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[goforit]

Decided to place a small order for some nutritional supplements from the US (6 bottles) cost $41.00 shipping $25.00 using FedEx. FedEx shows up and hands me a bill for 297 baht import duty tax. I've ordered before and never got hit with this but all my other orders have come by way of the US Postal service.

I'm now wondering if the reason for the import duty charge is because of FedEx or if not, this is something new that is being imposed regardless of method of shipping. I'd like to order again but not if I end up paying almost the same for shipping as the goods themselves.

Anyone else have any experiences with this?

[carlosacao]

Fedex, UPS, DHL and the like automatically get review and process by customs and they always add duties; post office seems to work in a different way and very often doesn't have duties, but sometimes they do (just got a chess set from USA yesterday and they charged me 1000 Baht), it's a hit and miss, but always better chances with the post office.

[sabaijai]

Agree with the above. Avoid the private couriers if you're concerned about import duties.

[friendlyguy01]

Agree with the above. Avoid the private couriers if you're concerned about import duties.

It's BS. I just got hit with a 3000 baht DUTY & TAX fee. My brother shipped my computer to me and it's a freaking used computer. How the hel_l do they figure that amount? I think it's highway robbery and if i don't pay it, i don't get my computer...

Starting to not like it...

[wadsy]

I bought some stuff from Taiwan last year which cost about $500US and when it landed FedEx emailed me a bill for Tax and Import Duties, Handling Fees, Paperwork Fees etc that came to a tad over 15,000 baht! Basically it was pay it or not have the goods so I coughed up the dosh. Pain in a#@ but not a lot you can do.

[samuibeachcomber]

As others have said,if you send it via courier the likelyhood of tax being charged is high,through the post ok.always put "for personal use only".I have never been charged tax with the post or courier in regard to health care products.If you send via post always do a recorded delivery.

With regard to things like computers/parts,you'd be better off via courier,same applies again,always state second hand personal items not for re-sale.

[FolkGuitar]

Fedex, UPS, DHL and the like automatically get review and process by customs and they always add duties; post office seems to work in a different way and very often doesn't have duties, but sometimes they do (just got a chess set from USA yesterday and they charged me 1000 Baht), it's a hit and miss, but always better chances with the post office.

FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. all have their own customs holding faclities. The Thai government usually never even sees things that come in via these carriers. They have agreed to handle the duty collection (probably for a cut or for other due consideration) for the government. 99% of what comes via these carriers gets charged.

Actually, you got off lucky. The don't deliver on week-ends or holidays. If your order came in on a Friday and they had to keep it over the week-end, they would have tagged on a 'storage fee.' On one shipment I got hit with a storage fee, insurance fee, (I didn't ask for insurance. Because the shipment had to be held in the warehouse over the weekend they said it needed to be insured,) and import duty, and it took more than a week from the time it arrived in Thailand to get to me in Chiang Mai. To add insult to injury, I had paid for 'next day' delivery, but due to holidays and a week-end, that next day took more than a full week even though I paid. I tried to get my money refunded but it was not going to happen. These days, I won't deal with companies who will only ship via the large private carriers. I insist upon International Express Mail.

[ChiangMaiFun]

a friend sent me some used CDs throgh official post office - 600 baht 'customs fee' just a scam and 'finger in the air job' but irritating that they feel free to rip off their 'guests'

[shepsel]

I had a replacement credit card sent from North America to Chiang Mai by Fedex. I got an invoice of 897 baht for duty on the item because it was made of plastic. I refused to pay, they took the envelope back, adjusted the import code, and delivered it a few days later void of any duty or taxes.

[everydaysthesame]

if you dont pay do they return to sender or do they keep it?

does anyone know if parcels get scanned or do they just open the ones they like the look of?

cheers

[jfchandler]

Friendlyguy, re your computer, you didn't state any range of value/price for it, so it's hard to tell for sure... 3000 baht on a 30,000 value wouldn't be too bad... 3000 on a 10,000 baht value would be a lot worse.

But in general, electronics items that are used or refurbished should not get the same kind of duty as store bought new items... But the shipper (in this case your brother) needed to have stated "used" on the customs declaration form he filled out. If he didn't do that, you'll certainly pay the price.

And, as others have stated, your odds of getting hit with a tax/duty/misc fees goes up exponentially if the shipment comes via FedEx, DHL, UPS as opposed to regular postal mail.

[SM7WGP]

Electronic Items has a 7 Percent duty charge, and the customs do the value of the item.

only Items bought in the ASEAN agreement are duty free but then the officer that handles it want s a little.

[jfchandler]

But, at least in the customs regulations, there are different categories and rates for new electronics vs. refurbished or used ones... Higher, of course, for new.

But if something is delivered via regular postal mail vs. the express delivery companies, the chances of entirely avoiding duty on refurb/used electronics increase markedly. A lot depends on the total value of the item/items involved, such as if they are above or below a figure like 3000 to 4000 baht.

[lukeskywalker]

I have received numerous (20 or so) packages from my folks in the USA in the past 4 years. I only had to pay duty one time and it was like 27 baht. My parents know to put a very small dollar amount and list only a couple of the items on the shipping label.

