Paying High Duty For A Low Cost Gift?

[McGee]

A Friend from the States has send me a printed T-Shirt from his Company along with a Short.

Today I got News from the Postal Authorities that a small package was waiting for me to be picked up.

I knew already since the USPS informed me that the Package has been handed to the Thai Post 7 ( seven ) Days ago.

The Package was clearly marked as Gift with no commercial Value and total Value of 25USD.

Now they would not have me the pack unless I pay 978,- Baht plus Post Fees. So total of more than 1,000.- Baht.

I could have bought several T-Shirts for the Money here but i wanted it for sentimental Reasons.

Is there any way to Complain and get my Money back? They not even bothered to open the Package to look inside!

Are they so desperate for Money now?

Edited April 16, 2009 by McGee

[Thanyaburi Mac]

A Friend from the States has send me a printed T-Shirt from his Company along with a Short.

Today I got News from the Postal Authorities that a small package was waiting for me to be picked up.

I knew already since the USPS informed me that the Package has been handed to the Thai Post 7 ( seven ) Days ago.

The Package was clearly marked as Gift with no commercial Value and total Value of 25USD.

Now they would not have me the pack unless I pay 978,- Baht plus Post Fees. So total of more than 1,000.- Baht.

I could have bought several T-Shirts for the Money here but i wanted it for sentimental Reasons.

Is there any way to Complain and get my Money back? They not even bothered to open the Package to look inside!

Are they so desperate for Money now?

If you've paid already, forget it. If not, offer to just slice up the shirt in their presence, toss in their waste basket, and wait until your next U.S. run to get a replacement.

Mac

[ALFREDO]

I let 3 or 4 times, up to 100 Cigars at once, sending from Austria, last 2 years ago and never had to pay tax.

On an other occasion I received inexpensive Motorbike parts (springs for a shock and a chane) and paid tax.

Maybe they enforce the taxes more tight on goods you could also buy -Made in Thailand-

There was a custom officer, as it seems, overcorrect.

[Sabum]

A Friend from the States has send me a printed T-Shirt from his Company along with a Short.

Today I got News from the Postal Authorities that a small package was waiting for me to be picked up.

I knew already since the USPS informed me that the Package has been handed to the Thai Post 7 ( seven ) Days ago.

The Package was clearly marked as Gift with no commercial Value and total Value of 25USD.

Now they would not have me the pack unless I pay 978,- Baht plus Post Fees. So total of more than 1,000.- Baht.

I could have bought several T-Shirts for the Money here but i wanted it for sentimental Reasons.

Is there any way to Complain and get my Money back? They not even bothered to open the Package to look inside!

Are they so desperate for Money now?

The post office customs are gangsters and extortionists, (like most authority organisations in Thailand) this has been discussed many times, welcome to Thailand, you must be new here.

[deprogrammed]

A Friend from the States has send me a printed T-Shirt from his Company along with a Short.

Today I got News from the Postal Authorities that a small package was waiting for me to be picked up.

I knew already since the USPS informed me that the Package has been handed to the Thai Post 7 ( seven ) Days ago.

The Package was clearly marked as Gift with no commercial Value and total Value of 25USD.

Now they would not have me the pack unless I pay 978,- Baht plus Post Fees. So total of more than 1,000.- Baht.

I could have bought several T-Shirts for the Money here but i wanted it for sentimental Reasons.

Is there any way to Complain and get my Money back? They not even bothered to open the Package to look inside!

Are they so desperate for Money now?

The post office customs are gangsters and extortionists, (like most authority organisations in Thailand) this has been discussed many times, welcome to Thailand, you must be new here.

Exactly - Getting my personal items from customs when I moved to Thailand was an absoulute nightmare. I found that the shipping agent was in cahoots with the customs. At one point i told them to keep the lot - mostly used books and personal items of little value. They wanted 43'000 baht in duty. They settled for 15,000 after weeks of negotiations through the agent. Theives

[Sheryl]

I hear you, but in my experience, once customs has assigned an amount of duty, there is no choice but to either pay it or forego the item.

