Need help... totally confused about shipping my possessions over for retirement

[PadPrikKhing]

I'm trying to set up shipping my possessions over to Thailand for a retirement stay, and I explained more than once to the California-based international mover/shipper company that I've been talking to that it's for retirement. Yet the first email that comes to me from their affiliated agent in Thailand tells me that for my things to be duty-exempt, I need to have a work permit and come in on a B visa. What is going on? I have read multiple times that if you come for retirement, a single shipment of your stuff can be duty-exempt.

 

I am planning to come in visa-exempt, and then get a Non-O, then get the Non-O extension for retirement, so I have no idea why the Thai agent is talking work permits and B visas.  

 

Can anyone tell me what the deal is? It's starting to seem like the only way I can get over there is to abandon all my possessions and just fly there with one or two bags. But I can't do that because I have some vital things that I need over there for my music production... a keyboard (synthesizer), two guitars, bags containing cables, microphones, etc. I was hoping to ship other things in addition like all my kitchen gear, books, tools, etc. I could abandon those things if I have to, but there's no way can I do that with the music stuff. 

 

Could I please get some help in figuring out what is up with this? What happened to what I read about possessions being duty-exempt for those coming over for retirement? One problem is that I have no idea how much duty I would be charged on a pallet of my stuff if it were non-exempt for duty. Obviously it would be beyond stupid if I ended up surprised by having to pay like $5,000 duty on a bunch of old books and pots and pans and my other stuff on top of paying $3,200 for the shipping itself.

 

Thanks in advance for any help

Edited August 30, 2022 by PadPrikKhing

[The Hammer2021]

Bring nothing. Just your 20/30 k allowance.

Anyway! You haven't retired here yet so how can you claim retired  status?!!!

Old pots and pans?!!!!

Edited August 30, 2022 by The Hammer2021

[PadPrikKhing]

Moderator... can we delete this thread please? I can already tell it was mistake to post it. I'm not going to get any help from it.

[The Hammer2021]

3 minutes ago, PadPrikKhing said:

Moderator... can we delete this thread please? I can already tell it was mistake to post it. I'm not going to get any help from it.

If you are not retired  here you  can not get associated  benefits. That information  is correct and  useful.

With respect you asked for advice and you mentioned old pots and pans.

I retired  here and bought clothes and a couple of small rugs.

You honestly won't need  most of your stuff.

To be honest your tone seems a bit off....a bit unfriendly.

Good luck with your container

[flexomike]

If you want to get your possessions in first you either need to have a Thai wife who has lived in your country or have a job in Thailand, check the Thai website for Customs

[PadPrikKhing]

10 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

If you are not retired  here you  can not get associated  benefits. That information  is correct and  useful.

With respect you asked for advice and you mentioned old pots and pans.

I retired  here and bought clothes and a couple of small rugs.

You honestly won't need  most of your stuff.

To be honest your tone seems a bit off....a bit unfriendly.

Good luck with your container

I guess it was a misunderstanding, sorry. I interpreted your reply as being flippant, as if you hadn't really read my post or didn't care to consider what I was saying. I'm stressed out right now because I'm trying to figure out the reality of things from information I'm getting online, which is always tough to do where Thailand is concerned. 

 

"Old pots and pans" was a hyperbolic way of saying I have a lot of kitchen stuff that I did want to bring as long as I was going to ship a pallet. But now I'm beginning to see I'm not going to able to ship a pallet because the conditions for doing that are turning out to be very different from what I thought based on things I've read. In fact here on this very forum I've read where guys said that they brought over whole shipping containers with all their furnitiure, motorcycles, all kinds of stuff and only paid about $2000. I'm being told that for just one pallet it will cost me $3000+ and all it would be is about 14 boxes... no furniture, appliances, nothing like that.

 

I guess I can just dump my kitchen stuff, all my books, and things like that. It'll be painful, but I'm willing to do it. But I do have some very important things to bring over, music-related, and it's not anywhere near a pallet load. And if I'm not going to use a mover/shipper type outfit I need to start over again to find out how I actually would ship those things over and how much duty they're going to hit me with.

[PadPrikKhing]

14 minutes ago, flexomike said:

If you want to get your possessions in first you either need to have a Thai wife who has lived in your country or have a job in Thailand, check the Thai website for Customs

I don't need my things to get there first... I just need them to be there and ready when I finally get my 1-year extension granted. When exactly the things show up in Thailand is up to the shipping company and sea conditions I guess. I have no control over that. I just know I would need to ship them from here before I leave. They say it takes 9 to 10 weeks to get there, a timeline that sort of aligns with how long it would take me to enter visa-exempt, and then get the Non-O and then finally the Non-O 1-year retirement extension. I am so confused.

