Selling on Amazon, Etsy, Ebay and Retirement Visas.

[bigt3116]

On 7/12/2023 at 2:11 PM, darrendsd said:

If you are dropshipping and have nothing to do with Thai suppliers you wouldn't need one

Incorrect, YOU are inside Thailand working, that is ALL that matters

[FritsSikkink]

On 7/11/2023 at 12:57 AM, smx1313 said:

Thank you for all the response's.

I'd to clear up a few points.

 

I'm not looking for info on how to drop ship, sell online, or the logistics of doing so 

 

I currently (for several years now) have manufacturing done in Thailand.

I have a wholesale and retail customer base, shipping systems in place.

Basically the only change that will happen is that I change my base of operations from the USA to L.O.S.

The whole thing is run from my small apt.

 

I lived in BKK in the Thaksin Shinawatra era. 

Selling online from a room in a guesthouse, "under the table" was easy (not so much today).

Back then it was easy to sell retail online, ship to customers directly. If it was small and light it cost about the same to ship from BKK to San Francisco/London/Berlin as it did from NYC to those cities.

 

I'm researching info on visa regs. Essentially, is this considered "working"?

I'm interested in talking to those who have, currently or in the past, done something like this in the past.

Maybe there is a Asean Now page that deals with this subject?

 

Thanks again for all the response's. 

 

 

Yes, it is considered working. Which means, you need a work permit and pay tax.

The fact that other people sht on the rules and have been getting away with it doesn't change that. 

[Mark1066]

3 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

Incorrect, YOU are inside Thailand working, that is ALL that matters

He probably meant that nobody would know, and certainly from my experience it is only other foreigners that get their panties in a twist about these sorts of activities.

[darrendsd]

4 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

Incorrect, YOU are inside Thailand working, that is ALL that matters

Not correct

 

Your business needs to be Thai related in some way for example buying stock from thai suppliers

 

Immigration have already said numerous times that they are not interested in digital nomads here who's businessess are based overseas

 

I trade the forex market from home, do I need a wp? Of course not as it has nothing to do with Thailand and I doubt I would be able to get a wp for it anyway as there would be nothing to cover what I do in the Thai immigration regulations

[bigt3116]

2 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

Your business needs to be Thai related in some way for example buying stock from thai suppliers

Absolute bs

 

2 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

Immigration have already said numerous times that they are not interested in digital nomads here who's businessess are based overseas

Don't confuse their (at the moment) lack of action with what is written in the legal statutes

[darrendsd]

7 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

Absolute bs

 

Don't confuse their (at the moment) lack of action with what is written in the legal statutes

There is no legal statues for this kind of work

 

Let me explain how it worked when I was dropshipping

 

My ebay account was based in the UK. I would receive a order from a UK based client, I would then go to AliExpress and order it there and have them send it direct to the client, therefore Thailand is not involved in any way shape or form

 

 

There isno regulation in the Thai immigration act to say I need a wp for this kind of work

 

Go and check the immigration laws and then come back and show me that a wp is needed for what I have described above

[bigt3116]

10 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

There isno regulation in the Thai immigration act to say I need a wp for this kind of work

 

Go and check the immigration laws and then come back and show me that a wp is needed for what I have described above

The very fact that you think Labour law is covered by Immigration alone tells me just how clueless you really are.

 

https://www.doe.go.th/prd/assets/upload/files/sukhothai_th/928cb9d2c6e07cd3e5812a43993a0fdd.pdf

 

Try reading the Working of Alien Act above. Or the copy below.

 

https://www.samuiforsale.com/law-texts/foreign-employment-act.html

[darrendsd]

18 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

The very fact that you think Labour law is covered by Immigration alone tells me just how clueless you really are.

 

https://www.doe.go.th/prd/assets/upload/files/sukhothai_th/928cb9d2c6e07cd3e5812a43993a0fdd.pdf

 

Try reading the Working of Alien Act above. Or the copy below.

 

https://www.samuiforsale.com/law-texts/foreign-employment-act.html

,,,????????????????

