SSA Form 7162 Time Again

[Pib]

1 hour ago, racyrick said:

I am glad to report that I finally got my form yesterday in Khon Kaen.

At the top, right hand side of the form what date did it show as being generated/printed?   By chance was it 2 June 2023 like the one I got and like others have reported?   

 

If a different date that could indicate the 1st mailing for 7162s is occurring on different dates vs all on one day (like 2 June).    Pending your reply I'm going to guess yours is dated 2 June and it just took an additional week to get to you in Khon Kaen vs us folks here in Bangkok who starting getting them around one week ago.

[racyrick]

22 hours ago, Pib said:

At the top, right hand side of the form what date did it show as being generated/printed?   By chance was it 2 June 2023 like the one I got and like others have reported?   

 

If a different date that could indicate the 1st mailing for 7162s is occurring on different dates vs all on one day (like 2 June).    Pending your reply I'm going to guess yours is dated 2 June and it just took an additional week to get to you in Khon Kaen vs us folks here in Bangkok who starting getting them around one week ago.

Yes, it was 2 June. Always slow here in Khon Kaen and I have always had problems with a mail person keeping this route.

[jerrymahoney]

Well not to belabor this, but it used to be after your 7162 letter back to USofA was accepted at the Thailand Post and moved out from Suvarnabhumi, it went into the great abyss as it could be days or up to a week before it would show up on the USPS system.

 

Now it shows up on both systems at once:

 

[flexomike]

Me and the wife just got our 7162's today, Rayong, dated June 02

 

[connda]

On 6/3/2023 at 4:52 PM, John Drake said:

Last year, I received SSA's Form 7162 around the middle of July. But in all previous years, I usually got  it around the first or second week of June. So, I guess it's time to be on the lookout for this year's form. What is terrible is that it seems we just finally finished with all the delays, omissions, and missing forms from last year. This year, I intend to return it via regular airmail. Using registered mail apparently doesn't help and may, in fact, hinder SSA's reception of the return form. At least that was the feedback last year.

I just got mine today.  I checked the mail last week, so this has come in the last few day.  Mailed June 2nd.

I'll make copies of this and mail it back tomorrow via regular mail. Registered mail just gets thrown in a bin in Wilkes-Barr, PA and the sent to the SSA after the "drop dead date."  Go figure that some petty beauacrat in UPS gets off on delaying forms sent by registered mail, but I've done that three times and the result was the same every time. They DO sit on them and allow the clock to run out.  Amazing.

I'll fire off copies of SSA 7162 via regular mail  ever couple of weeks during July and August.  It's an inefficient system so you have to play into the inefficiency. 

In this day and age, it doesn't make any sense that this can't be done electronically.  Heck, even Thai Immigration has a functioning 90 Day Reporting System.  SSA should have the ability to accept expats SSA 7162 forms online.  When "Pigs Fly" I guess. 

[connda]

On 6/17/2023 at 9:40 AM, bamnutsak said:

Luckily I took a photo...

 

June 02, 2023

 

 

Mine too.

 

[jerrymahoney]

5 minutes ago, connda said:

I'll make copies of this and mail it back tomorrow via regular mail. Registered mail just gets thrown in a bin in Wilkes-Barr, PA and the sent to the SSA after the "drop dead date." 

You may be right. I do the registration for me so I know that it got to Wilkes-Barre.

[connda]

3 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

You may be right. I do the registration for me so I know that it got to Wilkes-Barre.

They go to Wilkes-Barr and then sit, then show up after the 'due date.'  My experience.  And more than once. 

[jerrymahoney]

2 minutes ago, connda said:

They go to Wilkes-Barr and then sit, then show up after the 'due date.'  My experience.  And more than once. 

My experience is that even if there is no signature, they still get it and I have had no problems.

 

If not registered, one cannot be sure that it ever made it out of Thailand..

[connda]

40 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

My experience is that even if there is no signature, they still get it and I have had no problems.

 

If not registered, one cannot be sure that it ever made it out of Thailand..

My experience is that Thailand Postal Service is 200+% better than UPS.
I've tracked packages in and out of Thailand numerous times. 
From Chiang Mai and vicinity to leaving Suvarnabhumi is always less than 48 hours or from Suvarnabhumi to Chiang Mai and vicinity is always less than 48 hours.
Anywhere in the United States can take a week or more.  Consistently!

