Does anyone have advice on the cheapest reliable way to send a box full of random stuff back to the likes of the US? Is the Thai post worth it? Can DHL offer low prices? What else is out there? I am no rush to get it back home, it just wont all fit into the 2 bags I moved to Chiang Mai with over a year ago and I can't seem to part with some things.

Try FED X, DHL, or UPS they will all ship to the USA at reasonable cost and it will be delivered.

The postal service can often be as quick as the aforementioned couriers and almost half the price for their most expensive service. EMS to Europe (I have no experience with postage to the US so can only quote what I know) can take about 3 to 5 days, standard registered post: about 1 week, SAL (surface air lifted?): about 20 days and by sea takes about 60 days.

A recent experience as an example:

Approx 4.5 kg package to Switzerland:

DHL 5kg box - 7,000 ++ THB

DHL 10kg box - 4,300 THB (special offer running on 10kg box service)

EMS - 2,500 THB

Standard - 1,800 THB

SAL - 1,500 THB

Sea - 1,100 THB

The above is all from memory but will still be a pretty accurate guide.

The Thai postal service often gets bad press when these discussions come up, from experience I disagree. Inbound postage, especially when dealing with items of value is another matter altogether; outbound is reliable but you must factor in the reliability of the postal service in the destination country.

I would recommend checking at the post office and then depending on the urgency, size, weight and value of your shipment decide on which method suits you best.

JxP

JxP - Wow - thanks for the detailed information! Maybe you should open a shipping company? I was leaning towards the Thai post anyway. I hope this benefits other as well.