[bigt3116]

6 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

,,,????????????????

Guessing some of the words were too big for you?

[darrendsd]

9 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

Guessing some of the words were too big for you?

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/thailand-digital-nomad-visa-and-work-permit

 

I would rather take the advice of a competent lawyers firm than some know it all on Aseannow to be honest

 

It clearly states that you are allowed to manage your online shop whilst in Thailand which is exactly the scenario I gave in my first post on this thread regarding dropshipping 

Edited July 14, 2023 by darrendsd

[darrendsd]

7 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

Guessing some of the words were too big for you?

You've gone a bit quiet after my last post

 

I'm guessing the words in the article were to big for you? ,????????

[bigt3116]

 

On 7/14/2023 at 11:18 AM, darrendsd said:

It clearly states that you are allowed to manage your online shop whilst in Thailand which is exactly the scenario I gave in my first post on this thread regarding dropshipping

"The digital nomad is allowed to manage his online shop during the duration of his stay in Thailand without a work permit. Even if some of his customers are in Thailand, he is just continuing to do something he was doing before he came to Thailand anyway."

 

 

If you actually READ all the words, not just the ones you like, you would realise that they are talking about short term visitors to Thailand, NOT people who reside here.

Edited July 15, 2023 by blackcab
Defamatory comment removed

[bigt3116]

18 hours ago, darrendsd said:

some know it all on Aseannow to be honest

I showed you the Thai Law act, this is not me pretending to "know it all", it is me giving you definitive proof in Thai law. Sorry if that means you are wrong, but the law is the law.

[darrendsd]

1 hour ago, bigt3116 said:

I showed you the Thai Law act, this is not me pretending to "know it all", it is me giving you definitive proof in Thai law. Sorry if that means you are wrong, but the law is the law.

Ok if you say so sweet cheeks ????

[jacko45k]

On 7/9/2023 at 12:11 AM, sabaiguy said:

calm down and move on.

What and miss our on an argument!

[patman30]

On 7/11/2023 at 12:57 AM, smx1313 said:

Thank you for all the response's.

I'd to clear up a few points.

 

I'm not looking for info on how to drop ship, sell online, or the logistics of doing so 

 

I currently (for several years now) have manufacturing done in Thailand.

I have a wholesale and retail customer base, shipping systems in place.

Basically the only change that will happen is that I change my base of operations from the USA to L.O.S.

The whole thing is run from my small apt.

 

I lived in BKK in the Thaksin Shinawatra era. 

Selling online from a room in a guesthouse, "under the table" was easy (not so much today).

Back then it was easy to sell retail online, ship to customers directly. If it was small and light it cost about the same to ship from BKK to San Francisco/London/Berlin as it did from NYC to those cities.

 

I'm researching info on visa regs. Essentially, is this considered "working"?

I'm interested in talking to those who have, currently or in the past, done something like this in the past.

Maybe there is a Asean Now page that deals with this subject?

 

Thanks again for all the response's. 

 

 

would likely depend on where money is being accepted and how much work is done this end
ID is now required for sending small items
so there will always be a record of how active a person is
but whether anyone is actively looking is another story
the biggest issue in past for myself was rising cost of registration for small packets, which iirc is now at 75 baht
if you are simply sending a large parcel of stock to US weekly then i would not see that as working here
(and this could easily be done for you by whoever you purchase from)
but if sending 50 small packets daily
then regardless of any specific wording of laws
this could likely be seen as working here, by any officer looking to make an arrest or receive a brown envelope

The digital nomad visa statement above, implies you would be doing the same work you would be doing if not in Thailand, if you come here and start packing and sending orders from here, then you would not be "just continuing to do something he was doing before he came to Thailand"

getting a digital nomad visa is another question,
as last i looked the requirements were not really setup for actual digital nomads.
 

Edited July 15, 2023 by patman30

[patman30]

1 hour ago, bigt3116 said:

"The digital nomad is allowed to manage his online shop during the duration of his stay in Thailand without a work permit. Even if some of his customers are in Thailand, he is just continuing to do something he was doing before he came to Thailand anyway."