[bluebluewater]

Unless you have lived in Thailand for some time PRIOR to this upcoming move I would leave most, if not all, of that other stuff behind for the time being.  All that you think that you might want again another day could go into a storage unit until you get your situation sorted.  

 

Yes indeed, you will have to pay some storage charges and it might (probably) require that one day you will need to go back to undertake the process of shipping to Thailand.  I think you will find that there is very little that you now own that, deep down, you will really want or need here.  

 

Indeed, I think you might find it refreshing to be without all that baggage.  I sure did.  Cheers!

[PadPrikKhing]

1 minute ago, bluebluewater said:

Unless you have lived in Thailand for some time PRIOR to this upcoming move I would leave most, if not all, of that other stuff behind for the time being.  All that you think that you might want again another day could go into a storage unit until you get your situation sorted.  

 

Yes indeed, you will have to pay some storage charges and it might (probably) require that one day you will need to go back to undertake the process of shipping to Thailand.  I think you will find that there is very little that you now own that, deep down, you will really want or need here.  

 

Indeed, I think you might find it refreshing to be without all that baggage.  I sure did.  Cheers!

Well I've been thinking about this subject for months now, and believe me I've thought a lot about the idea of storing it here, but it makes little sense. That would be very expensive to do. I'm in California and storage spots are like $150/month for the smallest ones. So I'd be paying like $1800 a year just to have that stuff sitting here while I decide what to do with it. That's out of the question. So you're right, I'm in the process of coming to terms with the fact that to start a new chapter in Thailand I need to let go of most things I have here and I do think that in truth it will be refreshing.

 

I have to go back to the drawing board, as it were. I need to get over the fact that I need to just dump 90-95% of my things. That's hard to do with a 30-year book collection and 20 years of accumulated kitchen stuff. I've already given away a 300+ disc, 30-year CD collection (but not before ripping them all to lossless digital form!). But it's becoming increasingly clear that this is what I have to do. But I have to figure out a way to get my vital stuff over. I'm hoping it will cost a reasonable amount of money and not a ridiculous amount to ship. I'm talking about at minimum a keyboard (a Roland synthesizer), a couple of boxes of studio peripherals like cables, cords, a couple of microphones, etc. I was going to ship my two guitars as well, but I think I could bring those on the plane as checked luggage even though that's going to be nerve-wracking.

 

 

[RedArmy]

Its hard to let go of things that we have collected over many many years - Its a daunting thought, scary & frustrating - Your brain tells you that you need all this stuff, but the reality is, you dont need 3/4 of it - If you really want to retire here, its time to let go - Pack 3 suitcases, jump on the plane & either sell everything or leave it behind - Relax, chill out & enjoy your retirement, free from all the clutter.

[1FinickyOne]

38 minutes ago, PadPrikKhing said:

I am so confused.

I think it works similarly to USA...

 

Duties are determined by a customs officer - they have a gigantic volume of proposed % of duty for each item or item class... it then becomes up to the discretion of the individual agent - one man sees a "guitar" another sees "musical instrument" - another might see a "Gibson guitar" or whatever. This is not the best example but the idea is similar... cookware, might be duty free - "restaurant equipment" might be 10% - used restaurant equipment might be 8%.... 

 

It was that way in USA and the little I have seen here, I think it might be the same. And as in the USA, you can't really fight it too much... 

 

The only possible way to get some clarity and maybe not much would be to contact a broker on this end and find out what to do and hire them to assist you... and there is probably no guarantee... 

 

I do know of one guy who shipped his old computer here and it ended up costing him the price of a new computer to get it in...  

 

I am sure this is no fun on your end...... 

[orchis]

Just now, PadPrikKhing said:

In fact here on this very forum I've read where guys said that they brought over whole shipping containers with all their furnitiure, motorcycles, all kinds of stuff and only paid about $2000. I'm being told that for just one pallet it will cost me $3000+ and all it would be is about 14 boxes... no furniture, appliances, nothing like that.

shipping prices have raised enormously with covid situation, did your mover/shipper omit to tell you?

[PadPrikKhing]

1 minute ago, orchis said:

shipping prices have raised enormously with covid situation, did your mover/shipper omit to tell you?

Yes, they failed to mention that I think. I knew prices would be more, but I didn't realize it would be an enormous increase. Still, I was kind of resolved to pay the money, if it was going to happen the way I thought it would. But without knowing what they will charge for duty, it's too risky. 