The only hiccup in that system has been when my bank sends me credit cards.  Then they disappear in a black hole somewhere in Thailand for up to three months if they show up at all (mailed first class international).  I just received two credit cards that my bank sent me in January and March. They showed up last week.  Before they finally showed up,  I had the bank cancel the cards as "Lost" and resent via"expedited mail" (tracked) and the above held true (about 10 days transiting the USPS mail system in the US and less than 36 hours to clear customs at Suvarnabhumi and arrive in at my physical address in Northern Thailand.

So from my experience if the mail gets held up anywhere?  It is in the US somewhere in the rather pathetic USPS system.  Talk about a system that desperately needs to be privatized sans any government subsidies.

And as far as sending SSA 7162 forms to Wilkes-Barr via Registered Mail?  I don't recommend it.  But if someone whats to experiment?  Try it and see if you have better luck.  I doubt it. 

[connda]

On 6/27/2023 at 4:51 AM, jerrymahoney said:

Well not to belabor this, but it used to be after your 7162 letter back to USofA was accepted at the Thailand Post and moved out from Suvarnabhumi, it went into the great abyss

That Great Abyss is once they leave Suvarnabhumi.  The issue is via the airline carrier and USPS itself which blows on a good day.  I pretty much guarantee that USPS is the Great Abyss.

Let's all do an experiment.  Make copies of your SSA 7162.  Send one out via regular mail and send one out via registered mail and then track it.  The Great Abyss of Registered Mail is on the USPS side.  It will bounce around in New York for awhile and then bounce back and forth between NY and PA, and then bounce around in PA before entering the Great Abyss in Wilkes-Barr.

Don't believe me?  Then do it and keep receipts.  If I'm wrong this year - Ok, I'll admit error.  If I'm not wrong and the registered mail gets dropped in a bin and sat on in Wilkes-Barr?  Then write your congress-person and Senator and ask why?  I've done that before and received no replies.  But if enough of us do it?  Maybe we get their attention.  Which might be a good or bad thing.  <shrugs> 

I'm going to send my original via regular mail and send a copy via registered mail and then track it and see what shakes.  I'll post my results here later this year.  Ya'll should consider doing the same.

Let me know if you are interested in participating in this experiment in tracking SSA 7162 forms sent from Thailand to Wilkes-Barr, PA via registered mail.  PM me if you want. 

[jerrymahoney]

Most years, the 7162 is the only piece of hard copy mail I send to the US. I have never received a follow-up letter that my 7162 was not received.

 

You do it your way -- I'll do it mine.

[connda]

32 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Most years, the 7162 is the only piece of hard copy mail I send to the US. I have never received a follow-up letter that my 7162 was not received.

 

You do it your way -- I'll do it mine.

But I have "received a follow-up letter that my 7162 was not received" more than once.

[John Drake]

2 hours ago, connda said:

I'll make copies of this and mail it back tomorrow via regular mail. Registered mail just gets thrown in a bin in Wilkes-Barr, PA and the sent to the SSA after the "drop dead date." 

Yes, that is what I did, too. Mine was put in my PO Box sometime last week; I retrieved it on Friday and sent it regular air mail.

[jerrymahoney]

11 hours ago, connda said:

But I have "received a follow-up letter that my 7162 was not received" more than once.

That's terrible. Better luck for you this year.

[Pib]

16 hours ago, connda said:

That Great Abyss is once they leave Suvarnabhumi.  The issue is via the airline carrier and USPS itself which blows on a good day.  I pretty much guarantee that USPS is the Great Abyss.

Let's all do an experiment.  Make copies of your SSA 7162.  Send one out via regular mail and send one out via registered mail and then track it.  The Great Abyss of Registered Mail is on the USPS side.  It will bounce around in New York for awhile and then bounce back and forth between NY and PA, and then bounce around in PA before entering the Great Abyss in Wilkes-Barr.

Don't believe me?  Then do it and keep receipts.  If I'm wrong this year - Ok, I'll admit error.  If I'm not wrong and the registered mail gets dropped in a bin and sat on in Wilkes-Barr?  Then write your congress-person and Senator and ask why?  I've done that before and received no replies.  But if enough of us do it?  Maybe we get their attention.  Which might be a good or bad thing.  <shrugs> 

I'm going to send my original via regular mail and send a copy via registered mail and then track it and see what shakes.  I'll post my results here later this year.  Ya'll should consider doing the same.

