Shipping Our Used Household Items To Thailand

[Steve&mem]

After going through previous posts I have not found the answer, Please Help!

I and the TW have now decided to make to move to LOS more permanent and want to ship our household Items over, dumping everything is not an option.

Now the problem.

She has lived and worked and the UK for over 10 years but for the last 2 years we have been doing 6 months in the UK and 6 months Thailand and she used her Thai passport when entering Thailand to save the problems of a visa (she’s dual nationality).

So now the Question. Will she still qualify for her duty free allowance or will we get stuffed by the customs for import duty as her Thai passport show’s that she only left Thailand 5 months ago.

The customs web site says that she must be absent for 12 months, or am I reading this wrong.

Many thanks :jap:

[Pib]

It will probably boil down to the definition/requirements of "change of residence" referred to at the customs web site: http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/HouseholdEffects/HouseholdEffects.jsp?menuNme=HouseHold

Does staying Thailand for six months out of the year mean she has "changed her residence" in the eyes of customs officials...or does it just mean she "visited" Thailand for 6 months before going back to her residence in the UK? I don't know.

If dumping everything is not an option (and I know you can't dump "everything" simply because of personal attachment/memories) then you may have to take the chance on custom charges and a lot of shipping costs...shipping everything usually costs a lot. Regardless of how much you end of shipping, definitely complete "any" paperwork on the UK end and Thailand end associated with the move as your former residence being in the UK, and if required, only some yearly "visits" to Thailand....returning on vacation to visit family. And be sure to clearly annotated as appropriate on shipping documents the goods you are shipping are: "Second Hand Household Effects." Even write "Second Hand Household Effects" on the shipping boxes.

I do know when me and the Thai wife (Thai & US citizen) moved from the States to Thailand, customs did check her Thai passport to see how long/how many times she had been in- and-out of Thailand over the past few years. Her last visit for a few weeks was 8 months before we moved to Thailand...when both of us visited Thailand to finalize the buy of our home. That visit for a few weeks 8 months earlier and all her yearly visits didn't cause any custom charges on the 1600 lbs or so of household effects we shipped over...we did pay something called a 3000 baht "customary custom charge" that I didn't complain about and this was on the shipment receiving agent's invoice....not any custom's department direct charge. I could have challenged the charge, but didn't as I was too happy to escape with only a 3000 baht customs-type charge on 1600 pounds of household effects worth a whole lot in money and memories. Good luck on the move as I know there are tons of things to get done.

[malcolminthemiddle]

Before shipment, the Thai agent handling the import will be in a better position to advise you after seeing a copy of every page of your wifes passport.

So first step find a UK shipping agent and contact their Thai counter part direct.

I speak from recent experience.

Edited December 3, 2010 by malcolminthemiddle

[Steve&mem]

Thanks for the replies.

The problem has been solved for us, we have run into trouble selling the house, so now no rush.

As I don’t expect to find another buyer soooooon, I think we will wait till her 12 months are up and then rent out our UK property.

I was about to call the removal agent to get their views on this but as stated above other events overtook it.

Thanks.

[travelmann]

Thanks for the replies.

The problem has been solved for us, we have run into trouble selling the house, so now no rush.

As I don't expect to find another buyer soooooon, I think we will wait till her 12 months are up and then rent out our UK property.

I was about to call the removal agent to get their views on this but as stated above other events overtook it.

Thanks.

I am curious how you prove an item is "used" or not for example I take good care of my things they look like new....then what? must I keep original purchase receipts for say a table already 10 years old but unmarked??

Sorry for hi jackinhg your thread

[Pib]

Just ensure the shipping documentation/boxes state "Second Hand Household Effects." Of course customs could always say an item in the shipment looks new, but it probably won't happen unless possibly you ship items with all their original packings/boxes and the item still looks brand new.

I shipped a few, smaller electronic type items in their original boxes, but customs never looked to that detail. I don't think they opened any of the 16 approx one-cubic-meter sized boxes packed full of electronics/clothes/pictures/memories/crap/etc/etc/etc., we shipped over. Plus, the date of manufacture is many times contained somewhere on labels/stickers on the item which can help in verifying the item probably ain't new (e.g., may look brand new but manufactured in 2001). Plus, the customs officials are looking at the overall household shipment which probably looks like/consists of a "bunch of used household items."

It's a little bit of a crap shoot; don't ship no more than what you have to since most things can be re-bought in Thailand at a cost that is less than what shipping costs may cost you. This means you will end up with a lot of new stuff for the price of shipping old stuff. But with this being said, I know a lot of things have strong memories/attachments associated with them and if it costs more to ship them than buy something similar new (or they can't be bought again) then a person is going to ship them.