UPS Asking For B5000 For An Import License For Apple AirPods Bought On eBay

[Jeffrey346]

As stated in the title, UPS wants me to obtain a Import license for Apple AirPods Pro 2. Now I will say that the eBay Shipper stated wrong information on the Customs document. They stated that the contents is an Electronic Fan. An obvious error as the packaging is a soft-pac envelope and anyone in their right mind would agree an Electronic Fan just won't fit.

I advised UPS that this is clearly a shippers error and to open the box. If they find Apple AirPods to please deliver the package.

UPS reply is, the package is in  Customs storage and if AirPods are in the package, I am still responsible for the following:

 

 

Re-Export service 2,675 THB.

Customs Fee 400 THB.

Duty and Tax 1,000 THB. (Maximum)

Terminal charge 1,091.40 THB.

Daily Storage charge 173.88 THB perday

 

I advised UPS that these fees are UPS created fees and not my responsibility. In addition, I told them I bought this exact item 2 times before for each of my sons. One delivered by the Thai Post and the other by DHL.  Both cost under B500 for customs fees and 7%VAT.

I told UPS to send them back to the shipper as I will not be paying any fees.

 

Has anyone had a similar issue with UPS? 

[JBChiangRai]

Rearrange the following into a sentence

 

Balls got they by you the

[simon43]

Good luck in getting it sent back to the sender.  When I tried this with a simple radio antenna that UPS claimed needed an import licence, they refused to send it back on the basis that it needed an export licence!!  It all ended up in the UPS trashcan, (or more likely at the home of a UPS radio enthusiast...)

[scubascuba3]

DHL charged me 30% on a cycle power meter a couple years ago, it's the sellers fault they should have made clear import tax of that amount was due, they do it all the time so should know 

[jas007]

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

DHL charged me 30% on a cycle power meter a couple years ago, it's the sellers fault they should have made clear import tax of that amount was due, they do it all the time so should know 

I wonder if, in these cases, filing a dispute with Ebay or their payment processor would do any good?  They say Ebay usually sides with the buyer when there's a dispute, and from what I've heard from people I know, that seems to be the case.  

[scubascuba3]

6 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I wonder if, in these cases, filing a dispute with Ebay or their payment processor would do any good?  They say Ebay usually sides with the buyer when there's a dispute, and from what I've heard from people I know, that seems to be the case.  

Just check the law, at the time for me it was 30% tax on electrical goods from Europe

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I wonder if, in these cases, filing a dispute with Ebay or their payment processor would do any good?  They say Ebay usually sides with the buyer when there's a dispute, and from what I've heard from people I know, that seems to be the case.  

 

In this case amazon would side with the buyer.....ebay not so much.l....or so I thought...

 

Covered:

• The seller overstated the value of the item or misrepresented the item's location, which caused customs fees or duties to be higher

Not covered:

• The buyer didn't pay applicable customs fees or duties for any other reason

[jas007]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Just check the law, at the time for me it was 30% tax on electrical goods from Europe

So the charge was legitimate in your case and you just forgot about the customs duty.  I see, 

 

The original poster was complaining about some product that was mislabeled.  

[scubascuba3]

51 minutes ago, jas007 said:

So the charge was legitimate in your case and you just forgot about the customs duty.  I see, 

 

The original poster was complaining about some product that was mislabeled.  

In my case I think the seller company who is always exporting abroad should have made it clear about the import duty, can't expect every buyer to find out the latest info every time 

[jas007]

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

In my case I think the seller company who is always exporting abroad should have made it clear about the import duty, can't expect every buyer to find out the latest info every time 

I stopped using Ebay a long time ago.  I bought a pair of sunglasses in 2007, and that was it.  

 

Amazon usually takes career of import fees with Thai customs, somehow, so so long as the price of what I'm buying isn't too outrageous, I sometimes just order from Amazon.  The shipping is usually pretty fast. They wouldn't ship everything, though.

 

One of these days, I'm going to register with Thai Customs so that they have my passport on file and so on, that way, I can more easily handle any duties due.  Once in a while, I think about ordering some stereo equipment online from sellers that will ship to Thailand, but then whatever gets sent has to of through Thai customs, and it becomes problematic. 

[impulse]

The OP is a good cautionary tale. 

 

My heart goes out to the OP since I've had similar issues with UPS and FedEx.  Their pricing and fee structure is not geared toward small dollar shipments.  Paying 5000 baht in fees is fine if you're importing something expensive.  Not so fine if it's a set of Airpods.  Best if you can find a vendor who ships by Post, because of pricing and T&C treaties.

