On 8/23/2025 at 12:37 PM, Hakuna Matata said:

 

It has nothing to do with US De Minimis cancelation

Of course it has. Because of the cancellation, all parcels will be assessed by US Customs who are already extremely inefficient and unreliable as witnessed by this story. Not every country's mail service is set up to deal with this level of ineptitude and some won't want to be put in a position where American stupidity and inefficiency starts to cost them money.

6 minutes ago, camper star said:

Good, then you are in good hands. please let us know if your SS form was delivered to the usa, i am hoping mine was. 

Well I'm in Thailand and I finally got my first form.
I intend to send it to Manila FBU which has been discussed as a legit temporary method as long as Thai Post is still blocking letters to the USA.

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Well I'm in Thailand and I finally got my first form.
I intend to send it to Manila FBU which has been discussed as a legit temporary method as long as Thai Post is still blocking letters to the USA.

I plan to do the same at a Thai Post Office where I live. Been told by another Post Office Manila no problem.

21 hours ago, camper star said:

Good, then you are in good hands. please let us know if your SS form was delivered to the usa, i am hoping mine was. 

Camper, I mailed my form on 8/29/25 and looking up the tracking number from Thai Post my letter has arrived in the USA on 9/1/25, today but not delivered at this time. There is a tracking number at the top of the Post receipt so go to Thailand Post and enter the tracking number and it will give you the location. I mailed my letter from Kamp Phang Phet post office.

On 8/23/2025 at 12:41 PM, Hakuna Matata said:

 

The taxes they will collect in the long run will allow to raise wages. Eventually, the buying power of American people will increase. Not immediately, it will take 2 years or so.

How do you figure that the taxes (tariffs) paid to the US government by US importers 'will allow wages to raise' or 'the buying power of American people will increase'? Anything imported will raise in costs. Remember, that means not just a finished product like a car or TV, or Swiss or Swedish big names drugs at a drug store, but everything imported - so the car parts, the electronics for a TV if it's being made in the US, the foreign ingredients to make up medications if they try to make them in the US - everything will increase in price. It will end up with inflation. You don't need to be an economist to see this coming. 

 

Many Americans can't see the forest for the trees. The US salaries of middle class were good inf not quite superior compared to other countries, and buying things - from food to leisure items - was relatively cheap. The reason was the cheap labor of immigrants and the cheap imports. That's all going to change. That's what you're going to notice in 2 years from now.

On 9/1/2025 at 2:32 PM, cdulaney said:

Camper, I mailed my form on 8/29/25 and looking up the tracking number from Thai Post my letter has arrived in the USA on 9/1/25, today but not delivered at this time. There is a tracking number at the top of the Post receipt so go to Thailand Post and enter the tracking number and it will give you the location. I mailed my letter from Kamp Phang Phet post office.

Hello, did you send documents in regular Thai airmail, ENS envelope or ??

 

thanks 

3 hours ago, Wanderer555 said:

Hello, did you send documents in regular Thai airmail, ENS envelope or ??

 

thanks 

I purchased a Thai Post envelope to put my SS document into. I then went to the window, and the lady gave me a customs declaration to fill out. Make sure you have your passport with you. The tracking number is at the top of the customs declaration  and the receipt for payment. She then proceeded to weight the letter and then told me the cost. I paid the Thai Post 1,530 THB for the delivery.  The letter then traveled to Nakhon Sawan for sorting and then traveled to the airport for the flight overseas. 

Hope this helps.

Just sent SS letter to Philliphines-straight airmail-62 baht. No tracking.

3 minutes ago, livram said:

Just sent SS letter to Philliphines-straight airmail-62 baht. No tracking.

I looked at that a few days ago before I used the 'call it in' method to International Operations and the postal guy told me it's be about 3 weeks to get the document to Manila. 

Like many countries in western Europe who have done the same. Anyhow the future of prosperity lies within the economic giants of Asia Pacific (India, China), Russia, Japan, and the Gulf petroleum states.

 

Europe and the US are no longer havens for doing busines in the future. 

16 hours ago, livram said:

Just sent SS letter to Philliphines-straight airmail-62 baht. No tracking.

Obviously, you did not use the enclosed return envelope that was sent to you by SS. Maybe you should have used a tracking number to make sure of the destination point. You get what you pay for and then you never can show evidence of the send if SS cuts off your monthly payments. Just my thoughts as it is up to you how you conduct yourself.

1 hour ago, cdulaney said:

you never can show evidence of the send if SS cuts off your monthly payments 

I thought they sent a reminder?

10 hours ago, stevenl said:

I thought they sent a reminder?

Steven, I do not know about a reminder from the SS office as the cut off has never happened to me after all these years.

10 hours ago, stevenl said:

I thought they sent a reminder?

They do not.

What the protocol has been is the send out two mailings during the year and then if never received back, the cut off happens the next year.

People are advised to contact Manila FBU if they never get the first or second mailing.

Well that was the old way. Now you can just call SSA and file over the phone if you don't get a form. 

Yes, there is a flaw in this. 

Say you get the second mailing and then you're cut off.

You would have assumed it made it.

In that case, yes, that's bad, but now there is a way to call SSA and get reinstated on the phone without ever having to file the form. 

On 9/4/2025 at 1:23 PM, cdulaney said:

I purchased a Thai Post envelope to put my SS document into. I then went to the window, and the lady gave me a customs declaration to fill out. Make sure you have your passport with you. The tracking number is at the top of the customs declaration  and the receipt for payment. She then proceeded to weight the letter and then told me the cost. I paid the Thai Post 1,530 THB for the delivery.  The letter then traveled to Nakhon Sawan for sorting and then traveled to the airport for the flight overseas. 

Hope this helps.

Thank you 🙏

24 minutes ago, Wanderer555 said:

Thank you 🙏

air mail tracking is like 320 baht , no reason to send ems for 1,530
I have always just used regular airmail around 70 baht

On 9/5/2025 at 9:26 AM, stevenl said:

I thought they sent a reminder?

 

They do, as I received one, a couple years back, arrived Oct ish.  No interruption of DD, sent 2 reminders, and obviously made it back.

 

Why I send 2 by snail mail every year now, to WB, PA, USA.   One using bar code envelope, if having.   This year did not have, as mailed about a month ago.

 

15 hours ago, cdulaney said:

Steven, I do not know about a reminder from the SS office as the cut off has never happened to me after all these years.

 

3 hours ago, zzzzz said:

air mail tracking is like 320 baht , no reason to send ems for 1,530
I have always just used regular airmail around 70 baht

"air mail tracking is like 320 baht??"  Where did you purchase this and where did you mail your letter from, PO or some company where you purchased the air mail envelope? 

"I have always just used regular airmail around 70 baht" Regular airmail is without a Tracking number? Are you sending your mail from Thailand and on to the USA?  With important documents that I send out to wherever I always use a tracking number, but that is just me.

1 hour ago, cdulaney said:

I have always just used regular airmail around 70 baht" Regular airmail is without a Tracking number? Are you sending your mail from Thailand and on to the USA?  With important documents that I send out to wherever I always use a tracking number, but that is just me.

I didn't have a conversation, or ask for an explanation, stopped at two different POffices. All they offered to the USA; Air mail tracking or  EMS (320 or 1530). I did ask for regular air mail - NOT an option.  Tried to mail a couple postcards, not an option either. This may change, but that was yesterday, the 5th.