 

This is all good though, it's making me fully realize that I have to get rid of nearly everything. I was still hanging on to that idea that I could bring some of the things that wouldn't be vital or practical, but nope. It's not worth it to have 100 books I like to see in the shelf but never really read anymore and a bunch of kitchen stuff that would be great to have over there but can be replaced when I get there.

[PadPrikKhing]

37 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I think it works similarly to USA...

 

Duties are determined by a customs officer - they have a gigantic volume of proposed % of duty for each item or item class... it then becomes up to the discretion of the individual agent - one man sees a "guitar" another sees "musical instrument" - another might see a "Gibson guitar" or whatever. This is not the best example but the idea is similar... cookware, might be duty free - "restaurant equipment" might be 10% - used restaurant equipment might be 8%.... 

 

It was that way in USA and the little I have seen here, I think it might be the same. And as in the USA, you can't really fight it too much... 

 

The only possible way to get some clarity and maybe not much would be to contact a broker on this end and find out what to do and hire them to assist you... and there is probably no guarantee... 

 

I do know of one guy who shipped his old computer here and it ended up costing him the price of a new computer to get it in...  

 

I am sure this is no fun on your end...... 

Thanks bud.

[sezze]

Do you have the retirement visa yet , and/or are you flying to Thailand a few times . You can bring stuff in time after time . The biggest items are not possible , but 2 kitchen equipment in 1 go is no problem , same like a stack of books ... You would be surprised how many stuff you can bring in a few runs , as long as it ain't too big .

[DrJack54]

OP, this topic comes up but most threads are in "general topics" forum.

Here is one for example with lot of helpful threads.

 

Apart from that....imo leave it all.

Chuck it apart from the music gear.

 

[PadPrikKhing]

11 minutes ago, sezze said:

Do you have the retirement visa yet , and/or are you flying to Thailand a few times . You can bring stuff in time after time . The biggest items are not possible , but 2 kitchen equipment in 1 go is no problem , same like a stack of books ... You would be surprised how many stuff you can bring in a few runs , as long as it ain't too big .

Nope, not going back and forth at all. I'm doing this in one go. I do not have the retirement visa yet, or any visa. I'm coming in visa-exempt, then will get a visa agent, then do the Non-O to Non-O retirement extension route. Talking about it in this thread has helped me see how absurd it would have been if I'd paid a bunch of extra money to bring those other things. This is such a big move for me that it's been difficult to get out of my own head about it and see some of the common sense aspects.

[PadPrikKhing]

13 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, this topic comes up but most threads are in "general topics" forum.

Here is one for example with lot of helpful threads.

 

Apart from that....imo leave it all.

Chuck it apart from the music gear.

 

Yep, I agree. I see that guy in that thread had the same problem but on a much bigger scale. It's simply not worth the hassle, as was expressed in that thread. Thanks.

[AsianAtHeart]

It is my understanding, which could be inaccurate, that one is allowed to bring in personal effects if one has been living out of Thailand for at least a year.  If you move to Thailand, that is the time to import those personal items.  Once established in Thailand, the personal effects brought in might not be considered as duty-free.  (No, the personal effects do not have to arrive at the same time, but you would have a hard time, I think, bringing them, say, a year later.)

 

In general, books would be duty-free.  The things that get scrutiny, as I understand, would be things like food items, alcohol, electronics, bicycles, anything that might look like it was intended for resale, e.g. new items in quantity, etc.

 

There are many books which one would not find available for purchase in Thailand.  If you like your books, bring them.  But be aware, termites can reduce them to a pile of rubble in a matter of days, and there are silver fish (bookworms) in abundance in this climate as well.  To preserve the books, they must be guarded against these predators.  Air-conditioned (dry) rooms help.  Below 40% humidity, silver fish are supposedly unable to reproduce, and while they can still live, their lifespan is supposed to be less than two years.  So in theory, in a room kept dry, they should be entirely gone within a year or so.

 

Some kitchen items also may be unavailable in Thailand.  It used to be very difficult to find serrated knives, bread knives, etc.  It is now possible to find some, and some of this has to do with the used items imported from countries like Japan and being sold cheaply at second-hand stores.  Pressure cookers can now be ordered from some sellers online--used to be virtually unobtainable in Thailand as well.  If you have an item like a Champion juicer, I still do not know where to source it here in Thailand.  Bring it if you want it.  If it is the commercial model, you can open up the bottom of it and reconnect the wiring to make it fully compatible with 220-volt current.  The average home model will require a transformer.

