Help With Sending Parcels From Australia To Bangkok

[mike404045]

ok so ive been reading around the forums for a while and alot of posters have been saying that thai customs are crooks and that alot items in the mail are either lost or stolen...

i want to send 2 iphones worth approx AUS$1400+ to myself over here in bangkok but am very worried that they will be picked up at customs or stolen

im getting my brother back in oz to send them to me but as of yet have not sent them out.. so i thought id ask around on the forum if anyone could recommend me the best way/option to send them.

ive heard that having them registered with a tracking number and labelling them in both english and thai would help.. also labelling them as gifts worth under $50

any help woud be very appreciated

[Bedrockguesthouse]

I am an aussie and live in Ban Phe opposite koh samet island. I did shipping for 34 years finished up with that industry about a year ago. In essence u can send them registered airmail or with a courier. if u make a false declaration on value or the product u might get busted, end up with a fine and lose the phones. U got any aussie friends coming over to visit u then get them to bring them over. Customs here and in aussie arent stupid and note they have postal customs here same as in Aussie

my ten cents worth

Good luck rgds Mark

[mike404045]

nope unlucky no family or friends coming over here anytime soon

so what would you recommend doing?

should i send it via registered airmail or courier, and if by courier which one?

ive never sent anything to thailand before so im unsure of what or where to pay the tax, is it done at the post office or will it have to be paid upon arrival in thailand thru customs or at your door?

(ive got 0% knowledge when it comes to posting)

thanks

[darrendsd]

If your sending items worth that much then send by EMS [express mail service] it is fully trackable, will be insured and is the safest quickest way to send items of that value

Put the full value on the customs declartion and you will pay 7% import tax at the post office

[mike404045]

so EMS then, have you personally used their service before?

can anyone else vouch for EMS?

also does the item get delivered to your door or will i have to collect it from my local p.o. were i live?

asking because ive had items sent to me via courier that ive had to sign for (at my door) in the past though that was back home in australia, not sure if they do it the same way over here?

thanks for your input mate

[darrendsd]

so EMS then, have you personally used their service before?

can anyone else vouch for EMS?

also does the item get delivered to your door or will i have to collect it from my local p.o. were i live?

asking because ive had items sent to me via courier that ive had to sign for (at my door) in the past though that was back home in australia, not sure if they do it the same way over here?

thanks for your input mate

EMS is the safest secure option, i have used this option to send to both the uk and oz in the past and have received items before here via this service

They will deliver to your door but to be honest i'm not sure if they will do this if there are taxes to be paid, you may have to go to your po to pay the taxes and pick up the parcel [they will leave a notification card at your address anyway if this is the case]

[mike404045]

ok thanks for the help mate

btw how is the tax calculated?

[darrendsd]

ok thanks for the help mate

btw how is the tax calculated?

Its 7% over a certain value [not sure of the exact value but would say it's about a 1000 baht]

Yuo may be lucky and not get any import tax charged but this is purely luck of the draw

[mike404045]

i mean how do they come up with the value of the item? based on what exactly?

e.g. do they look at the iphone and compare the value of the price it is in thailand, then charge the tax accordingly?

[darrendsd]

i mean how do they come up with the value of the item? based on what exactly?

e.g. do they look at the iphone and compare the value of the price it is in thailand, then charge the tax accordingly?

They will look at the customs declaration [the value stated on the package when it is sent]

You can try putting a lower value on if you want but as another poster stated it's a bit unwise

[mike404045]

ok well i'll consider that, thanks again for the help

[roiethome]

If you can avoid using the original packaging, you could declare these as second hand and then declare say 50% of the original cost,

[connel707]

ok well i'll consider that, thanks again for the help

And you can argue about the amount of tax they will charge you.. the guys at Thai customs are pretty good and as long as you laugh and smile , have a wee joke with them, and are willing to pay something.. But you will have to pay at the post office whatever...best let your local PO know you are waiting on the parcels, send them without the boxes and guarantees etc, send them seperately and in small jiffy bags, and with sim cards inside, that way they will look like second-hand... and maybe No tax...Good Luck... I have never lost anything..

