TikToker faces 1,650 baht tax bill for sending 10 baht pen to Thailand (video)

[Dazinoz]

15 hours ago, proton said:

I thought there was no tax at all up to goods woth less than 1600 baht? Another nest of corruption and thievery 

"He declared the value of the package to be US$360, so the tax was calculated on that basis."

[Dazinoz]

I just bought a Ledger Nano from France at a total of $141aud. Knowing the way Thailand works i suspected I would be up for import taxes so I had it sent to Australia ($1000aud allowed tax free) to a friend and they are bringing it to me next month.

[Emdog]

it is a good idea to send a pen along with paperwork: in my experience the ink often coagulates and makes them unusable.

"My pen's dry"

[Sydebolle]

When absolute stupidity and complete absence of common sense meet - unhindered impact on 99.9% of the (Thai) people; it is overdue to bring such utter nonsense to a screeching halt

"both the signature and all written content in the document must be in the same ink colour and type ............ the man decided to dispatch the pen he had used in the document along with the six pages of the document - from New Zealand against courier and import duty fees for THB 1'650."

And then they wonder, why the alien just pack up and go; if the rest of the world would treat Thais like the Thai bureaucracy treats everybody .......... but then again, the little brown envelope comes in handy 😉 

This affected gentleman now can imagine, what all those retirees go through during every 90 days report (two photocopies of passport and a form, completed in hand writing with blue ink), the extension of one-year-visa (original bank book not sufficient but the bank has to issue a separate letter confirming what is written in the bank book - of course against a fee), a "certificate of residence" to buy - cash only - vehicles or open a bank account - except PayPal which is blocked and forbidden for the alien crowd. 

I rest my case - that's why I left the show as it just became too ridiculous dealing with all these clowns in uniforms wherever you go 😞 

[Hakuna Matata]

This is the ugly face of DHL / FedEx / UPS / TNT customs in Thailand!

 

Never send anything to Thailand by DHL / FedEx / UPS / TNT or alike!

 

Always use only your country's post to send packages to Thailand (New Zealand Post, Australia Post, USPS, Canada Post, etc.)

[digger70]

The man said that he still felt that the price was not fair to him. By declaring it at this higher value, he ensured that he would receive suitable compensation in case the company lost his parcel. If not, he would have risked being unable to recover the full value of the document and have to bear the expense of reissuing it.

The man decided to seek help from the delivery company, urging them to declare his document to Customs. However, the authorities refused to recalculate the tax and asked him to take it as a lesson for the future.

 

He he Can't fix Stupid . 

He didn't do himself any favor by Listing a Higher value of the Item witch is in my opinion Illegal .

If lost he would claim on the High listed Value. they should've charged him more.

 

[pedro01]

23 hours ago, phetphet said:

They charged me for one shoe!

 

LMAO.

 

To be fair - that's a whole set for a 1 legged man.

[VocalNeal]

The real problem for the Tik Tok guy and most posters on this thread is a lack of understanding of the import process and the amounts levied.

EG. T shirts? Textiles are one of the most protected industries in most countries new, used or otherwise. 

Everything is based on the landed cost which includes the shipping cost. et al. 

 

If the pen was worth 10 baht he could have declared the value at US$1 and everyone would have been happy. 🤔 

Edited November 4, 2023 by VocalNeal

[KanchanaburiGuy]

First, Don't think there was anything fraudulent about claiming the value at $360. If it had been lost or destroyed, that's what it would have cost him to replace it. So that's a fair measure of its "value."

 

(Its like a book: As a stack of A5 paper, it has very little value. But if those pages are printed with a first edition of Oliver Twist...... it's going to have great value. Expecting Customs to treat those pages as "paper" was deceptive. It's what written on those pages that determines its value........ not just the paper itself.)

 

That's also a fair value for tax: if it had been lost or destroyed, that's what he would have expected them to use as a valuation for compensation. If the compensation is going to be based on that, it's reasonable that the tax be based on that, also.

 

Second, sometimes you just have look at the practical side of things, when things like this happen.

 

Ignoring shipping charges, this document was already important enough to be worth $360 to him. If someone had said to him, "Sorry, we thought it was going to be $360, but it turns out it'll be $410, instead"........ (current cost + 1650 baht [~$50])........ would he have still done it?

 

Or would he have said, nah, it's important enough to spend $360......... but NOT important enough to spend $410?

 

Face it: if he'd've been willing to spend the $410 if he'd known about it beforehand......... if the transaction was, in fact, important enough to spend THAT much......... then it's really kinda silly to cry about it now, just because he learned that that was the REAL COST........ after the fact!

 

So that's the PRACTICAL question: Would he've have still done it if the cost had been $410 instead of $360?

