spha6092 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Wondering if I could get some advice about this. I have a Nikon camera which I needed to get fixed under warranty, so a friend of mine dropped it off in Hong Kong for me at the end of last year, and last week another friend picked it up and has mailed it back to me here in CM. But now I get a notice from the post office saying that I need to pay 600 baht taxes, even though this is not an item I have bought. I'm going to the post office tomorrow to collect it, but just wondering whether other people have been in this sort of situation before and whether arguing this will be successful; or whether I'll have to grin and pay? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotlost Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) Don;t mean to be a barrier of bad news but just pay the 600 baht or you have an excellent chance of not getting your camera back. Lesson learned. This happens all the time. Edited February 6, 2011 by gotlost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackr Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 If you bought it here, show them the receipt. If no receipt, you'll have to pay as there won't be any evidence it left Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyh Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Your lucky it is only 600 Baht, not worth arguing over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spha6092 Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks for replies. Yes, lucky it is only 600 baht, but annoyed that it's often so hard to argue simple things like this. If you bought it here, show them the receipt. If no receipt, you'll have to pay as there won't be any evidence it left Thailand. I have a receipt that I bought it in Hong Kong last year, and maybe the service docket that it was getting fixed in Hong Kong, do you think these will help?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinnieTheKhwai Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) LOL, no. Because tax IS actually due on items bought outside of Thailand and brought in. So you don't even have an argument. If it was bought in Thailand however then tax would not be due and you would not have to pay it. In that case I would have included a copy of the receipt already when getting it serviced and sent back. EDIT: I wonder though if you would be eligible to get this tax back when you leave Thailand within a specified period of time, with the camera, and if you were on a tourist visa or visa exemption. You might have a case then. Not sure if 600 baht is worth looking into that. Edited February 6, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Just pay the 600 Baht. It's usually 2,000 Baht - even for a box of 2 used CD's that was clearly marked 'used' and 'gift'. You got off cheap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spha6092 Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Ok, thanks for the all help. Won't bother then and just pay Yes I realise that taxes are paid on items bought outside of Thailand but in this case it still doesn't make sense anyway. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Aitch Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 tax IS actually due on items bought outside of Thailand and brought in. Good job they don't open the luggage of tourists then! Watches, cameras. computers etc..., Heck, they'd be spending all their holiday cash on taxes before they've even got an arrival stamp! Oh, now i get it! You mean items that are posted in that were bought outside the kingdom Aitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111tingtong Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) I purchasd $800 worth of MX clothing from the states a few years ago and they slapped 18,000 Baht on it for import tax!!!!! I argued for a few days and got nowhere. You either pay or you dont get your goods, good luck. Just a note on the above: it was through Fedex Edited February 6, 2011 by 111tingtong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I purchasd $800 worth of MX clothing from the states a few years ago and they slapped 18,000 Baht on it for import tax!!!!! I argued for a few days and got nowhere. You either pay or you dont get your goods, good luck. Just a note on the above: it was through Fedex Don't ever use FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., etc. Always use the postal service, standard registered airmail. On packages coming from the USA, tell the sender not to use one of those brightly colored "Priority Mail" or "Express Mail" boxes. Just a regular brown box. It seems they always open those other boxes. Never usually a problem on packages coming from Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111tingtong Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I purchasd $800 worth of MX clothing from the states a few years ago and they slapped 18,000 Baht on it for import tax!!!!! I argued for a few days and got nowhere. You either pay or you dont get your goods, good luck. Just a note on the above: it was through Fedex Don't ever use FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., etc. Always use the postal service, standard registered airmail. On packages coming from the USA, tell the sender not to use one of those brightly colored "Priority Mail" or "Express Mail" boxes. Just a regular brown box. It seems they always open those other boxes. Never usually a problem on packages coming from Europe. Correct, unfortunately I wasnt aware of this at the time. These independent postal companies have their own custom departments, just about everything that goes through their Thai depots. gets opened/queried for tax purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayinoz Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Yes I also have ordered many goods OS... now they have cracked right down on the tax. Some goods are excluded and anything under $100 does not seem to be included. IMO very very lucky to get away with 600bt tax. You know u bought it