Ship a laptop to thailand?

[Scamp]

I want to have a laptop shipped to me here. I want to avoid import duties. Can they charge you duties on having a "present" sent here, one that will leave Thailand in 7 months anyways?

And what is everyone's opinion on cheapest way to ship something this valuable from the US to TL. Fedex would be about $175!!! US postal service international is $105 but I wonder who gets it to my door in Chiang Mai? Speed is not as important as savings and security.

Thanks for your comments.

[kwiz117]

What is the exact configuration of your laptop?

[Scamp]

Well I haven't had it purchased yet, but why does it matter?

It will be something like a Dell P4, 512M, 15.4", 60G.

My biggest reason aside from price for buy it in the US is because I can't find ANY laptops in TL that support high screen resolutions like 1600x1059 or 1900x1280 that I need in  a loptop.

[Jade]

Would recommend on noting on the US customs declaration as the contents being "personal effects". Even with this in mind, there is no guarantee that Thai customs will not charge you duty. There is no way to guarantee absolutely not having any duties if you choose to ship the computer to Thailand. The best way is of course having someone personally carry it through but if this is not an option, DHL are your best bet, although more expensive than Fedex. If you are hit for tax in Thailand, you could get hold of a good Thai customs broker or shipping company who may be able to negotiate tax with authorities better than you can.

[Guest IT Manager]

If it comes still in the box you will be hit 20 % on the nose.

The lady at airport customs has the list. Parts have come down to 3% - 5% but total machines vary from 46% to 20% in the last 3 months, depending on configuration.

Can you contact me direct with model numbers etc. Should be able to bring it in  for you quite reasonably.

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[PaulB]

I will be coming to Thailand for up to 7 months and want to bring my 3 year old Dell laptop with me (only worth about £350 tops nowadays) - but am worried that I may have to pay duty of some kind.

Can anyone confirm that its OK to bring your old laptop in for personal use without a charge?

Thanks

[MaiChai]

Scamp, get yourself over to Pantip Plaza and pickup a laptop from about 33,000 baht upwards. I got myself a nice new Compaq Presario for about 35,000; pretty pleased with it. I managed not to pay any VAT. A lot less hassel than ordering one from abroad.

I would not recommend paying too much for a new laptop; better to pay as little as you can, and get a new model every couple of years (my last one lasted 4 years, but it was pushing it). Backlights in the display tend to be the thing that go (they are little florescent lamps; and get black burn marks at either end just like normal florescent lamps). You can save a lot of money by going for a Celeron rather than a P4.

[Guest IT Manager]

I will be coming to Thailand for up to 7 months and want to bring my 3 year old Dell laptop with me (only worth about £350 tops nowadays) - but am worried that I may have to pay duty of some kind.

Can anyone confirm that its OK to bring your old laptop in for personal use without a charge?

Paul if you bring a laptop/notebook in, not in the box, there is no charge at customs. If it is in the box, there is a chance they will hit it for duty, depending on how you approach, it up to 46%.

Even a new one, out of the box, will generally not be hit with duty. If in doubt, declare it, as a used PC, go through the line "items to declare", they will think you are an idiot for wasting their time, laugh at you and wave you through.

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[jdinasia]

Thanks for a great topic ... very timely for me as I will be bringing my laptop for school