[in2fridge]

DO NOT use a courier -FEDEX/DHL - you will get nothing but grief and be ripped off at best !

I have recently had a iphone sent from the UK and a ipod from China both were sent regular post - signed for,both in plain packaging with the correct declaration because of the small size (they can't check every thing!) they arrived with the post no duty,ok that's lucky .

The worst that can happen is it will be customs assesed at 7% + vat ,a customs invoice will arrive in the post,you go and collect/pay from your local post office - who sent the customs info' - my local PO charge 20 Bhart handling fee....

Suggest the items are sent separately.....

[jalansanitwong]

EMS is the best way of sending items between OZ and Thailand ive done it many times but it can be slow. The problem you have is your particular item could go missing at any point of the journey. If its lost you will have a fight on your hands with EMS. They dont like refunds.Best to take out seperate insurance.Shouldnt be too much.You must declare the proper value on the declaration and it will most likely be held at the mail centre for collection of taxes which could be hefty. If you know a smart Thai then send him /her to pick it up.Could be cheaper as big fat whitey pays more for everything here.

[kuffki]

Send it using Fedex, you can insure it to the value

The problem with Thai customs(and thats from experience) they will tax you and amount can vary from 800 baht per phone plus admin fee up to any amount they decide.

I can suggest 2 options for you

1. Option one send the phones to a Thai name, it may go through without being taxed, but if it does get taxed will surely be half if not third of what you be charged

2. Get someone in OZ to make a "fake" invoice, stating that these are replacement phones or warranty repair, again better to address it to Thai name, you have a greater chance of not being taxed some stupid amount.

From my experience for you to consider

1. I ordered some shoes from USA, they declared the value of $2, i was charged 800 baht tax

2. I ordered same shoes and had to addressed to a Thai name, shoes were received with no tax

3. I had customer return of broken bag, bag was broken which was very obvious, could not be sold for 5 baht even if i really wanted, i was charged 800 baht tax.

I sent a box of tshirts FROM Thailand to OZ, Thai customs seized the parcel and wanted 5000 baht to release it. Even got lawyer involved-still did not get anywhere.

[kuffki]

DO NOT use a courier -FEDEX/DHL - you will get nothing but grief and be ripped off at best !

I have recently had a iphone sent from the UK and a ipod from China both were sent regular post - signed for,both in plain packaging with the correct declaration because of the small size (they can't check every thing!) they arrived with the post no duty,ok that's lucky .

The worst that can happen is it will be customs assesed at 7% + vat ,a customs invoice will arrive in the post,you go and collect/pay from your local post office - who sent the customs info' - my local PO charge 20 Bhart handling fee....

Suggest the items are sent separately.....

I believe you are not correct in regards to tax. it is not 7% but the import tax which is more like 30% or what ever import tax is on mobile phones.

If he sends it registered post from OZ, it has only $100 insurance, more can not be added.

In OZ not all country's have insurance, need to check if Aus Post offers insurance for parcels to Thailand, if they do- then do that but i think they do not.

Aus Post does not offer insurance to USA, Canada, UK,Israel and very many other places

[in2fridge]

DO NOT use a courier -FEDEX/DHL - you will get nothing but grief and be ripped off at best !

I have recently had a iphone sent from the UK and a ipod from China both were sent regular post - signed for,both in plain packaging with the correct declaration because of the small size (they can't check every thing!) they arrived with the post no duty,ok that's lucky .

The worst that can happen is it will be customs assesed at 7% + vat ,a customs invoice will arrive in the post,you go and collect/pay from your local post office - who sent the customs info' - my local PO charge 20 Bhart handling fee....

Suggest the items are sent separately.....

I believe you are not correct in regards to tax. it is not 7% but the import tax which is more like 30% or what ever import tax is on mobile phones.

If he sends it registered post from OZ, it has only $100 insurance, more can not be added.

In OZ not all country's have insurance, need to check if Aus Post offers insurance for parcels to Thailand, if they do- then do that but i think they do not.