abroad, unless it came with a receipt of under $100- u have nothing to argue about. Plus if a good camera they will value as per Thai market value then slap the 7% VAT on it. Therefore they are saying your camera is worth approx $300- I suggest very lucky. If far less- prove it and they will calcualate 7% VAT on the receipt supplied. Better still show a receipt from within Thailand if you can.... You can work around the issue and the officers will recalculate. When I was being stung with a 25000bt fee, I paid a couple of K 'Tea money' and all was well. Yes now the postal service has 'Tea money'- what do you expect- this is thailand. Anyway most countries are now applying their GST or VAT to imported goods, unless from Free Trade countries. Several countries have free trade agreements with Thailand- look it up. I know my Aussie goods are all clear when I send- yet I still send in unmarked Airmail registered as opposed to Express anyway. If their is a dollar for them to make, the officer will make it.... if they make a mistake they will say so when offer 'Tea money'. You must offer in Thai, with no other officer around. In this instance it is not worth the hassle- yet you can try offer 200bt if you wish. Cheers Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) I've often wondered if you have to pay tax on the hundreds of jars of Marmite, Branston, HP Sauce, Cheese etc etc. I bet there's loads of TV members who return with 30-40 kg of nothing but items as exampled, as they have their clothes and everything else they need back in their country, with a relative or friend. Anyone ever been asked to open their bags and been in such a situation? Was there tax? How much is 40 kg of good cheese worth here anyway? Edited February 6, 2011 by uptheos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman34014 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I've often wondered if you have to pay tax on the hundreds of jars of Marmite, Branston, HP Sauce, Cheese etc etc. I bet there's loads of TV members who return with 30-40 kg of nothing but items as exampled, as they have their clothes and everything else they need back in their country, with a relative or friend. Anyone ever been asked to open their bags and been in such a situation? Was there tax? How much is 40 kg of good cheese worth here anyway? Only been stopped once in 20 odd returns and he said 'Tobacco'. I said no so he said 'open bags'. He looked bewildered when the two bags that were opened contained nothing but Tea Bags, Cheese, Brown Sauce, Branston, Blackcurrant Jam and Gravy Granules. He turned to my Thai wife and said 'Tobacco'. She said 'don't smoke' in Thai and he opened one of her bags which was full of Cadburys Chocolate and at that point gave up without the merest smile. However; his partner thought it was very funny and was chuckling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I've often wondered if you have to pay tax on the hundreds of jars of Marmite, Branston, HP Sauce, Cheese etc etc. I bet there's loads of TV members who return with 30-40 kg of nothing but items as exampled, as they have their clothes and everything else they need back in their country, with a relative or friend. Anyone ever been asked to open their bags and been in such a situation? Was there tax? How much is 40 kg of good cheese worth here anyway? Only been stopped once in 20 odd returns and he said 'Tobacco'. I said no so he said 'open bags'. He looked bewildered when the two bags that were opened contained nothing but Tea Bags, Cheese, Brown Sauce, Branston, Blackcurrant Jam and Gravy Granules. He turned to my Thai wife and said 'Tobacco'. She said 'don't smoke' in Thai and he opened one of her bags which was full of Cadburys Chocolate and at that point gave up without the merest smile. However; his partner thought it was very funny and was chuckling. I guess they're probably not bothered with food and wouldn't know the true value anyway. Tobacco, booze and eau de toilette are different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELCata Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) The OP stated that he was in ownership of the camera, but de facto sent it to be repaired abroad & returned by post. A bit silly to elicit some 'tea money' in the circumstances; seems like a 'jobsworth' rule harshly applied. Last time I flew into swampy, I had a Wii & HD in the suitcase, with a laptop, Kindle & 3 mobiles in hand luggage. I could have worn a camera around my neck whilst walking through passport control; a few tic-tac smugglers (Chinese girls) got through unimpeded as well. It seems that the rules are anything in baggage / luggage gets a pass, but anything via post gets hammered; TIT Edited February 6, 2011 by ElCata Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolf5370 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I thought it was illegal to bring cheese in at all - live cultures and all that - pickles ans preserves should be OK. So, I would have thought it was lucky you didn't get nabbed for the attempt to smuggle cheese! My Mrs (Thai) did something I though humourous (in a stupid and pretty dangerous way!) - when she last came back from work (she's working in Europe at the moment and comes back on trips to Thailand) I asked her to bring a couple of Kg of Cheddar from the UK. When she got here, she didn't have it. She did have a clear platic bag full of plant seeds and seedlings (which looked like weed) - her friend had asked her to take them over to her mum (her friend works in a flower shop in West London). She said she couldn't bring the cheese because it is illegal - I had to inform her that so is bringing in foreign plants/live seeds and she may well have been arrested for drug smuggling if they had seen it and jumped to conclusions. BTW agree with using postal mail - usually pay 7Baht when care packages arrive from home (with anything from underwear wth some room! - socks that are not 200% nylon - bits for the kids - frontline for the dog - etc) - she lists the items on the box in English and