 

On an aside, I'm pretty sure they're fake (Edit:  Like, 100% sure...), but I bought a pair (Airpods Pro 2) from a kiosk in BKK Chinatown for 350 baht.  Very convincing packaging (all spelled correctly) and they pair up and sound great.  I wasn't even in the market, but I just couldn't resist seeing how convincing they would be.

 

[rwill]

On 6/5/2025 at 9:26 PM, Jeffrey346 said:

As stated in the title, UPS wants me to obtain a Import license for Apple AirPods Pro 2. Now I will say that the eBay Shipper stated wrong information on the Customs document. They stated that the contents is an Electronic Fan. An obvious error as the packaging is a soft-pac envelope and anyone in their right mind would agree an Electronic Fan just won't fit.

I advised UPS that this is clearly a shippers error and to open the box. If they find Apple AirPods to please deliver the package.

UPS reply is, the package is in  Customs storage and if AirPods are in the package, I am still responsible for the following:

 

 

Re-Export service 2,675 THB.

Customs Fee 400 THB.

Duty and Tax 1,000 THB. (Maximum)

Terminal charge 1,091.40 THB.

Daily Storage charge 173.88 THB perday

 

I advised UPS that these fees are UPS created fees and not my responsibility. In addition, I told them I bought this exact item 2 times before for each of my sons. One delivered by the Thai Post and the other by DHL.  Both cost under B500 for customs fees and 7%VAT.

I told UPS to send them back to the shipper as I will not be paying any fees.

 

Has anyone had a similar issue with UPS? 

They are probably going to tell you they can't return them.

[Jeffrey346]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

They are probably going to tell you they can't return them.

I told them to destroy them.  They replied 0kay..

[jchfriis]

Can't help with the UPS problem. But I wonder why you would buy this on eBay. You can buy the AirPods Pro 2 delivered direct to you address for THB 8990 including shipping. Or maybe find a better deal at a local shop.

[Magictoad]

Why don't buyer avoid all this mess buy going to Tuc Com? You can get anything there!

[Jumbo1968]

I was charged 4000baht for duty on 2 genuine international football tops and shorts, sent from the U.K.,my daughter left the receipt inside the parcel which Customs opened.

[MikePBrown]

Regarding the Import License - UPS asked for this on a package I had delivered from USA and made it sound like a complex bureaucratic exercise. I live in Chiang Mai and in the end just went to the customs department at the airport where the staff are very helpful and issued me the import license in 5 mins, just needed my passport and Thai ID card also no charge for the license.

[frank83628]

Yes, a mate bought some sport equipment, same fees were added, shipping cost nearly as much as the items.

Never use UPS or the big carriers, always get stopped because they're 90% new items, normal postal service if possible

[Magictoad]

3 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

I was charged 4000baht for duty on 2 genuine international football tops and shorts, sent from the U.K.,my daughter left the receipt inside the parcel which Customs opened.

You can get PERFECT SNIDE fashion items here in Thailand. They get sent to Europe and the UK to be sold there. I took some of my young relatives, on holiday  in Pattaya, shopping last month; they were gobsmacked! They know their kit and quality too....

[connda]

On 6/5/2025 at 9:26 PM, Jeffrey346 said:

As stated in the title, UPS wants me to obtain a Import license for Apple AirPods Pro 2. Now I will say that the eBay Shipper stated wrong information on the Customs document. They stated that the contents is an Electronic Fan. An obvious error as the packaging is a soft-pac envelope and anyone in their right mind would agree an Electronic Fan just won't fit.

I advised UPS that this is clearly a shippers error and to open the box. If they find Apple AirPods to please deliver the package.

UPS reply is, the package is in  Customs storage and if AirPods are in the package, I am still responsible for the following:

 

 

Re-Export service 2,675 THB.

Customs Fee 400 THB.

Duty and Tax 1,000 THB. (Maximum)

Terminal charge 1,091.40 THB.

Daily Storage charge 173.88 THB perday

 

I advised UPS that these fees are UPS created fees and not my responsibility. In addition, I told them I bought this exact item 2 times before for each of my sons. One delivered by the Thai Post and the other by DHL.  Both cost under B500 for customs fees and 7%VAT.

I told UPS to send them back to the shipper as I will not be paying any fees.

 

Has anyone had a similar issue with UPS? 

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