Do Your Packages Arrive From Abroad?

[JimShortz]

Most expensive item was a 120 U.S.$ eye-cream for my boyfriend "La Mer" from Canada, no customs duty asked (same cost close to 400 U.S.$ here in Thailand!)

What eye cream costs $400? I can supply you with high quality cream for much less than that... You must be mad (or American)

[WOWAsia]

wrong post

Edited February 20, 2009 by WOWAsia

[HYENA]

Sent 14 baht of gold, no problems (but then again I ship thousands of packages a year so I'm familiar with how to declare, undetstate vallues, etc)...made ne nervous sending $6k worth of gold declaring it at $21 value but it got there!

I only use USPS express (EMS on the Thai end). Comes with insurance (I never pay extra for insurance--a certain tip off for a thief).

Only a few packages. I'm all done so won't ever send gold in the mail again (don't want to tempt fate) unless it's for business reasons (I sell gold, silver and stuff).

I HAVE had one pkg lost in the US, 4 UK in the past 8 years though.

[pattaya_girl]

I have had lots of parcels delivered to me mostly from the UK no problem, only one time my Dad sent me a Skype Phone and I never got it, so he claimed for it and got his money back in the UK.

[Thanh-BKK]

Most expensive item was a 120 U.S.$ eye-cream for my boyfriend "La Mer" from Canada, no customs duty asked (same cost close to 400 U.S.$ here in Thailand!)

What eye cream costs $400? I can supply you with high quality cream for much less than that... You must be mad (or American)

Hi

I'm neither mad nor American, but i have a Thai boyfriend who very firmly believes in the miracles of cosmetics.... the brand of the stuff is "La Mer" and the item's name is "Concentre De La Mer". This cost roughly 14,000 Baht (in Central Bangna) in the size he got, which was 120 USD coming from Canada.

This holds true for pretty much every cosmetics stuff with big brand names on it - abroad they cost half or a third of what they cost here.

I myself would chop off my hand before paying money for eye cream. Yes i'm a fairy but i don't need cosmetics, haven't needed them for the past 34 years and won't need them for the next 34

Kind regards.....

Thanh

[jtp]

Most expensive item was a 120 U.S.$ eye-cream for my boyfriend "La Mer" from Canada, no customs duty asked (same cost close to 400 U.S.$ here in Thailand!)

What eye cream costs $400? I can supply you with high quality cream for much less than that... You must be mad (or American)

Hi

I'm neither mad nor American, but i have a Thai boyfriend who very firmly believes in the miracles of cosmetics.... the brand of the stuff is "La Mer" and the item's name is "Concentre De La Mer". This cost roughly 14,000 Baht (in Central Bangna) in the size he got, which was 120 USD coming from Canada.

This holds true for pretty much every cosmetics stuff with big brand names on it - abroad they cost half or a third of what they cost here.

I myself would chop off my hand before paying money for eye cream. Yes i'm a fairy but i don't need cosmetics, haven't needed them for the past 34 years and won't need them for the next 34

Kind regards.....

Thanh

Thats to the point,no need to beat around the bush........... I have never lost a package,but mine are always sent to a government office,never to home.I think it would be a brave person(Or stupid) to think about stealing from them.

[mojaco]

Just had two parcels arrive today, that were sent last week from the UK. Can't fault the service, only had two occassions where had to pay duty to the thieving customs department in the last 3 years, and I recieve at leat 3 parcels a month.

So you said the customs dep. has hit you with duties only three times? Do you go pick the items up from the post office or are they delivered to your door? When you paid the duties, where your packages opened, or did they just go buy the declared customs value? If so, are most packages you recieve opened along the way before getting to you, and if that is the case, what types of things seem to be more readily opened. Are you receiving these from the Thai post or UPS, FEDEX, etc. ?? Thanks for the help. I appolgize for all the questions.

I have had many, many packages from the USA over past 15 years. I avoid DHL because they always want you to pay customs/tax costs by bank transfer before they will bring the package out. UPS, USPS (post office) and FEDEX always bring the package out and get the payment at the door. My experience has been best with FEDEX as very frequently there isn't duty/tax costs with them (don't know why) and also not so often with USPS. Seems like there always is with UPS. We live in a tiny thai town 15 miles outside of Chiang Rai and the packages have our addresses in English, but they always get delivered. I do try to make certain the sender puts my local Thai mobile phone number on the package though. And sometimes the delivery person calls me to get directions. I think it is probably very important to have a local telephone number on the package. I have never failed to receive a package that was sent, even some very expensive electronic goods. It looks like they never open the packages. But twice I had to send detailed explanations to Customs (via the delivery company) about the exact nature of the goods inside so they could find the appropriate duty/tax rate.