Let me know if you are interested in participating in this experiment in tracking SSA 7162 forms sent from Thailand to Wilkes-Barr, PA via registered mail.  PM me if you want. 

Yeap....IMO sending a 7162 via regular airmail vs registered airmail is the best way to go as the mail will usually arrive faster and the mailing cost is significant cheaper.   But to each his own.  

 

I base my opinion "on my personal testing in 2019" of sending mail to a U.S. location via regular and registered mail.....and also many posts over the years of people who mail their 7162s to Wilkes Barre via registered mail. As mentioned it's also cheaper at Bt59 to send via regular airmail vs Bt355 for registered airmail.    But I realize many people want the warm, fuzzy feeling of being able to track a registered item even though many times the tracking seems to create angst due to tracking that shows the registered item has went MIA along the way, got stuck at an interim location in the U.S., never got confirmation of final delivery, etc.   Since registered mail is handled differently than regular mail the registered mail often travels slower for part of its trek due to various reasons such as security, handling, customs, tracking requirements, etc.   And whether the registered mail was mailed from a foreign country or within the U.S. can also make a difference. 

 

Anyway, my below post post sums up my mid 2019 testing (pre-COVID pandemic) of sending mail via regular and registered mail from Bangkok to a mail forwarding address I have in Houston, Texas where I get an email & scan of the mail the same day the mail is actually delivered.   You will see in the testing (3 tests involving 6 envelopes consisting of 3 regular airmails and 3 registered airmails) the regular airmail arrived much faster and even though every registered mail did arrive (since I got a delivery email/scan from my mail forwarder) in the majority of cases I never got final "USPS tracking confirmation" of delivery other than it was in-transit to the final delivery location in Houston.....kinda like how many 7162 related posts have been talked over the years that say tracking showed the 7162 arriving the Wilkes Barre Post Office but not final delivery to the SSA facility or pickup at the post office by a SSA rep.  

 

Note: in 2019 sending via registered airmail was only approx 1/3 the cost it is now so it could get costly to repeat the same testing in 2023.

 

 

 

[jerrymahoney]

I only got involved in this discussion because people were discussing a 7162 notification to SSA Wilkes-Barre or Baltimore via FAX.

 

Not my choice.

[jerrymahoney]

On 6/22/2023 at 5:35 PM, Sheryl said:

Why on earth they continue to rely on snail mail in this day and age is beyond me. And if the concern is that someone has died and others are pocketing their SS $,  what is to keep said other from signing and returning this silly form??

Maybe they check for forged signatures?

[connda]

8 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

That's terrible. Better luck for you this year.

Did you get out of the sarcastic side of the bed yesterday.  I don't understand the snarky replies regarding a conversation about our individual experiences with SSA 7162 forms.  I hope you have a better day today.
Good-bye.

[Pib]

@flexomike

    Since both you and your wife got 7162s would you mind telling if both of you are receiving your SS pension based on your individual earnings records....repeat, based on your individual earnings records.    That is, both you and the wife worked at least 10 years/earned at least 40 SS credits which enables each of you to receive a SS pension based on "their individual earnings records" vs one of you receiving their SS pension based on someone else's earning record (like a current/divorced spouse earnings record).

 

   And if one of you is receiving their pension based on another person's earning record (like a spouse) which is typically referred to as a "spousal" pension does the last two digits of of the "primary earner" SSN end between 0-49 or does it end between 50 to 99?    Also, if one of you is receiving a spousal pension does the 7162 for the person receiving this spousal pension reflect their actual SSN "OR" does it reflect the SSN of the other person (i.e., the primary earner) in addition to probably having a BIC of "B" following the SSN?

 

    The reason I'm asking is your answers would help to possibly confirm what I think I figured out last night from review of SSA regulations/policy as to why my wife who draws a SS pension did not receive a 7162 this year but I did...and also explain why in a previous year she did not get a 7162 while I did.     Thanks.

 

     

[flexomike]

29 minutes ago, Pib said:

@flexomike

    Since both you and your wife got 7162s would you mind telling if both of you are receiving your SS pension based on your individual earnings records....repeat, based on your individual earnings records.    That is, both you and the wife worked at least 10 years/earned at least 40 SS credits which enables each of you to receive a SS pension based on "their individual earnings records" vs one of you receiving their SS pension based on someone else's earning record (like a current/divorced spouse earnings record).

