Parcels Not Arriving To Thailand

[jimmybkk]

I discovered that at least 1, and probably 3 parcels sent from the UK to me in Thailand have not arrived. These were Xmas gifts. I've spoken to one person who definitely sent me a package which has not arrived. Two other family members send gifts every year and nothing arrived from them too - not even a card so I'm assuming the card and gift were together. Can't confirm because it looks a bit rude to ask if they sent anything in case they didn't.

Just wondering of anyone else has had any problems with parcels going missing this festive season? Is it even worth paying a visit to the local post office?

[happylarry]

Yep my son who lives in Korat has not received a parcel from the UK this xmas.

HL

[patklang]

it would strange if you DID get the parcel

[sapi]

i do online shopping from the net, mostly from us, uk, canada, china, etc.

i lost 3 items in the past months already, all from canada, and all contains some sort of liquid.......

parcels from uk arrived very late, i think because of the uk system, overal around 1 month.

parcels from us arrived around 10-12 days.

ask your relative what is the gift (i know it's a bit rude) or you can guess, if its liquid, say goodbye to it.

[jimmybkk]

Is the liquid thing because of security? It's most likely to have been baby clothes but I'll check.

[TAWP]

No tracking number? Even basic EMS supplies some form of tracking.

I have not yet received an enevelope mailed to me some 1.5 months ago. Luckily it wasn't anything of real value in it [besides sentimental].

[jimmybkk]

Not sure of the system in the UK now. If you wander into a post office with a jiffy bag or small box and ask them to send it airmail to Thailand would you get a tracking number?

[sumrit]

If I have something sent to me where the address is written in English it is nearly always delayed and the wrapping/envelope is usually tampered with. Whenever possible I email my address to the sender first, written in Thai. They can then just print the address off and attach it to the parcel/letter. They always seem to arrive quickly this way and very rarely are they tampered with.

[chiangmaibruce]

The bottom line is that heaps of things go missing in the mail here all the time - especially when sent from overseas and addressed in English. Not hard to guess why - they are usually presents, sometimes even cash. To make it really easy for the postmen thieves, many countries (like Australia) require you to write on a label what the contents of the parcel are. Write "mobile phone" and see if it arrives

[G54]

The bottom line is that heaps of things go missing in the mail here all the time - especially when sent from overseas and addressed in English. Not hard to guess why - they are usually presents, sometimes even cash. To make it really easy for the postmen thieves, many countries (like Australia) require you to write on a label what the contents of the parcel are. Write "mobile phone" and see if it arrives

Sad but true.

[fred2007]

yes,yes I got my parcel today posted on the 11 of November 2008

[popmybubble]

Not sure of the system in the UK now. If you wander into a post office with a jiffy bag or small box and ask them to send it airmail to Thailand would you get a tracking number?

You can get 'International Signed For' but that only gives you a number that you can track until it leaves the UK... I've paid for that service twice now and both times they arrived fairly quickly.

I sent a small jiffy bag on the 10th December and it arrived in Chiang Mai on the 19th December, address was written in English and it wasn't tampered with.

[Moothon]

Things go missing all the time. The scam is to keep it at he post office and hope no one comes in for it. You should definately go to your local post office and ask, and if you can't speak Thai, take someone who does.

I have had to do this twice, and both times got a notification that my package had arrived in my mailbox the day after I went to the post office and asked about my mail which was a month late. Sneaky bastards. And whatever you do, never ask someone to send cash to you in the mail for payment.

If I hadn't of gone, they would have disappeared.

[mojaco]

Things go missing all the time. The scam is to keep it at he post office and hope no one comes in for it. You should definately go to your local post office and ask, and if you can't speak Thai, take someone who does.

I have had to do this twice, and both times got a notification that my package had arrived in my mailbox the day after I went to the post office and asked about my mail which was a month late. Sneaky bastards. And whatever you do, never ask someone to send cash to you in the mail for payment.

If I hadn't of gone, they would have disappeared.

I have had many items, some pretty expensive, arrive in Thailand without any problem at all. But they were mailed DHL, or FEDEX, or UPS, or USPS with tracking numbers. I think the major shippers like DHL or FEDEX probably control theft pretty well?

[Moothon]

Things go missing all the time. The scam is to keep it at he post office and hope no one comes in for it. You should definately go to your local post office and ask, and if you can't speak Thai, take someone who does.

I have had to do this twice, and both times got a notification that my package had arrived in my mailbox the day after I went to the post office and asked about my mail which was a month late. Sneaky bastards. And whatever you do, never ask someone to send cash to you in the mail for payment.

If I hadn't of gone, they would have disappeared.

I have had many items, some pretty expensive, arrive in Thailand without any problem at all. But they were mailed DHL, or FEDEX, or UPS, or USPS with tracking numbers. I think the major shippers like DHL or FEDEX probably control theft pretty well?

Exactly, and have recieved many, many on time as well, but 1 was FEDex, it contained 150.USD and had been tampered with and I opened it the rest of the way in front of the delivery guy and showed him it was tampered with before opening it and it was completely empty. Went through a big rodeo with all involved and was finally told it was a loss and fedex is not responsible for lost cash, and the Thai postal service knows this as well.

Another was a package that contained a pocketwatch, it sat at the post office for a month until I went with the tracking number and asked them about it. Also, the tracking usally stops when the package it out of customs.

[imaneggspurt]

ive had loads leave from canada and usa ,tracking says "left country of origin ", then nothing !,. but on a positive note i had a parcel today that was posted 8 weeks ago from canada, seems the moose got through !