Thai and the total value - only been openned once (UK side - could tell by the UK Customs tape when it was resealled) - browb box with brown tape - address in Thai (written with a marker pen) and "Thailand" in English at the bottom. I email my family in the UK. Spain, Eire, Finland, etc my address in Thai so they can print it off and stick it to letters or boxes - Thai customs seems to leave stuff alone when the address is in Thai. Only time I paid, 700Baht, was when it was sent UPS(Address in Thai) - came from UK. Received papers sent by DHL (with receipt within) - and nothing to pay this end at all (Address in Thai) - came from UK. Came unopenned - but was in a document pouch rather than a box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolf5370 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) The OP stated that he was in ownership of the camera, but de facto sent it to be repaired abroad & returned by post. A bit silly to elicit some 'tea money' in the circumstances; seems like a 'jobsworth' rule harshly applied. Last time I flew into swampy, I had a Wii & HD in the suitcase, with a laptop, Kindle & 3 mobiles in hand luggage. I could have worn a camera around my neck whilst walking through passport control; a few tic-tac smugglers (Chinese girls) got through unimpeded as well. It seems that the rules are anything in baggage / luggage gets a pass, but anything via post gets hammered; TIT If the luggage came through cargo it would be hammered too - its the customs guys that sting (they are the wealthiest officials outside of the politicians themselves in the country - they even hammer their own millitary etc on import taxes). The theory is that if you carry it through the airport, you will likley carry it out again also. How many legitimate tourists would post a broken camera to Honk Kong whilst on holiday in Thailand? People on long term visas never get considered with such thinking - its always Thais or tourists. Edited February 6, 2011 by wolf5370 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1955 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I agree regular post is best , I have received three packages from the US and two from China none were ever opened and no tax on any of it . brown boxes and a low value do wonders ....... Maybe I was just lucky ... I di send a lap top to my wife here , while I was in the US she got slapped with 1000 baht tax . Needless to say that same lap top has come and left four times since then .... No ryme no reason to any of it ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystwoodcol Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Go and pay the $20 and go next door and put another $20 in Buddha's poor box and thank him for letting it get through the postal system. You are lucky to see your camera again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman34014 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I thought it was illegal to bring cheese in at all - live cultures and all that - pickles ans preserves should be OK. So, I would have thought it was lucky you didn't get nabbed for the attempt to smuggle cheese! My Mrs (Thai) did something I though humourous (in a stupid and pretty dangerous way!) - when she last came back from work (she's working in Europe at the moment and comes back on trips to Thailand) I asked her to bring a couple of Kg of Cheddar from the UK. When she got here, she didn't have it. She did have a clear platic bag full of plant seeds and seedlings (which looked like weed) - her friend had asked her to take them over to her mum (her friend works in a flower shop in West London). She said she couldn't bring the cheese because it is illegal - I had to inform her that so is bringing in foreign plants/live seeds and she may well have been arrested for drug smuggling if they had seen it and jumped to conclusions. BTW agree with using postal mail - usually pay 7Baht when care packages arrive from home (with anything from underwear wth some room! - socks that are not 200% nylon - bits for the kids - frontline for the dog - etc) - she lists the items on the box in English and Thai and the total value - only been openned once (UK side - could tell by the UK Customs tape when it was resealled) - browb box with brown tape - address in Thai (written with a marker pen) and "Thailand" in English at the bottom. I email my family in the UK. Spain, Eire, Finland, etc my address in Thai so they can print it off and stick it to letters or boxes - Thai customs seems to leave stuff alone when the address is in Thai. Only time I paid, 700Baht, was when it was sent UPS(Address in Thai) - came from UK. Received papers sent by DHL (with receipt within) - and nothing to pay this end at all (Address in Thai) - came from UK. Came unopenned - but was in a document pouch rather than a box. Not sure if cheese is illegal or not but I bring loads every time and only been stopped the once and he wasn't interested in it or other food items. I have many pals who bring back cheese from Europe, Australia and USA, Canada etc and none of them have ever had a problem with it even if it is found. Now, if you try taking it into Aus'; that's a different matter altogether ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I thought it was illegal to bring cheese in at all - live cultures and all that - pickles ans preserves should be OK. So, I would have thought it was lucky you didn't get nabbed for the attempt to smuggle cheese! My Mrs (Thai) did something I though humourous (in a stupid and pretty dangerous way!) - when she last came back from work (she's working in Europe at the moment and comes back on trips to Thailand) I asked her to bring a couple of Kg of Cheddar from the UK. When she got here, she didn't have it. She did have a clear platic bag full of plant seeds and seedlings (which looked like weed) - her friend had asked her to take them over to her mum (her friend works in a flower shop in West London). She said she couldn't bring the cheese because it is illegal - I had to inform her that so is