Just to try, my Mom sent me underwear and slippers via FedEx once (and ONLY once). She had to pay almost $75 in shipping and then I had to pay 3000 baht in duties, taxes, etc. The exchange rate they used was horrendous. NEVER again.

It seems like EMS is the way to go: No duty (or very small), and you can track it both in the States and then once it reaches Thailand using internet.

[cardinalblue]

This is all great advice..I guess it is best to ship from the post-office to LOS. I don't blame the private carriers as they are probably under immense pressure by THailand. They represent low-hanging fruit...

I got a care package of assorted goodies from my family in the States and paid no taxes. i need to check how my sister sent it ...

CB

[mcgriffith]

I've ordered vitamins and nutritional supplements a few times.

One big order, I was nicked for about 300 B duty. Had to pick it up, and pay duty at the post office by Wat Phra Singh.

Other orders came through straight to my apt.

I had a wrist dive computer that was rehabbed in the US come to me recently, with an insured value of $500 USD, with no problem.

As mentioned above, I think the best way is to use the normal postal service. In other words, avoid UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.

Most merchants when shipping to Thailand actually prefer the normal mail.

[Bill97]

Just to try, my Mom sent me underwear and slippers via FedEx once (and ONLY once). She had to pay almost $75 in shipping and then I had to pay 3000 baht in duties, taxes, etc. The exchange rate they used was horrendous. NEVER again.

Yeh underwear and hankies sent by moms attract very high duty which is really unfair to those of us who can not buy our own here.

[MrE]

It's definitely a crap shoot. A friend sent me a six month supply of supplements for my birthday and the entire shipment was confiscated as being a quantity only intended for resale. So then she sent a smaller quantity and they confiscated that as well since they already had my name on their books as a vitamin smuggler or some such nonsense.

[jfchandler]

Ya, I believe clothing per se gets an official 60% duty coming into Thailand -- assuming it's assessed in accord with the actual rules. But then you add VAT and the extra duty charges done by formula that figure in shipping costs, and the end result can end up being close to a 100% surcharge on what you import -- apart from the actual shipping cost. That's when you send that kind of stuff via Fed-Ex, DHL or UPS...

I'd assume U.S. Postal Service to Thailand might get a better result for clothing in terms of duty treatment. But after I got nicked close to 100% surcharge one time for clothing via DHL, it kind of scared me off from trying to ship clothing again -- at least certainly thru any of the next-day express carriers.

I'm very tall, so a lot of things I simply can't buy or obtain here in Thailand -- unless I want to go the route of having them custom made... So I rely on periodic travel back to the U.S. to catch up on clothes shopping, and may at some point try the U.S.P.S method for clothing, to see if it really gets any better result.

Just to try, my Mom sent me underwear and slippers via FedEx once (and ONLY once). She had to pay almost $75 in shipping and then I had to pay 3000 baht in duties, taxes, etc. The exchange rate they used was horrendous. NEVER again.

Yeh underwear and hankies sent by moms attract very high duty which is really unfair to those of us who can not buy our own here.

[jaideeguy]

Many vitamin shipments along with seeds and [exotic] falang food items sent by relatives and friends over the last 10 yrs and by US Postal and never once had to pay........KNOCK ON WOOD!!!

[jfchandler]

And apart from the shipping method....

How did you, or did you not, handle the declaration of those items on the customs form???

And what kind of valuations, per shipment, did you have??? Low value, high value, per box???

It's those kinds of things that make a difference as well....

Many vitamin shipments along with seeds and [exotic] falang food items sent by relatives and friends over the last 10 yrs and by US Postal and never once had to pay........KNOCK ON WOOD!!!

[jfchandler]

Heeding the advice being given here, I recently added a new shipper from the USA...one that enables me to forward packages here using USPS Global Priority or Global Express Mail pretty much at USPS cost+plus an $8.50 per shipment handling fee, along with all the private carrier options.

My prior shipping company, for packages, had basically only allowed the private shippers... FexEx, DHL and UPS...and of course, any time I tried to deliver anything thru them, the items got killed with big duties and fees. My prior shipper did allow the USPS package shipping, but tacked on a bunch of surcharges so as to make those methods more costly that the privates.

So, I recently test delivered my first package via my new shipper using USPS Global Priority Mail -- six boxes of a vitamin supplement, each box containing 50 tables, for a total of 300 tabs. Total retail price was about $30, which I declared accurately on my custom's statement.

They arrived a few days ago in the USPS flat rate envelope. Absolutely no duty or fee charged.

BTW, I had priced the same supplement here at the GNC stores in BKK. They had bottles of the same supplement for the equivalent of more than $18 per 50 tabs. With my U.S. purchase thru Amazon and then shipping/handling to BKK but no duty, I paid a bit under $11 per bottle.

Have a couple of other items with different values and different types of product (not vitamins or supplements) coming soon thru USPS... Will advise on the outcome...

Seems like USPS definitely is the way to go... Use FedEx, UPS or DHL, and you're asking for trouble.

[tfc]

I've ordered vitamins a few times, every time using fedex and every time having to pay an import duty of about 270 baht. Even after all costs though I still save about 10 times what I used to pay when I bought off the shelves in Australia(Australia is ridiculous for supplement prices). I also wouldn't go with normal post as I love getting my stuff in 4 days with fedex.