Ordered a Samsung phone from Amazon.de to be delivered to Bangkok. Got this email. Help pls

[noodleslayer]

I've ordered stuff from Amazon with no issues from Customs because Amazon always took care of the customs issues. I ordered a new phone from Amazon and I got this email from UPS. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing so I guess I should go with option #2 which is hiring a broker to do this for me. Any recommendations on companies I should use to help me get my phone? If it matters at all, I have a flight at DMK in a few days anyways so going to the customs office there is no issue if for some reason I need to go there. I attached a pic of the email I received from UPS.

[flyingtlger]

If you can wait, get the phone when you go back, less hassles...

[noodleslayer]

6 minutes ago, flyingtlger said:

If you can wait, get the phone when you go back, less hassles...

Waiting is no problem. What do you suggest, option #1 Where I do it myself or option #2 where I get a broker? What is cheaper? I can go to DMK customs office in a few days but I do not know what I need. Keep in mind I do not know what I'm doing when it comes to this, I can show them my passport and my order on amazon but I don't know about any BS like NBTC licenses or any other kind of licenses. I thought it'd be a simple delivery like my previous amazon orders where it just gets delivered to my condo with no problem.

[freeworld]

Check this reddit thread from about 1 year ago from someone who had a similar problem.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Thailand/comments/y8slj7/comment/jewyvdn/

 

They mention a company called DPX for import export.

 

I'd say almost  impossible for an individual to obtain an NBTC license for import of a phone.

 

 

[noodleslayer]

9 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

If you can wait, get the phone when you go back, less hassles...

If i choose option 3 to send it back do you think I get the money back? 

[Yellowtail]

Why not open a return request with Amazon? 

[sstuff3]

File for a return from Amazon. Anyone who has dealt with NBTC previously would likely give you the same advice. 

[udontomi]

Why not just buy from a Samsung store in BKK?

[Yellowtail]

I am surprised Amazon even allowed you to ship it, unless you it was some sort of vendor workaround in which case you may be hosed. 

[Jack Cook]

Ha nightmare time. I get it with importing stuff all the time mainly with Fed Ex. But my Thai PA rings them and they change it to his name, problem solved.

It seems hit and miss. UPS are shockers though and appear to make up the rules as they go along.
If you didn’t pay any duty when you bought the phone, you can expect a hefty duty charge.

[Peterphuket]

10 minutes ago, Jack Cook said:

Ha nightmare time. I get it with importing stuff all the time mainly with Fed Ex. But my Thai PA rings them and they change it to his name, problem solved.

It seems hit and miss. UPS are shockers though and appear to make up the rules as they go along.
If you didn’t pay any duty when you bought the phone, you can expect a hefty duty charge.

Exactly the same experience, time after time, also with DHL, Terrible.

[Yellowtail]

11 minutes ago, Jack Cook said:

Ha nightmare time. I get it with importing stuff all the time mainly with Fed Ex. But my Thai PA rings them and they change it to his name, problem solved.

It seems hit and miss. UPS are shockers though and appear to make up the rules as they go along.
If you didn’t pay any duty when you bought the phone, you can expect a hefty duty charge.

I have bought a lot of stuff from Amazon and not had an issue. I have never had to pay extra, and occasionally get portion refund on the duty deposit. 

[Peterphuket]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I have bought a lot of stuff from Amazon and not had an issue. I have never had to pay extra, and occasionally get portion refund on the duty deposit. 

Recently I've got a shaver from USA through Ebay and have to pay import duties.

[41632584]

10 hours ago, noodleslayer said:

I've ordered stuff from Amazon with no issues from Customs because Amazon always took care of the customs issues. I ordered a new phone from Amazon and I got this email from UPS. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing so I guess I should go with option #2 which is hiring a broker to do this for me. Any recommendations on companies I should use to help me get my phone? If it matters at all, I have a flight at DMK in a few days anyways so going to the customs office there is no issue if for some reason I need to go there. I attached a pic of the email I received from UPS.

 

Although, I didn't order via Amazon but had a phone privately shipped from a family member, my phone was not on the NBTC approved list, I basically was in a similar situation a few months ago.

 

It took me a few days of reading and calling around to find out what exactly had happened and what could be done.

 

Officially, all phones being imported to Thailand require an NTBC license. If the phone has been approved by NBTC and is on their list, in theory, some have done it, one can go through various bureaucratic steps and apply for the license. If you succeed, most likely it will take a decent amount of time, effort and some expense.

 

If your phone has not been approved, and thus no license can be acquired, the only way to get it, is to pay a well connected broker, who will persuade the customs officer to allow it to be imported without a license. Although, I can't speak for all brokers, but expect it to be 10k upwards.

 

Possibly, but without certainty, it could be that the fee would drop without an agent in between. But that would require you to have face to face time with the right customs officer.

 

Then there is the option of having it sent back, but here one enters a catch 22. In order for it to be exported out of Thailand, it requires an NTBC export license, which one either can't get or has difficulty getting.

 

The final option, which some have succeeded in doing, is to file for a return from Amazon and buy the phone in Thailand (if available). 

 

[Yellowtail]

15 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

Recently I've got a shaver from USA through Ebay and have to pay import duties.

As you should. 

[Crazy Noobie]

56 minutes ago, noodleslayer said:

If i choose option 3 to send it back do you think I get the money back? 