bringing in foreign plants/live seeds and she may well have been arrested for drug smuggling if they had seen it and jumped to conclusions. BTW agree with using postal mail - usually pay 7Baht when care packages arrive from home (with anything from underwear wth some room! - socks that are not 200% nylon - bits for the kids - frontline for the dog - etc) - she lists the items on the box in English and Thai and the total value - only been openned once (UK side - could tell by the UK Customs tape when it was resealled) - browb box with brown tape - address in Thai (written with a marker pen) and "Thailand" in English at the bottom. I email my family in the UK. Spain, Eire, Finland, etc my address in Thai so they can print it off and stick it to letters or boxes - Thai customs seems to leave stuff alone when the address is in Thai. Only time I paid, 700Baht, was when it was sent UPS(Address in Thai) - came from UK. Received papers sent by DHL (with receipt within) - and nothing to pay this end at all (Address in Thai) - came from UK. Came unopenned - but was in a document pouch rather than a box. Not sure if cheese is illegal or not but I bring loads every time and only been stopped the once and he wasn't interested in it or other food items. I have many pals who bring back cheese from Europe, Australia and USA, Canada etc and none of them have ever had a problem with it even if it is found. Now, if you try taking it into Aus'; that's a different matter altogether ! Cheese is a better investment than gold here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProThaiExpat Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 The last time I received a package via Fedex three years ago and was outraged at the customs duty I had to pay Fedex who collects for Thai Customs, I learned that Fedex "batch" levies customs duties. That is Fedex assigns a pro-rata duty on the contents of containers of goods addressed to a multitude of addressees and evidently have reached an accomodation with Thai Customs for a total figure for each container. Thus, small packages of documents are levied a duty as are large packages with costly items. Perhaps their formula includes weight, but in any case, what you pay rarely approximates the correct duty for the item in question and I suspect their regular customers who do volume business with them have it down to a science where it doesn't cost them as much as the occasional small package customer. I definitely came away with the impression that Thai Customs doesn't even open the containers the Fedex pays duty on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genericnic Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 OP Rather than send the camera to HK, I highly recommend NIKS in Bangkok. It was the place recommended to me by the official Nikon store at MBK. I was there a year or so ago. I had bent the filter ring on my 24-70 and couldn't get any filters on it at all. They got me up and running in about 30 minutes at no charge. Plus, while you are waiting, you can head upstairs and look at the vintage Nikons they have. It is a great collection. Best David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystwoodcol Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 OP After all this wonderful advice, and classic comments. Tell us have you got your camera yet? and does it work and did you pay up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRS1 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 The last time I received a package via Fedex three years ago and was outraged at the customs duty I had to pay Fedex who collects for Thai Customs, I learned that Fedex "batch" levies customs duties. That is Fedex assigns a pro-rata duty on the contents of containers of goods addressed to a multitude of addressees and evidently have reached an accomodation with Thai Customs for a total figure for each container. Thus, small packages of documents are levied a duty as are large packages with costly items. Perhaps their formula includes weight, but in any case, what you pay rarely approximates the correct duty for the item in question and I suspect their regular customers who do volume business with them have it down to a science where it doesn't cost them as much as the occasional small package customer. I definitely came away with the impression that Thai Customs doesn't even open the containers the Fedex pays duty on. FEDEX is great for smuggling things in ... Ironic ain't it? FEDEX would not be able to keep there time guarantee if everything went through customs.... Think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spha6092 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Thank you so much for all the replies. I finally went to the post office yesterday to pick up the parcel. Glad I repressed the urge to argue; the guy at the counter was pretty grumpy. But I know why I got charged now...my friend had declared a value (HK$2000) and posted it using EMS. I haven't had experience with this sort of thing before so didn't give her any instructions about writing 'gift' on the box. Luckily, she undervalued my camera by half, otherwise I would have paid a lot more than what I did. I don't think the box was actually opened on the Thai side. I sent it to Hong Kong because that's only where the warranty was valid (plus China)...in future I will not buy a Nikon for this reason. I'm only going to buy a camera that has international warranty so I can get it fixed locally, wherever I happen to be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystwoodcol Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Ahhhhhhh We can all rest easy now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dindong Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Whatever you do, don't use DHL. Some friends of mine donated books to a school, valued at 30 pounds. DHL determind duty was due at 180 baht and charged us 200 baht just to pay it. Total 380 baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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