 

If costs of storage are so high, the import duties might be less worthy of consideration, even if you have to pay something to bring in your beloved possessions. 

 

We've brought in a pallet.  We've also brought in a 20' shipping container.  Those were shipped in the name of a Thai recipient, and had fees coming in--mostly a ton of legwork to get all the documents in order to have them released from the port--but ended up with no duty.  They wanted to open up the shipping container to check for dutiable items, and wanted something like 5,000 baht or 10,000 baht (I don't recall exactly now) to release the container without inspection.  We told them to go ahead and open it--they could see for themselves that it was all personal effects.  In the end, they didn't bother, and let us go without the fee.  But it took a lot of effort.  The port officials are looking for ways to pad their pockets, legal or no.

[PadPrikKhing]

29 minutes ago, AsianAtHeart said:

It is my understanding, which could be inaccurate, that one is allowed to bring in personal effects if one has been living out of Thailand for at least a year. [snip]

Thanks. The info about books and bugs makes it even clearer that I shouldn't bring them. I hadn't even thought about that. I was thinking of bringing them for mostly sentimental reasons, i.e. they've been with me a long time and it would make me feel "at home" to have them. But that's a silly reason in the face of the realities. 

 

My thoughts about bringing the kitchen gear were more about that they're high quality pots and pans (some of them), and I have a whole bunch of the smaller things, everything from corkscrews to gummy bear molds to whisks to cheese graters, etc. A huge drawer full accumulated over many years. Just every kind of thing you'd find in a kitchen, which would take years to replace, but I'm not going to worry about replacing them. Many never get used, and it's more about that feeling of having them all "just in case." But in this context, they're not "wealth" anymore, they're dead weight and they're complicating things. 

 

With regard to the kinds of things you mentioned like juicers and pressure cookers, I don't have any of those kinds of appliances to send so that wasn't going to be a problem.

 

Honestly, it's starting to become more about the hassle than the money... this is turning into a massive hassle, and that deters me too.

Edited August 30, 2022 by PadPrikKhing

[sezze]

Many things , not available before ( or simply don't know where to find them) , are now possible with the online business ( shopee and lazada as the 2 most important) . Even good quality pots ans pans and every kitchen machine possible . Off course , the prices of these items are as expected , you can't get high quality for 100 baht . Most (almost all) is made in China anyway , even if it is a big brand .

So bring in the basics and sell everything else , use the money to buy the items you really need in Thailand .

[flexomike]

1 hour ago, AsianAtHeart said:

It is my understanding, which could be inaccurate, that one is allowed to bring in personal effects if one has been living out of Thailand for at least a year.  If you move to Thailand, that is the time to import those personal items.  Once established in Thailand, the personal effects brought in might not be considered as duty-free.  (No, the personal effects do not have to arrive at the same time, but you would have a hard time, I think, bringing them, say, a year later.)

 

In general, books would be duty-free.  The things that get scrutiny, as I understand, would be things like food items, alcohol, electronics, bicycles, anything that might look like it was intended for resale, e.g. new items in quantity, etc.

 

There are many books which one would not find available for purchase in Thailand.  If you like your books, bring them.  But be aware, termites can reduce them to a pile of rubble in a matter of days, and there are silver fish (bookworms) in abundance in this climate as well.  To preserve the books, they must be guarded against these predators.  Air-conditioned (dry) rooms help.  Below 40% humidity, silver fish are supposedly unable to reproduce, and while they can still live, their lifespan is supposed to be less than two years.  So in theory, in a room kept dry, they should be entirely gone within a year or so.

 

Some kitchen items also may be unavailable in Thailand.  It used to be very difficult to find serrated knives, bread knives, etc.  It is now possible to find some, and some of this has to do with the used items imported from countries like Japan and being sold cheaply at second-hand stores.  Pressure cookers can now be ordered from some sellers online--used to be virtually unobtainable in Thailand as well.  If you have an item like a Champion juicer, I still do not know where to source it here in Thailand.  Bring it if you want it.  If it is the commercial model, you can open up the bottom of it and reconnect the wiring to make it fully compatible with 220-volt current.  The average home model will require a transformer.

 

If costs of storage are so high, the import duties might be less worthy of consideration, even if you have to pay something to bring in your beloved possessions. 