If you actually READ all the words, not just the ones you like, you would realise that they are talking about short term visitors to Thailand, NOT people who reside here.

The quote you posted does not state or imply duration of stay but simply they must be
"continuing to do something he was doing before he came to Thailand"
running a dropship biz can be done from anywhere.
so this would be fine, as you are continuing your work, nothing changes
however afaict the OP is looking to ship orders from here,
which is not the same as managing a dropship biz

[bigt3116]

7 minutes ago, patman30 said:

The quote you posted does not state or imply duration of stay but simply they must be
"continuing to do something he was doing before he came to Thailand"
running a dropship biz can be done from anywhere.
so this would be fine, as you are continuing your work, nothing changes
however afaict the OP is looking to ship orders from here,
which is not the same as managing a dropship biz

The quote I posted uses the term "digital nomad", which can be described as "A digital nomad lives a nomadic lifestyle, moving from location to location and staying connected digitally. ", which would infer that they are "short term" visitors, not people who live here permanently.

[Misty]

On 7/14/2023 at 11:18 AM, darrendsd said:

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/thailand-digital-nomad-visa-and-work-permit

 

I would rather take the advice of a competent lawyers firm than some know it all on Aseannow to be honest

 

It clearly states that you are allowed to manage your online shop whilst in Thailand which is exactly the scenario I gave in my first post on this thread regarding dropshipping 

From your 'competent lawyers firm' link:

 

"Using these criteria, aren’t most Digital Nomads in Thailand effectively working here illegally?

Yes, in a strict sense."

 

 

[patman30]

5 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

not people who live here permanently.

it only becomes permanent when you die here.
Until then you only have permission to be here for as long as the date stamped in your passport says.

Edited July 15, 2023 by patman30

[darrendsd]

5 hours ago, Misty said:

From your 'competent lawyers firm' link:

 

"Using these criteria, aren’t most Digital Nomads in Thailand effectively working here illegally?

Yes, in a strict sense."

 

 

Yes that's correct they are working here

 

But what you really fail to understand is that the Labour laws have not been updated to recognize the digital age

 

So therefore there is nothing in them to say a person working on his computer at home running a business that is absolutely nothing to do with Thailand is  breaking the rules

 

Times have changed since those rules were written but some people including yourself keep banging on with you're working in Thailand  so you need a work permit blah blah blah

 

From the same website that you keep taking quotes from to further your view but like to miss out parts that don't 

 

"Yes, in a strict sense. However, Thai law does not have specific sections that cater to relatively new developments such as foreign online workers"

 

So stop living in the past and accept that times have changed and stop posting laws that were written decades ago long before the digital age came about

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by darrendsd

[smx1313]

16 hours ago, patman30 said:

but if sending 50 small packets daily
then regardless of any specific wording of laws
this could likely be seen as working here,

I agree, I'm not looking to send packets out daily. 

I did that for a while in the early 2000's. Got to know the postal clerks, who in turn took it upon themselves to teach me Thai. It was actually enjoyable to go to the post office.

 

With postal reporting, those days are gone. There will be no daily trips to the post office.

[bigt3116]

13 hours ago, darrendsd said:

So stop living in the past and accept that times have changed and stop posting laws that were written decades ago long before the digital age came about

You are aware that people can only quote current laws? The fact that they have not been updated does not mean anything not covered is legal.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, bigt3116 said:

You are aware that people can only quote current laws? The fact that they have not been updated does not mean anything not covered is legal.

That is correct. However, it is important to appreciate that the laws as written, and the laws as they are enforced differ. In most cases, Thailand is pragmatic about law enforcement. They enforce laws when that is deemed to be in the public interest, and beneficial for Thailand and Thais. Many activities that are technically in violation of ancient laws are widely tolerated. The activities of most categories of digital nomads fall into this category, and enforcement is very unlikely to change until there are major overhauls of the labour laws.