Hi,

I am trying to find out the Thai Customs Import law & rules about whether I would be charged import TAX when a friend sends me their 2 year old iPhone which I am buying from them??

I heard you are not allowed to send a mobile with SIM card. But what if its sent without one? Could it be labeled as sending an iPod Touch / MP3 Player??

Postage is already expensive & I don't want to get a huge bill for iPhone import TAX.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ashley

Hi,

I am trying to find out the Thai Customs Import law & rules about whether I would be charged import TAX when a friend sends me their 2 year old iPhone which I am buying from them??

I heard you are not allowed to send a mobile with SIM card. But what if its sent without one? Could it be labeled as sending an iPod Touch / MP3 Player??

Postage is already expensive & I don't want to get a huge bill for iPhone import TAX.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ashley

I had a phone posted to me last week (8 1/2 quid at the post office). Just state on the package its a mobile phone and pray it arrives.

To tell you the truth I didnt give import tax a thought but it arrived OK.

Don't use a carrier such as DHL or UPS because you will be hit for high import duties for sure (I'm speaking from experience). I would have it send by normal post office recorded delivery. There are no guarantees but a couple of small electrical items I have sent this way (such as satellite LNBs) got through with no tax charged.

Edited July 17, 200916 yr by citizen33

Delcare it on the customs form as "Used Mobile Phone" and "Gift" and declare a low value.

Send it "International Signed-For".

Chances are good that it will arrive and you'll avoid duties.

DO NOT use one of the courier services (TNT, FedEx etc) you WILL get stung for duties.

Technically it is illegal to import used mobile phones into Thailand. Just have them send it by Post and put personal electronics marked as gift with low value on customs form. Don't insure it. My mother often just puts misc personal item from USA with $10 value and I get no problem. I had her send me some new phones once EMS marked a gift and personal items marked on customs form (had some coffee and other stuff sent with it). They taxed me on the value of the EMS postage. So now I just go First Class or Priority, no more EMS for me. My First Class and Priority get to me with no taxes be levied.

get it send with a t shirt or something and list it as personal stereo and t shirt with a 10 pound value, no problem ,.

get it send with a t shirt or something and list it as personal stereo and t shirt with a 10 pound value, no problem ,.

Just always keep value unde 1,000 baht. That is the magic number where they impose a 10% import tax and a fee to the Post Office for collecting the tax. First time I had something of value sent I had listed it properly. Got an ipod I bought refurbished for $150 and wound up paying 1,500 baht import duties. The imposing of tax on EMS postage was a surprise for me later on. They assume the goods are worth at least what the EMS cost or you would not have it sent by that method. Not sure if I agree with the logic but that's what the tax guys on duty at the Post Office think.

Another suggestion which may help, get the person who is sending it, to wrap it in Birthday Gift wrap and make it look like a gift...

My Father sent me a Skype Telephone a few years back, I never recieved it and I never got confirmation that customs had taken it either, but it was a new phone in a box so that may be the reason i never got it..

Might also be a good idea to tell them NOT to send the box. Just send the Telephone wrapped up in a T Shirt or something like a previous poster suggested.

Having said all of that, i really dont think you will have a problem. Good luck.

Thanks for all of your replies. Looks like I will get it send via Royal Mail signed for post with a T-Shirt.

This is simple,

Go to the post office and send by data post, this is done by the post office through Parcel Force.

Make sure your parcel is wrapped all round in the brown parcel tape.

Also add an address label in English and Thai.

Hey presto your parcel arrives within 7 days.

Mike.

get it send with a t shirt or something and list it as personal stereo and t shirt with a 10 pound value, no problem ,.

Just always keep value unde 1,000 baht. That is the magic number where they impose a 10% import tax and a fee to the Post Office for collecting the tax.

Sure its a THB 1000 ??....as have been told that its $100 dollar value or less doesnt attrach customs attention, have been getting sent items through the post with "stated" values $ 50, $ 80 etc and never had a problem with import tax, but the amounts are more than THB 1000..

If the phone is in England, just get your friend to put it in a "post pac" envelope, write on the customs form, contents one book, value nothing. Address it with your name and address in English.

Just have them pack the phone in that bubble wrap stuff and it will be fine.

I have things sent on a regular basis, and they are always sent in "post pac" envelopes, the worst that happens is that I must pay 7 baht tax which is fine because that way the parcel never gets lost as I have to sign for it.

Don't bother with recorded delivery as it only draws attention to your parcel.

And never ever send by DHL, Fed Ex, or any other carriers. The post office is good enough.

Sure its a THB 1000 ??....as have been told that its $100 dollar value or less doesnt attrach customs attention, have been getting sent items through the post with "stated" values $ 50, $ 80 etc and never had a problem with import tax, but the amounts are more than THB 1000..

The official amount is B1000, look on the customs website...