They are quite caprious in when and what they charge.

Parcles from a commercial source or sent via a courier fair worse than those hand packaged and sent via regular mail, on the whole.

[davejonesbkk]

Isnt it something to do with having a declared value on the outside? I think if you dont do that then there is no charge....

[Thai Chi]

A Friend from the States has send me a printed T-Shirt from his Company along with a Short.

Today I got News from the Postal Authorities that a small package was waiting for me to be picked up.

I knew already since the USPS informed me that the Package has been handed to the Thai Post 7 ( seven ) Days ago.

The Package was clearly marked as Gift with no commercial Value and total Value of 25USD.

Now they would not have me the pack unless I pay 978,- Baht plus Post Fees. So total of more than 1,000.- Baht.

I could have bought several T-Shirts for the Money here but i wanted it for sentimental Reasons.

Is there any way to Complain and get my Money back? They not even bothered to open the Package to look inside!

Are they so desperate for Money now?

This customs / postal scam is becoming epidemic. There is a guy on the Phuhket forum who had exactly the same problem

Suggest you have the sender value the item at $5 / and send regular mail.

[McGee]

thank you everybody for your comments.

but maybe there is something wrong with my English

or many do not even read my Poll completely.

1. i wanted the Package,- so I paid. I just felt robbed so i started this Poll.
   
2. i mentioned that the Package came from a private source, with standard mail (USPS) not Courier Services
   
3. it was clearly written that the contains where a Gift with no commercial Value and the Value was stated with 25 USD.
   

If they would have opened the Package ( that's what they do in case of doubt in civilized Countries) they would have detected a simple printed T-Shirt along with a Cotton Short printed for advertisement in the same way.

I am aware that I would never get any Money back. I only had to lose some Steam.

thanks for helping

McGee

[h90]

I frequently got things and never paid anything.

I ordered 3 times 2 TShirts (25 USD each) from Sea Shepherd....no payment.

I ordered a machine part, it has the invoice 276 Euro and came with the post without payment.

I would have reject it...send back

[phaethon]

What's with the OP's capitalization pattern - Is there A secret Message in the Capitals?

Edited April 17, 2009 by phaethon

[h90]

What's with the OP's capitalization pattern - Is there A secret Message in the Capitals?

If Mother Language is German, you would capitalize same him (if it would be German).

I do that sometimes as well when I write fast, just as I am used to it.

Or it is a secret Message for Dr. Mabuse.

[zoolander]

Never ever trust thai post or customs. They wanted 20,000 baht from a tea chest of old books sent from UK. NEVER EVER TRUST THESE PEOPLE

[Sabum]

Isnt it something to do with having a declared value on the outside? I think if you dont do that then there is no charge....

lol you think so huh? That would make sense and be logical.....

[bertlamar]

Never ever trust thai post or customs. They wanted 20,000 baht from a tea chest of old books sent from UK. NEVER EVER TRUST THESE PEOPLE

maybe they thought it was all the tea in China?

Nwever understood that expression, all the T in China. China not have T, just C H I N and A. no T.

[CrossBones]

What's with the OP's capitalization pattern - Is there A secret Message in the Capitals?

Must be another "cheap suit" English teacher

[pampal]

I was charged 8000 baht duty on a Scott Scale 70 mountain bike which had a value of 50000 baht that was shipped to BKK by air from the US. On my other bicycle, a Banshee Morphine worth 250000 baht, which I brought with me through the airport, I was charged nothing.

[harrry]

You're lucky it wasn't Australia. I sent a gift to my Grandaughter ( or for phaeton's benifit grandaughter ) of a cloth elephant which I abought at CMU...It is actually the kind they use as a graduation gift. When it arrived she got a letter saying it wouldnt be allowed in because they didn't know what was in it.