 

I'll bet he would have!

 

And if he would have, what really is there to complain about?

 

He WISHES it could have been a little cheaper....... but it didn't work out that way. But if it's STILL within the range of what he would have been willing to spend, anyway, then......... so what?

 

😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by KanchanaburiGuy

[PETERTHEEATER]

22 hours ago, roo860 said:

Do you only have one leg?🦿

No. He forgot to mention the racehorse attached to the shoe. 😀

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, Celsius said:

Yes, he fraudulently declared the value of the parcel.

"Fraud"?   What benefit did he get from his valuation?

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Fraud"?   What benefit did he get from his valuation?

 

Use your brain

[scotsdude]

I paid 1450 baht import taxes the other week for a $44 Blendjet... Shocking.... At least Blendjet had the courtesy to refund half the cost... 

[vangrop]

On 11/3/2023 at 1:27 PM, KannikaP said:

No way was the Bht 1650 simply tax on the pen. It was probably the whole bill for sending the papers with insurance and secure delivery. No company mentioned here.

Agree with you. It was probably the total costs for sending secured documents with all garantees by some kinf of DHL servic.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Fraud"?   What benefit did he get from his valuation?

 

Use your brain

I was, that's why I asked the question.  How, exactly, was it a "fraud"?

[Liverpool Lou]

9 hours ago, mikebell said:

The bank refused the cheque and lost the million+ deposit as we changed banks

Golly, I wonder if Kasikorn ever recovered from that dramatic action of moving a whole B1m+ out, the branch must have been devastated.

[Celsius]

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I was, that's why I asked the question.  How, exactly, was it a "fraud"?

 

He put a 1 dollar pen claiming it was worth 50 dollars in case the parcel gets list. That is insurance fraud.

 

Declaring the wrong amount on a customs form is also a fraud. However, this idiot did it the wrong way around.

[Liverpool Lou]

9 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

And he's a lawyer...wouldn't want him on my case!

The sender, who made the wrong declaration, was not a lawyer.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, Hakuna Matata said:

Never send anything to Thailand by DHL / FedEx / UPS / TNT or alike!

 

Always use only your country's post to send packages to Thailand (New Zealand Post, Australia Post, USPS, Canada Post, etc.)

You really think that deliveries using the postal services are exempt from import duty and VAT?

[vangrop]

7 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

When absolute stupidity and complete absence of common sense meet - unhindered impact on 99.9% of the (Thai) people; it is overdue to bring such utter nonsense to a screeching halt

"both the signature and all written content in the document must be in the same ink colour and type ............ the man decided to dispatch the pen he had used in the document along with the six pages of the document - from New Zealand against courier and import duty fees for THB 1'650."

And then they wonder, why the alien just pack up and go; if the rest of the world would treat Thais like the Thai bureaucracy treats everybody .......... but then again, the little brown envelope comes in handy 😉 

This affected gentleman now can imagine, what all those retirees go through during every 90 days report (two photocopies of passport and a form, completed in hand writing with blue ink), the extension of one-year-visa (original bank book not sufficient but the bank has to issue a separate letter confirming what is written in the bank book - of course against a fee), a "certificate of residence" to buy - cash only - vehicles or open a bank account - except PayPal which is blocked and forbidden for the alien crowd. 

I rest my case - that's why I left the show as it just became too ridiculous dealing with all these clowns in uniforms wherever you go

Call it stupidity or lack of logic or probably both. Yesterday I was at Central Festival in Pattaya. I wanted to change 200€ and because most banks are there and I was to lazy to go to an exchange shop outside I went to Krung Thai Bank. The employee asked my passport. I gave him a copy. He said he needed to see the original document. I replied, are you gone make a copy? Yes he said, I need to make a copy for my file. Well I said here is the copy, it is alrady made. No he said I need to make a copy of the original. I said well here you have a copy of the original. No he said I need to make a copy of the original... and the ping pong went endless on. Finally I said with a big smile and of course the usual wai that I would go to the exchange shop in sai song were they are satisfied with the copy and more give me 20 cents up per euro. In the meantime the local guard woke up and scrutinized the behaviour of that very suspicious farang.

[Liverpool Lou]

22 minutes ago, Celsius said:

31 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I was, that's why I asked the question.  How, exactly, was it a "fraud"?

 

He put a 1 dollar pen claiming it was worth 50 dollars in case the parcel gets list. That is insurance fraud.

 

Declaring the wrong amount on a customs form is also a fraud. However, this idiot did it the wrong way around.