 

   And if one of you is receiving their pension based on another person's earning record (like a spouse) which is typically referred to as a "spousal" pension does the last two digits of of the "primary earner" SSN end between 0-49 or does it end between 50 to 99?    Also, if one of you is receiving a spousal pension does the 7162 for the person receiving this spousal pension reflect their actual SSN "OR" does it reflect the SSN of the other person (i.e., the primary earner) in addition to probably having a BIC of "B" following the SSN?

 

    The reason I'm asking is your answers would help to possibly confirm what I think I figured out last night from review of SSA regulations/policy as to why my wife who draws a SS pension did not receive a 7162 this year but I did...and also explain why in a previous year she did not get a 7162 while I did.     Thanks.

 

     

my wife worked for ten years, but her earnings were not real high, she started collecting at 62, her monthly deposit is based on a percentage of what I collect.

So I wouldn't call what she gets as a spousal pension. her last two digits are 04 and mine are 69.

If it makes any difference she started collecting her pension in Thailand through the PI Embassy. This is her fourth year of collecting and we have always received our 7162 forms on the same day.

 

[Pib]

4 minutes ago, flexomike said:

my wife worked for ten years, but her earnings were not real high, she started collecting at 62, her monthly deposit is based on a percentage of what I collect.

So I wouldn't call what she gets as a spousal pension. her last two digits are 04 and mine are 69.

If it makes any difference she started collecting her pension in Thailand through the PI Embassy. This is her fourth year of collecting and we have always received our 7162 forms on the same day.

 

On the 7162 she receives is "her" SSN or "your" SSN reflected in the block that's directly to the right of the name/address block?   

 

And what BIC code is shown right after the SSN regardless of which SSN (your or hers) is shown?   Thanks.

[flexomike]

2 minutes ago, Pib said:

On the 7162 she receives is "her" SSN or "your" SSN reflected in the block that's directly to the right of the name/address block?   

 

And what BIC code is shown right after the SSN regardless of which SSN (your or hers) is shown?   Thanks.

It has her SS number and the BIC code is A

[Pib]

24 minutes ago, flexomike said:

It has her SS number and the BIC code is A

Thanks.   Since her SSN is showing this confirms her benefit is based primarily or totally on her earnings record although she may also being receiving a "spousal" pension "top-up" since you said earlier her benefit is based on a percentage of your earnings.   BIC Code A means the primary claimant...the SSN which the benefit is primarily/totally based on.

 

If part of her pension is indeed based on your earnings this would not be a pure spousal pension but what is also referred to as a top-up or auxiliary amount added to her basic pension....but some people still refer to this top-up amount as a spousal pension add-on. 

 

And since her address is in Thailand, her pension based primarily on her earnings, "and" her SSN (vs your SSN) is reflected on the 7162 this means she will get a 7162 on an annual vs biennial  (every 2 years) basis.

 

Your answers has added more proof of what I gleamed from some SSA documents last night as to which pensioner receive a 7162 on an annual or biennial basis which is riddled with conditions/fine print to determine which schedule a person is on.  My wife who is on a pure spousal pension since she only 9.5 years of SS work credits under her belt....her benefit is totally based on my earning records...and my SSN appears on her 7162 which she has been getting here in Thailand every 2 years on even number years which is in sync with the SSA documents

 

I will post details tonight or tomorrow explaining more, referencing the SSA docs, etc.   The info may be helpful to those folks on a spousal pension living in Thailand whose 7162 only seems to arrive every 2 years vs every year.

 

Big thanks for your answers.

 

 

 

[Pib]

For those of you who has a spouse that receives SS pension benefits "based totally or partially on your earnings record" and both of you live in Thailand you may  (probably) experienced the issue where the spouse hasn't been receiving a 7162 "every" year (i.e., 1st or 2nd SSA mailing in Jun & Sep, respectively), but you have been receiving your 7162 each & every year assuming you are not on a spousal pension yourself. 

 

You then start wondering why didn't the spouse's 7162 arrive?  You probably figure it got lost in the U.S./Thai mail, or maybe SSA screwed-up by just not mailing one.  And you also probably start worrying about the spouse's SS pension being suspended starting Feb, you contact SSA about the MIA 7162, probably fill-out a blank 7162 and mail it in....then keep your fingers crossed the SSA receives and process it. 

