here in Thailand was to have FedEx deliver the hard drive they are on, until another member on the forum suggested  sending files through the cloud!  Eureka!!!  Sometimes the simplest solutions allude me LOL! 

 

I'll be using Google Drive for the transfer.

Always be concerned about privacy. Right now there may not be but who knows in a few years, your photos as boring as they may be could well be criminal in say 10 years from now. Plus of course there is the EXIF data on each photo.

[unblocktheplanet]

If you send this by normal mail, registered if you wish, with tracking number, it will be delivered to your door no slower than the couriers. If the Customs declaration is accurate, e.g., 2020 used computer disk, value $40, nobody will bother you about VAT or duty. Just a suggestion.

[xtrnuno41]

Why I didn't think of using Google drive to accomplish my goal with that 4tB drive is beyond me but I'm grateful to RayWright for making me see the light LOL!

 

Well see now you are LOL yourself, so you know why many put a laughing icon.

You know what , you can even compress files to make it smaller, 7-zip or something like that.

[Bill de Burgh]

On 8/28/2022 at 5:24 PM, fdsa said:

Send by DHL, they are the customs broker themselves so there will not be any issues with import, especially if you clearly state that the equipment is second hand - something like "used computer equipment (hard drives)".

But you will have to pay the import tax - 7% VAT and possibly 10% extra for the "computer equipment", plus 220 baht DHL 

Never choose FedEx if you want to get your items through customs without a insane amount of paperwork.

DHL is definitely the better choice.