I want to start using Ebay to buy second hand dvds, software and games. I will have to get them from US/UK sellers as there doesn't seem to be much of a second hand market in Thailand. But what about this 30% import tax that I have heard people talking about? I have had 2 parcels sent from my family in the uk before (each time they had books, dvds etc) and never had any tax problems...what is the official line on this tax and is there a way to avoid it?

Hi, I have bought hundreds of dvd's from ebay and didn't pay tax, they were sent by ems. You need a bit of luck but describing as gift or used cd and low valued will help.

Rono

As long as the parcel will be max 1 kg, the custom isn't interested in opening! Keep the weight low and you'll not have probs!

I want to start using Ebay to buy second hand dvds, software and games. I will have to get them from US/UK sellers as there doesn't seem to be much of a second hand market in Thailand. But what about this 30% import tax that I have heard people talking about? I have had 2 parcels sent from my family in the uk before (each time they had books, dvds etc) and never had any tax problems...what is the official line on this tax and is there a way to avoid it?

if you can get the sender/seller to make a declaration for under $30 you should pay nothing, the yanks dont like doing it !

Under 1kg no tax, is that official? I tried the customs website but couldnt make any sense of it....

I get a lot parcels from abroad and if the weight is 1 kg or below I get the parcel directly at home, if above, I've to go to the Custom Mail Center in Bangkok! Official or not I really don't know, but that's my experiences.

Take it or leave it!

Cheers.

Under 1kg no tax, is that official? I tried the customs website but couldnt make any sense of it....

most definitely NOT official. ive paid 27% vat on games from play-asia and some random stuff from other places that was all well under 1 kg. it depends on declaration. if it looks like a gift or something from your mom then youre likely good to go, regardless of weight. if it looks like a purchase then youre likely paying vat.

Under 1kg no tax, is that official? I tried the customs website but couldnt make any sense of it....

Wrong, under a kilo some countries dont need a declaration, however if the customs want they can ask you whats inside, be careful, they phoned us and asked when they had already opened the parcel, best to put a declaration and description anyway,

Whats this 'declaration' all about and where does it go? Like I said before Ive had 2 packages from my folks before, each of them just sent in normal padded envelopes with my address and their return address on the front.

Also, how do I make it 'look like a gift'? I was thinking maybe get them sent to my folks home first then they can send the games to me with a tee shirt wrapped round them and a card saying 'Happy Birthday' or something....

Also, how do I make it 'look like a gift'? I was thinking maybe get them sent to my folks home first then they can send the games to me with a tee shirt wrapped round them and a card saying 'Happy Birthday' or something....

Technically (i.e. by the law), you have to pay import duties on each and every item that you import into Thailand. The duties are imposed on the value of the goods, not on the price you pay. So even if it is a gift and you pay nothing, you still have to pay duties on its value.

In real life, most items that come in by mail just slip through the system, especially if they are small - like the above mentioned "below 1 kg" mark. If you pay nothing, consider yourself lucky. If you paid duties, you obeyed the law.

Also, how do I make it 'look like a gift'? I was thinking maybe get them sent to my folks home first then they can send the games to me with a tee shirt wrapped round them and a card saying 'Happy Birthday' or something....

dont bother with gift, declare say 30 quid, you may get a bill for 500 baht or so,

Also, how do I make it 'look like a gift'? I was thinking maybe get them sent to my folks home first then they can send the games to me with a tee shirt wrapped round them and a card saying 'Happy Birthday' or something....

dont bother with gift, declare say 30 quid, you may get a bill for 500 baht or so,

but hes pretty much defeating the purpose of buying "second hand" goods with the added vat.

i havent heard ANY stories of people having to pay vat for obvious gifts from family (at least looking obvious). many people do in fact have their family send the stuff inconspicuously. if a retailer sends you something youre gonna pay these days im pretty sure.

Yeah, basically I wanna get a new xbox 360 and Im thinking of getting a friend to bring me a PAL one from the uk, I can then order second hand PAL games from Ebay.co.uk cos you can usually pick games up quite cheap like a month after their release. I suppose if they're coming from personal sellers then they will look like gifts...

I recommend asking the seller to use bright pink wrapping paper

works every time!

I want to start using Ebay to buy second hand dvds, software and games. I will have to get them from US/UK sellers as there doesn't seem to be much of a second hand market in Thailand. But what about this 30% import tax that I have heard people talking about? I have had 2 parcels sent from my family in the uk before (each time they had books, dvds etc) and never had any tax problems...what is the official line on this tax and is there a way to avoid it?

I have had cell phones sent from UK using parcel force who use EMS and never a problem with customs. If you use UPS it seems they collect the customs duty for the goverment. Use EMS and I think you should have no probs.. but I cant be 100% certain.