 

Well, based on some SSA documents (one of them shown at the bottom) I read last night in those cases where a person is receiving a "spousal" pension (that is, the pension is based on some one else's earnings record vs the pensioner's own earnings record) the person receiving the spousal pension will only receive a 7162 on a biennial basis (every 2 years)....and if the last two digits of SSN shown on the 7162 "which will be the primary earner's SSNs vs the pensioner's SSN" falls between 00 to 49 that 7162 will be received on even numbered years (e.g., 2022, 2024) and if the last two digits fall between 50 to 99 the 7162 will be received on odd numbered years (e.g., 2021, 2023).  And most likely right after the SSN appearing on the 7162 there will also be a BIC (Beneficiary Identification Code) of B, D, F, J and W which means a type of spousal pension.

 

B generally means a living wife/husband spouse, D a surviving/divorced spouse,  F a mother/father, and W a disabled widow/widower.  There are actually many specific variations of the B, D, F, and W codes but possibly the most common is just the B code which means "Wife, 62 or older" since it's not uncommon for the wife to not have worked 10 years to qualify for a SS pension based on her own earnings record since she probably spent most of her potential working years as an unpaid homemaker/raising kids vs working at a paid job. 

 

I started drawing SS pension in early 2017 and the wife in late 2018.  Since my wife did not work 10 years/earn 40 SS credits (she fell just short of the requirement) her SS pension was based totally on my earnings record and receives a pure spousal pension.  And since she is receiving a spousal pension based totally on my earning record the 7162 she receives reflects my SSN (not hers) and also reflects BIC suffix of "B"....and toss in the fact that the last 2 digits of my SSN (and even the wife's SSN) falls between 00 to 49 according to the SSA POMS below (POMS is like a SSA regulation) she will receive a 7162 on a biennial basis on even number years.   

 

When I looked back thru our 7162 records going back to 2017 I had been receiving a 7162 annually but she only received a 7162 every other year on even numbered years....like she got a 7162 in 2022 but not this 2023 year...and this pattern repeated for earlier years.  We reside at the same Thailand address and this address is correctly reflected in both our SSA records...neither of us .have ever had any problem receiving mail from the U.S. like SSA mail such as the annual SSA 1099R tax doc, SSA COLA notification, etc.  However, for the wife a 7162 would never arrive during odd numbered years like 2023/this year, but would only arrive during even numbered years.    

 

And thanks @flexomike whose posts above help confirm what is said in the SSA POMS regarding annual or biannual 7162 receipt.   His wife has been receiving her 7162 each & every year but her 7162 reflects her SSN (vs flexomike's) and a BIC of "A".  And since her BIC code is not a B, D, F, or W but an "A" that "A" code reaffirms her pension is primarily/totally based on her earnings record which combined with a Thailand address means she receives a 7162 every year.

 

P.S.  And for those of you currently on a biennial 7162 if you are lucky enough to live to 90 you will start receiving a 7162 every year as shown in the POMS below.   I sure hope the wife makes it to 90...sure hope I do to.  ????

 

 

Weblink to SSA POMS document taking 7162 mailing frequency....partial snapshot from doc also below....please pay particular attention to where it talks "BIC"

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pib]

 

 

 

At the bottom is an old newspaper article that talks the SSA BIC codes in layman's terms.   Since the article is long in the tooth (outdated) in some aspects like talking about SSNs on Medicare cards and also talks medical insurance coverage I "partially" quoted the article below to weed-out some stuff/keep it more focused on what a BIC means on your SSA 7162.   But you can read the entire article by clicking on this  Weblink to News Article.

 

And if you want to see all the possible SSA BIC codes (dozens upon dozens are possible) you can see them at this SSA POMS Weblink.   

 

And remember, based on BIC code info in the previous post if your 7162 shows a BIC code of  "B, D, J, F, or W" and you have a Thailand address on-file with the SSA then you should only be receiving a 7162 every two years vs year....which also means your 7162 has "not" been getting lost in mail half of the time/every other year because the SSA simply did not request/require one for certain years...and did not need any 7162 response from you for certain years. 

 

Like talked in my earlier post my wife has a "spousal" type pension based on my SSA earnings record....her SSA BIC code is a "B" and she has only been receiving a bar-coded 7162 during even numbered years.  But I have a BiC code of "A" and have been getting a bar-coded 7162 every year.   