[mojaco]

(Following is quote from Moothon)

Exactly, and have recieved many, many on time as well, but 1 was FEDex, it contained 150.USD and had been tampered with and I opened it the rest of the way in front of the delivery guy and showed him it was tampered with before opening it and it was completely empty. Went through a big rodeo with all involved and was finally told it was a loss and fedex is not responsible for lost cash, and the Thai postal service knows this as well.

Another was a package that contained a pocketwatch, it sat at the post office for a month until I went with the tracking number and asked them about it. Also, the tracking usally stops when the package it out of customs.

I've never had cash sent to me so that would definitely probably disappear. One of the most important things I've found is to make certain the shipper puts my THAILAND local cell phone number on the package. Almost always DHL or FEDEX or UPS calls me within a day after the package clears customs (per the tracking system) and asks directions and time to deliver the package. If I don't hear from them in about two days after the package clears customs, then I call THEM with my tracking number to have them locate the package. I've only had to do that twice though. But all packages so far in 10 years or so have come through fine. DHL is somewhat of a pain though because you have to go the a bank, pay the customs duty, and fax them the bank receipt before they will deliver the package. FEDEX and UPS trust that you will pay the fees when they deliver it to you.

Edited January 5, 2009 by mojaco

[adjan jb]

Never had a problem in 10 years. Even now that I lived in a small village I get all my parcels (3 to 10 a year). The last one was sent only 2 days before I took off from Paris and it was waiting for me when I landed in CM. Never got a parcel that fast (depending on the season, it can take up to 3 weeks). Maybe I bought for it a better stamp than the one they put in my passport.

[JetsetBkk]

... Whenever possible I email my address to the sender first, written in Thai. They can then just print the address off and attach it to the parcel/letter. They always seem to arrive quickly this way and very rarely are they tampered with.

My Christmas cards arrived on Christmas day - all with printed labels of my address in both Thai and English that I'd emailed to the senders.

[some parcels may have been delayed because of a small problem that you may have heard about at the airports. ]

[jimmybkk]

Thanks for the tips and advice. I will go to the post office and see what they say. Just out of interest, do they operate a system here whereby of you are not at home at the time they try to deliver a parcel they will leave a little card in your mailbox telling you there is something waiting for you at the post office?

[thaimate]

my daughter posted two small parcels on 4/12/08 one recieved in 5 days the other 3 weeks later.. the postman asked my wife if we had mail missing ,on replying yes he said the relive man had been stealing mail ,we lost documents and all our bills for november ,pity he didnt pay them for us .

funnily enough when this guy delivered some mail i was at the gate and he gave me the wrong addressed mail ,i gave it back and he tried to post it next door ,untill i stopped him ,god knows where it ended up.

[sapi]

address in thai is optional, i always use english for my address. no problem.

yes, some of post office worker did check some of the stuff, i asked them, they said "safety reason" whatever that is.

for whoever want to send expensive item over $50 next time use insurance, u need to add $1 more for it.

@jimmy: as far as i know, when they not at home, they just try another day but they charge you 30-50 bath storage fee....... if the package is big and cant fit into the mail box.

[ignis]

My Christmas and Birthday card normally arrive the 1st week of December from my Ant in Toronto, they have just arrived this morning! posted in November..

For the past 4 Christmases I have received 52 card, this year so far received 6 before Christmas + 1 yesterday and the one from Canada today..

[JetsetBkk]

address in thai is optional, i always use english for my address. no problem...

Depends where you live - in Bkk you may be OK but, in the sticks, parcels addressed in Thai are more likely to arrive.

...@jimmy: as far as i know, when they not at home, they just try another day but they charge you 30-50 bath storage fee....... if the package is big and cant fit into the mail box.

They put a card in my mail box if the parcel has to be signed for. I then must wait until the next day before going to the local post office to pick it up. No storage fee.

[torrenova]

Not just parcels but in 4 years in Pattaya I guess I got a telephone bill about 50% of the time, both in a condo and then a house. Now TOT swears they send it out and why would they not ? I think sometimes the postie just nicks the lot and chucks away anything that has no value, opening and stealing anything that they think has value.

[nickbk]

I guess it depends where you live.

When I was in Ayutthaya, I never had a problem with a parcel or a letter. When I moved to Sriracha, things have have been completely different. I get my letters at the security at the entrance of the village and I never get the paper warning me when a parcel arrrived. Everytime I need to go to the post office and ask. Usually they fins it somewhere.

It happened one time that a package was returned to the sender.

Of course, In Thailand or in any country you come from, never put cash in a letter or a box.

[kennkate]

I have sent Parcels from the UK And paid what I thought was Air Mail Fee. not Cheap

Even asked and was told yes AIR Mail

Only to find out Later it was Surface Mail.

I was back in Thailand when it Arrived 3 months later.

Not the fault of the Thai Post. I Have found them to be one of the things that works well here in LOS

At least in LAMPHUN Cant speak for the rest of Thailand

Hang on in there

[TAWP]

Not just parcels but in 4 years in Pattaya I guess I got a telephone bill about 50% of the time, both in a condo and then a house. Now TOT swears they send it out and why would they not ? I think sometimes the postie just nicks the lot and chucks away anything that has no value, opening and stealing anything that they think has value.

Actually been having issues with bills not arriving at times for the last 2 years atleast. If it wsa like back home, they would add an extreme charge for being late more than 2 days with a payment, I would thought it was some form of scam. But since all bills 'can' be payed late with no extra charge every time...maybe just the postman is bored and chucks them?

[angiud]

My son's Christmas present from Italy, sent by EMS from Italy the 10th december (ab 2 kilos), still not arrived. But same last year arrived after 45 days...

[bkkmick]

Parcels posted from N Ireland last week have all arrived this week. None missing.