If I order a mac book to the USA and have someone ship it Fed Ex to Thailand does it get by without having extra taxes? and if there is a tax how much?

Tax and VAT will be added expect to pay an additional 30%+. Not a good idea.

Cheaper getting a air asia flight to Singapore (VAT REFUND) or go to Hong Kong where prices are cheaper than Thailand. This can obviously be done in a day and will probably work out the same price as DHL or FEDEX for shipping the item.

If I order a mac book to the USA and have someone ship it Fed Ex to Thailand does it get by without having extra taxes? and if there is a tax how much?

Forget it. Buy in thailand that's way cheaper, and your laptop is not going to get held hostage by FedEx.

I have now heard from many different people that particularly FedEx (Thailand) is very bad about this. At the end of the day you are going to have to pay a bribe to customs AND Fedex Thailand to get your laptop. You are completely at the mercy of these people at this time and therefore in a very weak negotiating position. You also have to pay shipping.

Prices in Thailand shouldn't be too far off from prices in the US (as there is, in fact, little or no import tax on electronics), so purchasing the laptop in Thailand will be a lot cheaper. Ask for an english keyboard or you'll get the Thai version.

PS: Of if you have visitors from the US, let them bring it along.

Edited June 20, 200818 yr by nikster

Tax and VAT will be added expect to pay an additional 30%+. Not a good idea.

Cheaper getting a air asia flight to Singapore (VAT REFUND) or go to Hong Kong where prices are cheaper than Thailand. This can obviously be done in a day and will probably work out the same price as DHL or FEDEX for shipping the item.

Either one will be more expensive than just going to the mall and buying it there

I just came back from Singapore. Saw some incredible deals on hard disks there, but Macs were relatively expensive. Not cheaper than Thailand.

Macbook Pro 2.4 Penryn 15inch Thailand = 72000 THB (Uficon Dealer)

Singapore = 69000 THB (Jazz 1 East Coast)

HongKong = 63800 THB (Just bought one at DG lifestyle last month for this price)

Not much difference agreed but a saving nonetheless if you are in Singapore or Hong Kong. But certainly cheaper than importing to Thailand by the time you have paid FedEx and Import duty.

Edited June 20, 200818 yr by dekka007

Thanks so much for the info.. Very helpful. I do have a friend in the states coming back but then there is always possibility of being hassled at customs too.. Better just to do it myself, pity I have no business in Hong Kong...

is Chang Mai or Phuket a better place? I have the info for Phuket but does anyone know if there is a good retailer in Chang Mai? Or is Bangkok the best place to buy it?

If you can do without the box then your friend will not have a problem with customs especially if he puts it in laptop case/bag etc.

You have to consider that nearly everybody carries a laptop on them - so customs can't really give your friend any problems, and they won't. Otherwise they'd have to hassle pretty much everyone, and that doesn't happen. Travel with laptop has been safe from customs for some time now.

Just leave the cardboard box at home. This is by far your cheapest option. Erm, except for buying it here, read on...

I don't think it matters where in Thailand you buy it. Check some web retailers, I just see it for 38,900 in an advert lying around here (the low spec). Black (= top spec) for 53,500. Holy crap, I just noticed that BHT 38,900 at the current exchange rate is USD 1,166 - the same thing in the U.S. costs $1,099 excluding tax. At 7% tax you are going to pay more for this in the U.S. than right here in the store in the LOS.

So I guess that's the end of the discussion: The cheapest way to buy a MacBook is officially to buy it in Thailand, here and now! At least for the time being. Get 'em while they are hot...

Edit: The advert in question is from MacZone Thailand, www.maczone.co.th, shop in Chiang Mai, but I think they are part of iStudio or something and so should have shops everywhere, Bangkok, Samui, Phuket...

Edited June 21, 200818 yr by nikster

I wonder why the Macbook Pro's in thailand are so overly priced if they can sell the macbook at us prices....weird.