Aus Post does not offer insurance to USA, Canada, UK,Israel and very many other places

Doh! must be the sun (or something) it is 30% + vat ! Just had "dealings" with FEDEX ,complete nightmare - tax 73 % ,customs & admin fees 3,000 Bhart,not keen in communicating by e mail only telephone surprise,surprise....Stick with a version of "regular post"....

[Bedrockguesthouse]

so EMS then, have you personally used their service before?

can anyone else vouch for EMS?

also does the item get delivered to your door or will i have to collect it from my local p.o. were i live?

asking because ive had items sent to me via courier that ive had to sign for (at my door) in the past though that was back home in australia, not sure if they do it the same way over here?

thanks for your input mate

EMS is the safest secure option, i have used this option to send to both the uk and oz in the past and have received items before here via this service

They will deliver to your door but to be honest i'm not sure if they will do this if there are taxes to be paid, you may have to go to your po to pay the taxes and pick up the parcel [they will leave a notification card at your address anyway if this is the case]

EMS is brilliant and fully trackable

[alina]

so EMS then, have you personally used their service before?

can anyone else vouch for EMS?

also does the item get delivered to your door or will i have to collect it from my local p.o. were i live?

asking because ive had items sent to me via courier that ive had to sign for (at my door) in the past though that was back home in australia, not sure if they do it the same way over here?

thanks for your input mate

EMS is the safest secure option, i have used this option to send to both the uk and oz in the past and have received items before here via this service

They will deliver to your door but to be honest i'm not sure if they will do this if there are taxes to be paid, you may have to go to your po to pay the taxes and pick up the parcel [they will leave a notification card at your address anyway if this is the case]

EMS is brilliant and fully trackable

Matey

I send them the otherway, no probs, EMS, fully traceable with a tracking number.

Edited March 4, 2010 by alina

[mike404045]

If you can avoid using the original packaging, you could declare these as second hand and then declare say 50% of the original cost

send them seperately and in small jiffy bags, and with sim cards inside, that way they will look like second-hand

sounds like a good idea trying to make them look 2nd hand but i need the original boxes as both phones are not for me (hence the reason why im paranoid at the moment)

DO NOT use a courier -FEDEX/DHL - you will get nothing but grief and be ripped off at best!............Suggest the items are sent separately

so when you sent your items by regular mail were the phone and ipod in their original packaging?

when you say plain packaging what do you mean by this?

how would sending them seperately be of benefit, wouldnt it be better to send them both at once?

I can suggest 2 options for you

1. Option one send the phones to a Thai name, it may go through without being taxed, but if it does get taxed will surely be half if not third of what you be charged

2. Get someone in OZ to make a "fake" invoice, stating that these are replacement phones or warranty repair, again better to address it to Thai name, you have a greater chance of not being taxed some stupid amount.

yes i will be sending them to my girlfriends home address.. im aware of the 'farang price'

as for making a fake invoice i'll think about that, not sure if it would make much difference on the tax but could be worth a shot.

now about the tax, this is one thing im very confused about the 7% ok but the 30% import tax on phones is very steep... also yes im not certain about insurance at australia post (will have to check that)

OK so now im confused about sending them via courier or regular post

lot of people have said EMS is reliable but id rather pay steep taxes then lose the phones!

BTW THANKS FOR YOU HELP GUYS!

[mike404045]

should've also added ... is their anyone else who has used australian post to send something of value to thailand?

[kuffki]

should've also added ... is their anyone else who has used australian post to send something of value to thailand?

I have.

Did have Tissot watch posted from OZ to Thailand, used Fedex with invoice stating its a warranty replacement and no tax was charged and parcel was delivered to the condo.

I think best and cheapest option would be Oz post regular with insurance, but again need to check if offered.

Difference with EMS and Fedex is the price and delivery time frame.

EMS is more expensive, you will be hit up for around AU$86 and NO INSURANCE($200 included max)3-5 days to deliver

Fedex , has some promo's so coud be cheaper, can have EXTRA INSURANCE, 3 days delivery

[mike404045]

ok thanks kuffki i will have to check that out with australia post.

probably be a good idea to work all that out before i make another post regarding this...

appreciate the help mate