 

We've brought in a pallet.  We've also brought in a 20' shipping container.  Those were shipped in the name of a Thai recipient, and had fees coming in--mostly a ton of legwork to get all the documents in order to have them released from the port--but ended up with no duty.  They wanted to open up the shipping container to check for dutiable items, and wanted something like 5,000 baht or 10,000 baht (I don't recall exactly now) to release the container without inspection.  We told them to go ahead and open it--they could see for themselves that it was all personal effects.  In the end, they didn't bother, and let us go without the fee.  But it took a lot of effort.  The port officials are looking for ways to pad their pockets, legal or no.

That rule is for Thai Nationals 

[ubonjoe]

This page on the customs website will help you.

http://www.customs.go.th/cont_strc_simple.php?ini_content=individual_F01_160426_01&ini_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_02_160421_01

To get it duty free you have to be working with a work permit.

[soi3eddie]

Friend of mine shipped over household and personal items when he and his Thai wife retired here in 2018. With all their experience and her hard work they said it was more hassle and cost than it was worth and wouldn't have done it if they had known the final cost and difficulty.

 

For your situation, I would pack up the music gear really well and suffer the excess baggage charges and bring it with you when you travel. Be prepared to justify and negotiate with customs on arrival if you get stopped. At least this way it would be done with no waiting or visits to ports etc. 

 

[PadPrikKhing]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Friend of mine shipped over household and personal items when he and his Thai wife retired here in 2018. With all their experience and her hard work they said it was more hassle and cost than it was worth and wouldn't have done it if they had known the final cost and difficulty.

 

For your situation, I would pack up the music gear really well and suffer the excess baggage charges and bring it with you when you travel. Be prepared to justify and negotiate with customs on arrival if you get stopped. At least this way it would be done with no waiting or visits to ports etc. 

 

Thanks, yeah that is the conclusion I've come to. Not worth it.

 

But regarding the shipping of musical gear, there are a couple things I'm going to bring on the flight... two guitars, but there are other things that wouldn't be practical to do that way. One of them is a synthesizer with only a soft bag, so for that one I plan to try to wrap it all up in cardboard real well and do my best to protect it and ship it. I hope it will make it. Other things in this category are a small tube guitar amp, which is the same thing... I just have to double-box it and protect it as much as possible; a box that will contain cables, cords, peripherals, etc. That kind of stuff. It's way too much in total to bring it all on the plane, so I'll have to ship it. I think I'm going to ship it to a friend as "gifts," and if the duty is expensive, so be it. I have to have those things.

 

I hope Thai Customs at least knows to calculate the duty based on the actual/realistic value of used things, and not just look them up online and see what they cost new. Instruments and amps etc. are like cars, they can often lose a big % of their value once they're used (there are exceptions like old and rare instruments of couse, but mine aren't that). So since my stuff is used, I would hope that the duty fees can't spin out of control for a couple of pieces of gear and a box of cables.

Edited August 31, 2022 by PadPrikKhing
typos

[CanadaSam]

My (terrible) experiences not only in Thailand, but also Sri Lanka etc., have now taught me, that in third world countries, ONLY deal with Governments agencies (especially customs) with an agent involved!

 

They are literally magicians, they can even let you know how much you have to pay, before the goods arrive, LOL!

 

Otherwise, you may be stuck with severe headaches, heartaches, and a <deleted>load of wasted time and effort, all amounting to absolutely nothing, and in the end, have it all sorted out in minutes by an agent.

 

 

[JimmyJ]

6 hours ago, PadPrikKhing said:

 

I hope Thai Customs at least knows to calculate the duty based on the actual/realistic value of used things, and not just look them up online and see what they cost new. Instruments and amps etc. are like cars, they can often lose a big % of their value once they're used (there are exceptions like old and rare instruments of couse, but mine aren't that). So since my stuff is used, I would hope that the duty fees can't spin out of control for a couple of pieces of gear and a box of cables.

I've read at least 1 post, I think 2 or 3, where Thai Customs did assess a used item at its value when new.

Pretty sure it was phone(s) or computer(s).

 

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by JimmyJ

[Liverpool Lou]

14 hours ago, PadPrikKhing said:

I am planning to come in visa-exempt, and then get a Non-O, then get the Non-O extension for retirement, so I have no idea why the Thai agent is talking work permits and B visas.  

..."I have no idea why..."

You don't think that, perhaps, it's because you're coming with no visa?  

[sanuk711]

Come business class -- its worth it if you want to carry a lot more baggage, & they are usually quite relaxed about you going over the allotted amount.

 

Books !.... I mean I didn't think anyone would think of shipping books.

Books that I can not even buy now because there out of print etc are all on the internet.  Free !

[Liverpool Lou]

4 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

Books that I can not even buy now because there out of print etc are all on the internet.  Free !

Not the same thing!