Wrong. You do not want to select Choice 3. It sounds like you didn't read what Choice 3 says on the paper. TH customs DOES NOT send your item back, they "abandon" it. Which mean they keep it. Therefore you will lose all of your money. Their Choice 3 is a stupid policy. I had this exact same problem with a gamer unit called X-Box. Here's something else you might not know. Everyday you wait the storage fees go up, as custom charges you for storage until you handle everything with them. Plus there are a bunch of other fees too. I had to turn it all over to a 3Rd Party Custom Broker. And when everything was done, it cost me way too much money, more then what the product was worth. I wished I would of listened to my son and just purchased the item locally. I wish you good luck, as Customs is a pain to deal with.

[CHdiver]

If you buy from Amazon make sure your article is sold by Amazon or at least send by Amazon. It will (or should) show import taxes in your shopping cart. 

 

Amazon Marketplace sellers who send articles by themself have no import tax agreement. Then you end up with the situation you are in. At least that is my experience with Amazon.

[kingstonkid]

13 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

If you can wait, get the phone when you go back, less hassles...

 

This does not work as he has already paid for the phone and would lose the money he paid.

 

depending on how much you llike running around option 1 is probably the cheapest 

BUT

 

If you are planning to leave for awhile I would do the broker before you leave so that they do not lose your phone.

[gravity101]

34 minutes ago, CHdiver said:

If you buy from Amazon make sure your article is sold by Amazon or at least send by Amazon. It will (or should) show import taxes in your shopping cart. 

 

Amazon Marketplace sellers who send articles by themself have no import tax agreement. Then you end up with the situation you are in. At least that is my experience with Amazon.

This isn't a tax issue. Sorry to say but I think your screwed. I made the fatal mistake of ordering a pretty expensive marine radio. Without the NBTC licence I could do nothing, and your can't get one unless your prepared to have the item tested and approved etc. Not practical on an individual level. And of course you can't send it back. It's stuck. Mine was either destroyed or given as a gift by some customs man. 

[rwill]

4 hours ago, noodleslayer said:

If i choose option 3 to send it back do you think I get the money back? 

They will not send it back.  Option 3 is to abandon the item.  Someone there will keep it.

 

I had something similar happen with a different item.  The first email asked for a copy of my passport.  After I sent it they replied back that a copy was not good enough and I needed to mail my passport to them.  Which of course I refused to do.

 

It's best to tell Amazon what has happened.  They might credit you for the item.

[Billpro785]

Exact same happened to me, even same letter when 3 phones were mailed to me from the states. Had an Thai call UPS, and they gave a broker's number and I had to send a copy of my passport, and and declare a value for the phones. wasn't that hard, and really not that expensive. 

[DineshR]

I had exactly the same problem when I ordered a phone through Amazon. The phone arrived in Thailand and I got the exact same email from the carrier. I did some checking first and just like an earlier post mentioned, the problem is that the phone has to be on the approved NBTC list. If it isn't, then you will need to get a license from NBTC to get it in. I simply called Amazon and told them that they should have known not to ship this to Thailand and that I refused to accept that I had to go figure out how to import it. Amazon told me that they would work with the carrier to get it returned. I then turned around and told the carrier (via return email) that Amazon agreed to take it back and that it would work with them to accomplish that. I left it there and a few days later, I got the refund from Amazon. Let the carrier deal with Amazon and the local authorities to figure it out. Amazon has a lot of clout with the carriers and whatever they want done, the carriers will have to do. Good Luck !

[noodleslayer]

2 hours ago, Billpro785 said:

Exact same happened to me, even same letter when 3 phones were mailed to me from the states. Had an Thai call UPS, and they gave a broker's number and I had to send a copy of my passport, and and declare a value for the phones. wasn't that hard, and really not that expensive. 

Hey bill, thanks for the info, could you elaborate a bit on your situation? You had a Thai call the Thai UPS for you, on one of their phone numbers here -https://www.ups.com/th/th/support/contact-us.page is this correct? So I suppose you emailed UPS that you wanna go with option 2? How much was the value of the 3 phones and how much did you have to pay for this roughly?

[Colabamumbai]

Im stupid, why would you not buy a phone here. Maybe Im brain dead, why Amazon. Can really see if the phone works if you get it. 

[BenStark]

I had a similar letter few years ago when importing cheap Android devices. They were shipped with Fedex

 

What I learned is.

 

NBTC license can not be obtained once the items have arrived in Thailand.

 

I got a few addresses from brokers, they charged me more than the goods were worth.

 

Fedex said if it want to send them back I have to pay for the return shipping.

 

At the end the seller refunded me half, and I told fedex to put them where the sun doesn't shine.

 

About 1 month later a Fedex delivery guy delivered the goods on my doorstep, no charges.

 

Of course you don't want to risk that with an expensive phone

[noodleslayer]

4 minutes ago, Colabamumbai said:

Im stupid, why would you not buy a phone here. Maybe Im brain dead, why Amazon. Can really see if the phone works if you get it. 

Had amazon gift cards and had no problem ordering stuff from amazon to thailand before

[Regyai]

Sure it's from UPS? Enough bad grammar to set my scam radar off

[noodleslayer]

3 hours ago, Regyai said:

Sure it's from UPS? Enough bad grammar to set my scam radar off

Yes the legit @ups.com email

[balo]

I never understood why people buy phones from Europe when they live in Thailand. I bought all my Samsung phones in Bangkok.  Not much difference in price anyway. 


 

[41632584]

16 hours ago, balo said:

I never understood why people buy phones from Europe when they live in Thailand. I bought all my Samsung phones in Bangkok.  Not much difference in price anyway. 


 

Some phones are not available on the Thai market.