 

For years I wondered why receipt of my wife's bar-coded 7162 seemed to be hit-and-miss....I figured it was lost in the mail and then manually complete & mail back a non-barcoded 7162.  However, my bar-coded 7162 arrived each & every year without fail....and each of us have the exact same Thailand address on-file with the SSA.   

 

Yeap, the wife's bar-coded 7162 has "not" been getting lost in mail every other year because the SSA did not require/mail her a bar-coded 7162 each year....the SSA only requires/mails her a bar-coded 7162 on even numbered years.  For other folks it could be on odd-numbered years.  So, I will no longer get upset the wife's 7162 only seems to arrive every other year, probably got lost in mail, etc., as I now know what her 7162 schedule is every two years on even numbered years and mine is every year.   

 

So, do you know what your SSA BIC code is?...take a look at one of your past 7162's (hopefully you kept a copy).  Have you been wondering why you or your spouse only seem to receive a bar-coded 7162 every other year here in Thailand?  Well, if you are drawing your pension based on some one else's SSA earnings record you are probably drawing a type of spousal pension and your assigned BIC code may dictate a 7162 every two years vs every year....and the SSA mailed bar-coded 7162 did "not" get lost in Thailand/U.S. mail trying to find your Thailand address. ????

 

"Partial" quote from the news article

 

Quote

...A couple weeks ago, I wrote a column about something called "beneficiary identification codes," or BICs. These are little letter symbols that follow your Social Security number once you apply for Social Security benefits. They designate the kind of Social Security benefit you are claiming...

 

Your "claim number" (a Social Security number with a little BIC symbol behind it) will show up on any official correspondence you might get from the Social Security Administration...

 

For example, if you are getting Social Security retirement benefits, your claim number is your SSN with the BIC code "A" behind it. That "A" stands for retirement benefits in Social Security records.....

 

Because many people claim benefits from a spouse's Social Security record, their claim number will be the spouse's SSN with a different BIC symbol...

 

For example, if you are a woman getting widow's benefits from Social Security and your deceased husband's SSN was 987-65-4321, your claim number would be 987-65-4321D. The letter "D" stands for widow's benefits in Social Security records.

 

Many women are getting a combination of their own retirement benefit and some extra money from their husband's Social Security account. Almost always in those cases, your own Social Security number is the primary number. So your claim number will be your own SSN with an "A" behind it...

 

These BIC codes generally run from "A" all the way to "W" and designate the many different kinds of Social Security benefits available...

 

 

 

[Migz]

I just got the first mailing of the Form 7162 today, June 30, which I never did last year.  I'll be mailing it back this coming Monday.  Has anyone ever tried mailing the form back via special courier service like DHL?  I wonder how much it would cost.

[flexomike]

41 minutes ago, Migz said:

I just got the first mailing of the Form 7162 today, June 30, which I never did last year.  I'll be mailing it back this coming Monday.  Has anyone ever tried mailing the form back via special courier service like DHL?  I wonder how much it would cost.

waste of money, mail goes to a PO Box not sure if that can be done

[Pib]

58 minutes ago, Migz said:

I just got the first mailing of the Form 7162 today, June 30, which I never did last year.  I'll be mailing it back this coming Monday.  Has anyone ever tried mailing the form back via special courier service like DHL?  I wonder how much it would cost.

Do yourself a favor.....just go mail it at the Thai post via "regular airmail" (not registered airmail, not EMS),,,,just regular airmail.  Cost will be approx Bt59.  It should arrive Wilkes Barre PA in 2 to 3 weeks.

 

Regarding delivery by DHL the cost would be around Bt1,107 according to the DHL Thailand website when I punched in the weight & size of the 7162 mailing envelope going to Wilkes Barre

https://www.dhl.com/th-en/home/get-a-quote.html

[watthong]

On 6/30/2023 at 4:40 PM, Pib said:

Do yourself a favor.....just go mail it at the Thai post via "regular airmail" (not registered airmail, not EMS),,,,just regular airmail.  Cost will be approx Bt59.  It should arrive Wilkes Barre PA in 2 to 3 weeks.

 

I got my 7162 on 6/19, mailed back registered 6/22. Last update on thai post (pic 1) is "hand over to carrier" from Swampy on 6/24 so I assume that it has gotten on a flight. Over on USPS (pic 2) it still shows one of the updates on 6/24 at Swampy. I figure it must have gotten on US soil by now?