The ONLY international mail I have lost was a check sent from Thailand to USA and Customs in USA lost it! (tracking number said they were the last ones to have it). Seems the mail system in Thailand is better than the USA (maybe not surprisingly?)

[Hawaiian]

Non-delivery of packet with photos from U.S. to Trat. Other than that mostly satisfactory service when mailing letters

to Bangkok. U.S. Customs is very sloppy when opening mail for examination. Quite unprofessional in my view.

[skiman1]

Most expensive item was a 120 U.S.$ eye-cream for my boyfriend "La Mer" from Canada, no customs duty asked (same cost close to 400 U.S.$ here in Thailand!)

What eye cream costs $400? I can supply you with high quality cream for much less than that... You must be mad (or American)

Hi

I'm neither mad nor American, but i have a Thai boyfriend who very firmly believes in the miracles of cosmetics.... the brand of the stuff is "La Mer" and the item's name is "Concentre De La Mer". This cost roughly 14,000 Baht (in Central Bangna) in the size he got, which was 120 USD coming from Canada.

This holds true for pretty much every cosmetics stuff with big brand names on it - abroad they cost half or a third of what they cost here.

I myself would chop off my hand before paying money for eye cream. Yes i'm a fairy but i don't need cosmetics, haven't needed them for the past 34 years and won't need them for the next 34

Kind regards.....

Thanh

good story and funny, scary price for cream!

[Screws]

I heard of a f'lang who ordered a nice set of sunnies - v. expensive -

They didn't arrive so a week or so later he went to the parcels dept. at Banglamung P.O. to try to find them.

He found them - the guy attending the counter was wearing them. Also he was son of P.O. manager. (18 - 24 months ago)

The police fixed this case I believe. (no, no, I mean really fixed it!)

I had many problems with missing mail before that - 3 consecutive museum pieces from eBay did not arrive.

Now all mail is addressed to a Thai, seems ok. now.

Critical question for those still missing mail is where are you located, and when did the problems start and are they still occurring?

If a pattern can be established maybe TV can ask q of the p.o.?

[pumpuiman]

I have to send an ATM card from the US to Thailand (Isaan)

Anyone have suggestions as to the safest method?

Global express?

[yabaaaa]

I have sent a bout 10 packages to Thailand of these all that went to Phuket never arrived all except one to Bangkok did which was some stamps sent by my Dad for my wife here. My dad was dead pis**ed as they were his spares and many old but not valuable copies.

I have sent credit cards and these have arrived. Recorded delivery has made no difference and the Uk post office cant trace it once its landed in Thailand. They see its arrived but after that they have no clue and Thai post offices did not correspond with them. Its very hit and miss seems Bangkok is reasonably ok for me.

[pumpuiman]

Well, I had a succesful package delivery. I needed to send an ATM card from the U.S. I sent it taped to the inside of the cardboard " Priority Mail" envelope, along with two childrens books.

I sent it Priority, registered, requiring signature upon receipt...of which I'll get a copy of.

Overkill? Maybe..25 bucks...but it made it.

The Priority envelope is a good deal if you don't do the registered return deal....12 bucks for whatever fits inside, no weight limit.

Good Luck.

[robblok]

I receive many packages from Holland. I usually let them be send by normal mail and so far i haven't paid any taxes on them. I am waiting for a a fishing rod right now. The postman told me he would bring it at 2pm.

The only time i paid taxes was when things were send from the US with one of those fancy shipping methods.

[pumpuiman]

I receive many packages from Holland. I usually let them be send by normal mail and so far i haven't paid any taxes on them. I am waiting for a a fishing rod right now. The postman told me he would bring it at 2pm.

The only time i paid taxes was when things were send from the US with one of those fancy shipping methods.

I considered just putting the ATM card in an envelope and taking my chances, but thought a record of accountability was better.

I'm not worried about tax or duty, only theft.

Perhaps calling attention to the package by sending it "fancy" could be detrimental though, I see your point.

Something I failed to mention....I also had the address written in both English and Thai.

Any other reports of consistently succesful shipping methods would be great to hear, other members, please post your experiences.

Thanks,

Eric

[fiddlehead]

Boy, i wish i never would have read this thread. (now i'm scared)

I've been sending stuff back and forth from and to the US for 8 years now.

Never had a problem.

I've sent expensive computer equip., atm cards (received it last week, it took 6 days to get here), my sister sends me beer pretzels once a month, shoes (big feet), cameras (video and still), pictures, books, etc.

The worst that happened was a birthday present that my family sent to my Thai wife took about 2 months to get here.

Never had to pay duty for anything. But once they charged me 7 baht for extra delivery fee cause it was heavy.

I always use EMS here and my family uses US Postal service cheapest way from their end.

Good luck everyone. After reading through things, it seems DHL, FedEx, are the unreliable ones (and i know they are way more expensive)

Never could really figure out why people use those companies. I guess they don't check prices.