It would help you if you read the actual article properly.  He did not value the pen at $50, he valued the parcel that included legal papers at $360 (This amount encompassed the lawyer’s fee of US$350, the document’s value at US$5, and the pen at US$5).  It is not insurance fraud until he commits insurance fraud by claiming for a falsely valued parcel.   He did not claim and the parcel was not fraudulently valued.  Apart from that, you were spot on.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[retarius]

I think Interpol need to be involved to make sure this crime boss doesn't get away with this abomination and negation of the tax law.

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 11/3/2023 at 1:05 PM, webfact said:

TikToker faces 1,650 baht tax bill for sending 10 baht pen to Thailand 

We've got plenty of pens in Thailand, we don't need anymore. 

[Photoguy21]

On 11/3/2023 at 3:27 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

Used shirts are not exempt from import duty when you're importing shirts.   Import duty is calculated solely on their value, as judged by Customs, same as in every country.

In which case everyone who enters Thailand should pay duty. By your understanding. No where else do you do that for items which are over 6 months old. Even Zambia and the UK has that I know as I have sent items to both places.

[Liverpool Lou]

8 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

On 11/3/2023 at 3:27 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

Used shirts are not exempt from import duty when you're importing shirts.   Import duty is calculated solely on their value, as judged by Customs, same as in every country.

In which case everyone who enters Thailand should pay duty. By your understanding.

That's not my understanding that's your misunderstanding and it is way off.  Those entering Thailand (in normal circumstances) are never charged import duty for the clothes on their back or the normal personal clothing content of their cases.  Those who send clothing into Thailand by courier or post should expect to pay duty on dutiable items.

[KanchanaburiGuy]

42 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

That's not my understanding that's your misunderstanding and it is way off.  Those entering Thailand (in normal circumstances) are never charged import duty for the clothes on their back or the normal personal clothing content of their cases.  Those who send clothing into Thailand by courier or post should expect to pay duty on dutiable items.

You could get nailed for import duties on clothes in your suitcase, if they weren't already-used, personal clothing. They just don't look that closely at the airport because if how it would bog down the line.

 

When it comes by courier, though, they've got all the time in the world! 😂

 

Wasn't it last year or the year before that a woman got nailed 55,000 baht(?) for the things she had in her suitcases? Some of that, if I recall, was higher-end, designer clothing.

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-woman-fined-54000-baht-at-airport-after-entering-country-with-designer-brands

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2023 by KanchanaburiGuy
Added link to referenced story

[scorecard]

On 11/3/2023 at 2:58 PM, BritScot said:

Yes it would be. Thai customs and Post Office are well known for being crooks: it coat us more money getting our stuff out of port and 35km than from our front door in Scotland via Singapore.

Plus a t shirt from uk with tax 3 x value of the t shirt. 

 

Welcome to Thailand.

Obviously, many posters have still not read the initial report where he explains why he did it this way. And there is logic in his approach.

[sammieuk1]

The sole reason the British Corner Shop is a non starter for me after trying it a few weeks ago, 10 items cost £2.50 each at tesco,

 

shop price £5.50, at my door £12.50, a 500% rinsing +10 phone calls and customs apps and a small forest of delivered paperwork  🤔

[Liverpool Lou]

19 hours ago, KanchanaburiGuy said:

Wasn't it last year or the year before that a woman got nailed 55,000 baht(?) for the things she had in her suitcases? Some of that, if I recall, was higher-end, designer clothing.

Yes, it was and that woman had to pay because she was clearly bringing expensive designer goods into the country that had been purchased overseas and which were liable to import duty that she was attempting to avoid paying.   That is not the normal circumstance to which I referred for most people who do not try to evade import duties.

[BE88]

On 11/4/2023 at 4:58 PM, vangrop said:

Call it stupidity or lack of logic or probably both. Yesterday I was at Central Festival in Pattaya. I wanted to change 200€ and because most banks are there and I was to lazy to go to an exchange shop outside I went to Krung Thai Bank. The employee asked my passport. I gave him a copy. He said he needed to see the original document. I replied, are you gone make a copy? Yes he said, I need to make a copy for my file. Well I said here is the copy, it is alrady made. No he said I need to make a copy of the original. I said well here you have a copy of the original. No he said I need to make a copy of the original... and the ping pong went endless on. Finally I said with a big smile and of course the usual wai that I would go to the exchange shop in sai song were they are satisfied with the copy and more give me 20 cents up per euro. In the meantime the local guard woke up and scrutinized the behaviour of that very suspicious farang.

 

The other day I made an appointment with a dentist and he told me that I come with my passport, when I went to deposit money on my debit card they always ask me for my passport, ditto for sending a registered parcel to the post office.

 

Passports are the ultimate satisfaction for Thais to hold your passport in their hands.😁